> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.surgecardano.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.surgecardano.com/tutorials/12.-surge-staking-and-fee-tiers.md).

# 12. SURGE staking and fee tiers

Hold SURGE to earn ADA every epoch and pay lower trading fees, with no lockup.

{% embed url="<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1frNx42aDN7Pgjx1kr7iTk7KLxFtraXjJ/preview>" %}

Staking SURGE works differently from what you might expect. There's no lockup and nothing to send anywhere, because your SURGE stays in your wallet. Each epoch, Surge takes a time-weighted snapshot of your balance and pays ADA rewards based on it.

### What you'll learn

* How SURGE staking works
* Subscribing with your stake address
* Claiming ADA rewards
* How tiers lower your fees and unlock more arbitrage strategies
* Reading the pool stats

### How it works

|                          |                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Lockup                   | None. Your SURGE never leaves your wallet.                                                        |
| How rewards are measured | A time-weighted average (TWA) snapshot of your SURGE balance through each epoch                   |
| Rewards paid in          | ADA                                                                                               |
| Tier benefits            | Lower Surge fees on every strategy trade, plus more arbitrage strategies running at the same time |

### Get started

1. Open the **Staking** page. The header shows the current epoch and when it ends.
2. **Subscribe** once with your stake address. That's all it takes to be included.
3. Keep holding SURGE in your wallet. Your snapshot builds through each epoch.

You can unsubscribe at any time from the bottom of the Staking page.

### Your staking dashboard

* **Your Stake:** your SURGE balance counted for staking
* **Current Tier:** your tier, plus a progress bar showing how much more SURGE you need for the next one
* **Claimable Now:** ADA rewards from finalized epochs. Click **Claim** to collect them.
* **Rewards history:** every past epoch and what you earned in it

### Tiers

The more SURGE you hold, the higher your tier. Each tier gives a bigger discount on the fees Surge charges on strategy trades, applied automatically. Higher tiers also let you run more arbitrage strategies at once. The tier cards on the Staking page show each tier's current benefits.

### Pool stats

* **Total stakers**
* **Current pool rewards:** the reward pool for this epoch
* **Your share:** your portion of the pool
* **Next distribution:** when the next rewards land

### Good to know

* **Hold for the whole epoch.** Rewards follow your time-weighted balance, so SURGE held all epoch counts for more than SURGE bought just before it ends.
* **Rewards arrive after the epoch finalizes.** They show up under Claimable Now once the epoch closes.
* **Discounts apply automatically.** There's nothing to switch on. Your tier lowers the Surge fee on every strategy trade.

### You're all set

That's Surge. Connect your wallet, fund a hot wallet, and deploy your first strategy. Automate the routine and keep your keys.

Continue with [Your first strategy, step by step](/getting-started/first-strategy-walkthrough.md).


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