What is Spread Price Protection? – Bitvavo Help Center

When you place a market order, you expect it to fill right away at the best price available. Spread price protection makes sure the price you get does not drift too far from the market while your order fills. This article explains how the protection works and what you can do if your order is canceled.

What spread price protection does

Spread price protection limits how far the price you get can drift from the best price available when you place a market order.

Two things create that drift:

The spread: The gap between the best buy price and the best sell price at that moment.
Slippage: The extra difference that builds up when your order is large enough to fill across several price levels.

Bitvavo sets a maximum for the two combined, and it differs per market.

Why it exists

Without this protection, a market order could fill at prices far from where the market is actually trading. In markets where little is being traded, or when your order is large compared with what is available, the later parts of your order can fill at much worse prices than the first. Spread price protection stops that from happening.

Which orders it applies to

This protection only applies to market orders. It is most likely to trigger in markets where less is being traded, or when your order is large compared with what is available at the best prices.

What happens if it is triggered

If spread price protection is triggered, one of two things will happen:

Nothing fills: If your whole order would go past the limit, no part of it fills and your balance is unchanged.
Part of your order fills: If part of it can fill within the limit, that part fills and we cancel the rest. You will see this as a partial fill, and anything that does not fill stays in your account.

An example

Note: The numbers below are made up to show how it works. The actual maximum differs per market.

Say the maximum for this market is 2%, and you place a market order to buy 1,000 coins. The best sell price is €10.00, and this is what is available:

400 coins at €10.00
300 coins at €10.10, which is 1% above the best price
300 coins at €10.50, which is 5% above the best price

The first 700 coins fill, because €10.00 and €10.10 both sit within 2% of the best price. The last 300 would fill at €10.50, which is past the limit, so we cancel that part. You end up with 700 coins at an average price of €10.04, and the amount for the other 300 stays in your account.

If the spread itself had been more than 2% at that moment, nothing would have filled at all, no matter how much you tried to buy.

What you can do

If your order is canceled or partially filled due to spread price protection, you can try the following:

Trade a smaller amount, so your order fills within the best available prices.
Set your own price with a "Limit order" and wait for the market to reach it.
Try again later, since spreads change as trading activity changes.

Tip: If nothing filled at all, a smaller amount will not help. That happens when the spread on its own is already over the limit, and the spread is the same whatever size you trade.

Frequently asked questions

Does spread price protection apply to limit orders?

No, only to market orders. With a limit order you set the price yourself, so it only fills at that price or better. Reference price protection does still apply when a limit order fills.

Do I lose money if my order is canceled?

No. Anything that does not fill stays in your account.