The Joining Fee is a fixed amount in USD charged once for starting a subscription to a master. It is set in the Fee Plan with no period option, and it does not depend on trading activity or results.
- Who pays — the investor, out of the investment account.
- Who receives it — the master.
- When — when the subscription starts. Copy Trading and MAM accounts must meet the master-configured minimum deposit; a PAMM subscription can be created with a zero balance, but Joining Fee collection waits until the account reaches that minimum.
- How much — the plan amount in full. There is no proration and no recurring charge, so a
25 USDJoining Fee is a single25.00 USDcharge.
It Is Charged Once per Subscription
Once the fee has been paid for a subscription, that subscription never generates it again. If the investor uses Unsubscribe and the subscription is later restored, no new Joining Fee appears — even if the master raised the rate in the meantime.
An existing subscription keeps its Fee Plan
This rule is about creating a new Fee Plan after you subscribed. Your existing subscription keeps the old plan; it is not replaced, so the new Joining Fee is not added to that subscription. Editing a Fee Plan that the subscription already accepted is a different operation and can update its terms — see Master Fee Plan. A new subscription from a different investment account can use the new plan and pay its Joining Fee.
| Situation | Is a Joining Fee charged? |
|---|---|
| The subscription starts for the first time | Yes, if the plan includes a Joining Fee. |
| The same subscription is restored after Unsubscribe | No — it was already paid. |
| A different investment account starts a new subscription with a plan that includes a Joining Fee | Yes — it is a new subscription start. |
| The master creates a new plan with a Joining Fee after an existing subscription started | No — the existing subscription keeps its old plan. New subscriptions can use the new plan. |
Why PAMM Waits for the Minimum Deposit
Copy Trading and MAM investment accounts must meet the master-configured minimum deposit before the subscription can start, so their Joining Fee can be collected at subscription start. PAMM lets the investor create a subscription with a zero balance, but activation and Joining Fee collection wait until the account reaches that same required minimum.
Joining Fee vs Subscription Fee
Both are fixed USD amounts, which makes them easy to confuse. The difference is what they pay for — see Subscription fee for the recurring one.
| Question | Joining Fee | Subscription Fee |
|---|---|---|
| What does it pay for? | Starting the subscription. | Time subscribed to the master. |
| How often? | One-time. | Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. |
| Can the amount be prorated? | No — it is a single fixed charge. | Yes — when only part of a calendar period needs to be covered. |
| Charged again after a restore? | No, if it was already paid. | Yes — the schedule continues while subscribed. |
When No Joining Fee Is Charged
- The fee plan has no Joining Fee, or its amount is zero.
- This subscription already paid it.
- A PAMM subscription has not reached the master-configured minimum deposit yet — the charge waits until it does.
Currency Conversion
The plan amount is set in USD, while the charge is shown in the investment account currency. When that currency is not USD, the amount is converted at the applicable exchange rate and rounded to the precision shown for the account.
If it cannot be collected
If the account lacks enough funds to collect the full fee, the shortfall becomes accrued fee debt and is recovered later.
