<p>In the Bitcoin protocol, fees are totally optional.  You can have a fee of 0btc or 10btc.</p>

<p>Once there are more transactions then what fits into a block, which isn't now, miners will choose what transactions to include into their block, and they will prefer transactions with a fee attached, because they get that fee.</p>

<p>Right now, fees don't help process a transaction any sooner or better, but in the future it's likely to make a difference.  This totally depends on what happens in the future, and is very much up for debate.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-18T22:21:22.373Z
Thanks Liquid5n0w. I think i didn't explain myself well, even if the transaction fees are optional right now, when you just receive bitcoins you can't re-send them inmediately without fee, bitcoind tells me to include a 0.005 fee because "i just received those bitcoins". I went and read about that, it seems to be that i have to wait for my bitcoins to be "old enough" to send them for free again.
user3418
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-18T22:01:42.403Z
2013-03-18T22:01:42.403Z
Liquid5n0w
<p>As the coins "age" they will have a higher priority.</p>

<p>I don't know the algorithm, but believe it is roughly like a day or so and then the age of the coin no longer is a factor.</p>

<p>So if you are seeing minimum fees for coins more than a day after you've received them, it is because of other reasons, such as having outputs at amounts below 0.01 BTC.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-18T23:31:55.287Z
2013-03-18T23:31:55.287Z
Stephen Gornick
<p>I'm making some test for a bitcoin merchant webpage. I want to test different actions without paying transaction fees everytime, but I can't since I use the same few bitcoins for everything.</p>

<p>Sooo how long should I wait for my bitcoins to be transfered wihout fee?</p>

<bitcoind><transaction-fees><time>
How old should be my bitcoins to send them again without transaction fee?
user3418
# How old should be my bitcoins to send them again without transaction fee?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-03-18)

I'm making some test for a bitcoin merchant webpage. I want to test different actions without paying transaction fees everytime, but I can't since I use the same few bitcoins for everything.

Sooo how long should I wait for my bitcoins to be transfered wihout fee?

**Tags:** bitcoind, transaction-fees, time


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-03-18. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

As the coins "age" they will have a higher priority.

I don't know the algorithm, but believe it is roughly like a day or so and then the age of the coin no longer is a factor.

So if you are seeing minimum fees for coins more than a day after you've received them, it is because of other reasons, such as having outputs at amounts below 0.01 BTC.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2013-03-18. Score: -2

In the Bitcoin protocol, fees are totally optional. You can have a fee of 0btc or 10btc.

Once there are more transactions then what fits into a block, which isn't now, miners will choose what transactions to include into their block, and they will prefer transactions with a fee attached, because they get that fee.

Right now, fees don't help process a transaction any sooner or better, but in the future it's likely to make a difference. This totally depends on what happens in the future, and is very much up for debate.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks username_1. I think i didn't explain myself well, even if the transaction fees are optional right now, when you just receive bitcoins you can't re-send them inmediately without fee, bitcoind tells me to include a 0.005 fee because "i just received those bitcoins". I went and read about that, it seems to be that i have to wait for my bitcoins to be "old enough" to send them for free again.  

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