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Analysis · Stablecoins

How to buy USDT, which exchanges list it, which network to pick and what it costs

Published 2026-10-14By the CryptoGuardz Register Desk6 min read16 sources

Photo: Logan Voss / Unsplash

In short, from the documents

How to buy USDT: exchanges, networks and fees

In the US, Coinbase and Gemini list USDT and Robinhood shows it for market data only. Tether sells directly only to verified customers with a 100,000 USD minimum. In the EEA, Coinbase, Kraken and Binance have restricted or delisted it under MiCA. The network picked at withdrawal decides whether the tokens arrive.

Piece published 2026-10-14Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk

To buy USDT, open an account at an exchange that lists it, verify your identity, pay in dollars, and buy. In the US, Coinbase and Gemini list USDT on their own pages; Robinhood shows it for market data only. Tether itself sells only to verified customers, with a 100,000 USD minimum. Coinbase charges 0.01% (max 20 USDT) plus a network fee to send USDT out.

The figures below come from each company's own help pages and fee pages, read on 14 October 2026. Nothing here is a view on whether to buy USDT; it covers where it is listed, how the purchase works and what each step costs.

Can you buy USDT directly from Tether?

Only at institutional size. Tether's fee schedule sets the terms for a direct account:

Tether fee item	Figure
Verification fee	150 USD₮, non-refundable
Minimum issuance or redemption	100,000 USD
Fee per redemption	Greater of $1,000 or 0.1%
Fee per acquisition	0.1%

Everyone else buys from an exchange or broker that holds USDT in inventory. The USDT explainer covers what Tether's terms promise and to whom.

Which US exchanges sell USDT?

Each platform's own page, read on 14 October 2026:

Platform	USDT on its own page	Networks for sending USDT
Coinbase	"Tether is currently available on Coinbase's centralized exchange"	Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, Tempo (API)
Kraken	Listed as a supported stablecoin; US state availability not stated	Arbitrum One, Avalanche, Ethereum, Flare, Ink, Optimism, Polygon, Solana, TON, Tron, Unichain
Gemini	Deposit and withdrawal networks listed	Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, Tron, Arbitrum
Robinhood Crypto	Market data only, no trading	Not applicable

Robinhood's availability page puts Tether under the heading for assets where "Robinhood Crypto doesn't support trading". Kraken's stablecoin page lists USDT but does not say whether it is offered in every US state: not verified. Its networks are from the same stablecoin page, last updated 2 June 2026. Coinbase's own pages disagree on networks. The Tether price page says "Coinbase only supports USDT on the Ethereum blockchain (ERC-20)", while the Coinbase Exchange currency API lists four USDT networks as online. The send screen in the account is the one that decides.

How to buy USDT on Coinbase

The Coinbase Help Center gives these steps for the web:

Select Buy on the homepage.
Enter an amount.
Select Pay with and choose a payment method.
Select Buy and choose the asset, here Tether (USDT).
Select Review order.
Select Buy now.

The help page says only a verified payment method can be used and that "Minimum purchase amounts vary by crypto or payment method." It gives no fee figure; the pricing page says a spread is included in the quoted price and that, for simple limit orders, "Coinbase may also charge a 1.875% Coinbase fee (varies by payment method)" on top of a 1% limit order fee. The amount charged is shown on the Review order screen before Buy now. The Coinbase cash-out post covers the reverse trip.

What does it cost to send USDT off an exchange?

Two charges at Coinbase. The pricing page states USDT withdrawals "will be charged a processing fee equal to 0.01% of the amount transferred, with a maximum of 20 USDT", plus a separate network fee. On 1,000 USDT that processing fee is 0.10 USDT.

Kraken's withdrawal fee table did not render to this desk on 14 October 2026, and the page says "the final fees will be accurately shown at the time of confirmation": not verified. Gemini's network page states no fee. For both, the withdrawal confirmation screen is the place the figure appears.

Which network should you choose for USDT?

The one the receiving address is on. Tether lists 13 chains it issues USDT on: Ethereum, Avalanche, Cosmos via Kava, Celo, Kaia, Tron, Liquid, Solana, Polkadot AssetHub, Tezos, Near, TON and Aptos. It lists five as deprecated, saying it is "no longer issuing or obligated to redeem Tether Tokens" on Kusama, Bitcoin Cash SLP, Omni Layer, EOS and Algorand. BNB Smart Chain is not on Tether's USD₮ list, though some exchanges offer USDT there.

Railway tracks crossing and splitting at a junction under overhead wires — Illustration: a rail junction. USDT runs on many chains, and the network has to match the receiving address. Photo: iridial / Unsplash

Tether Token transactions are not reversible

Tether terms of service, retrieved 2026-10-14

A send on a network the receiver does not support can be lost. The exchange register records which networks each exchange withdraws USDT on, and the Tron chain page covers USDT on Tron.

Where has USDT been delisted under MiCA?

In the EEA, at three large exchanges, by their own notices.

A row of European Union flags outside a glass office building — Illustration: EU flags. MiCA applies across the EEA, which is where the exchange notices in this section apply. Photo: Guillaume Périgois / Unsplash

Coinbase: buying, selling and converting USDT is restricted for EEA users. The page says "The MiCA transitional period for stablecoin issuers ended on July 1, 2026, and was not extended", and that remaining balances will be converted at market rate on 30 October 2026.
Kraken: USDT is on its EEA delisted list and "can only be deposited* or withdrawn", per the page last updated 13 April 2026.
Binance: the 3 March 2025 notice delisted non-MiCA spot pairs, USDT among them, for EEA users from 31 March 2025, while still allowing deposits and withdrawals.

Coinbase also warns EEA users not to send these assets in: anything arriving after 30 October 2026 is not credited or converted.

Scams to know before buying USDT

Fake tokens. Coinbase's wallet help page says fake stablecoins "can appear in your wallet as airdropped tokens without your consent", and that claiming one by connecting to its contract is "a high-risk transaction". A genuine USDT contract address appears on Tether's supported protocols page; a token that does not match it is not USDT. Anyone who asks for USDT to "unlock" a withdrawal or recover lost funds is running a known pattern: see the scam recovery page.

Quick answers

Can I buy USDT on Robinhood?

No. Robinhood's availability page, read on 14 October 2026, lists Tether among assets it shows market data for but does not trade.

Do USDT network fees differ by chain?

Yes, and the exchanges show the figure only at confirmation. Coinbase adds 0.01% (max 20 USDT) plus a network fee that varies by chain; the USDC vs USDT post lists the chains each issuer supports.

Can I still buy USDT in Europe?

Not on Coinbase, Kraken or Binance as EEA spot trading, per their notices. Coinbase converts remaining EEA balances on 30 October 2026.

Is USDT the same on every network?

No. USDT on Tron and on Ethereum sit on separate ledgers, and Tether lists 13 supported chains. A deposit address works on one network only.

More analysis

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Sources

About this piece

Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.