Polymarket has switched off taker fees on most of its market categories until the end of October 2026. Since March, takers have paid a fee on almost every trade. For the next couple of weeks, trading NBA games, elections, Fed decisions, weather, finance, culture, mentions and tech markets costs nothing beyond the spread.
Crypto markets are not included, and neither are soccer and most other sports. We checked Polymarket’s public market data to see which markets are free in practice, because the category list does not tell the whole story.
Not financial advice. Prediction markets carry a high risk of loss, and they are restricted or banned in many countries. Check the rules where you live before you deposit.
What changed
Polymarket was fee-free for years. That ended in 2026: taker fees arrived on short-term crypto markets early in the year and spread to almost every category on 30 March. Since then a taker, the trader whose order fills immediately against the order book, pays a fee that depends on the price. Makers, whose limit orders rest in the book, pay nothing and receive part of the taker fees back as rebates.
Now Polymarket has announced on X that taker fees are off for eight categories, and a banner across polymarket.com reads: “Zero fees on NBA, Politics, Economics, Weather, Finance, Culture, Mentions & Tech through Oct 31.”
What is free in practice
Polymarket publishes a fee type for every market. On 20 October we pulled the 300 most active markets. 109 of them carried the type “zero_fees”, including the Celtics vs. Pistons NBA game, the October Fed rate decision, the Brazilian presidential election and the 2026 US midterms balance of power. Searches across the other categories showed the same for daily temperature markets, Oscar nominations, box office, Spotify listeners, Tesla and OpenAI markets.
Still charged:
- Crypto markets, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum price targets, keep their crypto fee.
- Soccer, the Champions League, esports and most other sports keep their sports fee. NFL and college football markets use their own lower rate.
- Some individual markets inside the free categories. One October Trump “mentions” market still showed a mentions fee while similar markets were free.
Geopolitical and world-event markets have always been fee-free, and they still are.
The rule that follows is simple: look at the fee on the market itself before you trade, and do not assume that the category tells you.
How much it saves
Polymarket’s taker fee is highest when a share costs 50 cents and shrinks toward zero as the price approaches 0 or 1 dollar. According to Polymarket’s fee documentation, the rate is 0.04 for politics, finance, mentions and tech and 0.05 for economics, culture, weather and most sports. In money, that is about 1 dollar per 100 shares at 50 cents on a politics market and about 1.25 dollars on an economics market.
That looks small per trade. For a taker who trades a few thousand shares a week, or a strategy that buys and sells the same market many times, the fee was often the difference between a small edge and no edge.
What it means for different traders
If you have a strategy you wanted to test, the next two weeks are a cheap window. Run it with small size and log every trade, because the results will be better than what the same strategy earns once fees return.
If a strategy was profitable before March and the fees ate it, recalculate. It may work again until the end of October, and only until then.
If you earn maker rebates, check your numbers. Rebates are funded by taker fees, so fee-free markets pay no rebates, and Polymarket’s data shows a rebate rate of zero on them. Markets that kept their fees, such as crypto, still pay rebates.
If you are new, this is a low-cost time to learn how the order book works. Our guides on how to sign up on Polymarket and how to deposit USDC cover the setup.
What zero fees do not change
The spread is still there. On thin markets the gap between the best bid and the best ask can cost more than the fee ever did. Use limit orders where you can.
The odds are still yours to get right. A fee waiver makes a good strategy better; it does not turn a losing one into a winner.
The waiver is temporary. Polymarket has not published what comes after October, so do not build a strategy that only works at zero fees.
Who can use Polymarket
Polymarket’s international app is not available everywhere. Its documentation lists the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and several Canadian provinces as close-only, which means you can close old positions but not open new ones. Some regions are fully blocked. Using a VPN to get around this breaks the terms of service and can leave funds stuck. US residents have a separate, regulated Polymarket US app. Our Polymarket KYC and country guide has the full list.
Bottom line
For the rest of October, Polymarket is fee-free for takers on most NBA, politics, economics, weather, finance, culture, mentions and tech markets. Crypto and most other sports still cost a fee, some single markets do too, and maker rebates disappear wherever the fee does. If Polymarket is available where you live and you have a strategy to test, this is the cheapest window since March.
You can sign up on Polymarket here. That is our referral link; see our affiliate disclosure. For the full cost picture, read our guide to Polymarket fees. This content is for information only and is not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does Polymarket charge fees right now?
On most markets in eight categories, no. Polymarket has removed taker fees on NBA, politics, economics, weather, finance, culture, mentions and tech markets until the end of October 2026. Crypto markets, soccer and most other sports still carry taker fees, and a few individual markets inside the free categories do too, so check the fee shown on each market.
When do Polymarket fees come back?
The banner on polymarket.com says the waiver runs through 31 October 2026. Polymarket has not said what the fee schedule looks like after that, so plan as if the normal taker fees return in November.
Do maker rebates still work during the fee waiver?
Not on fee-free markets. Maker rebates are paid out of taker fees, so a market with no taker fee pays no rebate. In Polymarket's public market data, fee-free markets show a rebate rate of zero. Rebates still apply on markets that keep their fees, such as crypto.
How much does the waiver save?
Polymarket's taker fee is largest at a 50 cent price. On politics markets the normal rate works out to about 1 dollar per 100 shares at 50 cents, and on economics, weather and culture about 1.25 dollars. For an active taker trading thousands of shares a week, that adds up quickly. Makers never paid trading fees, so they save nothing.
Can I use Polymarket from Russia or another restricted country?
No. Polymarket lists Russia, the US, the UK, Germany, France and many other countries as close-only, which means no new positions. Using a VPN to get around the restriction breaks its terms. This content is for information only and is not financial advice.
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