Bitcoin 50 euros per month, divided into 118 installments starting from 2017: savings plan and one-t

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50 euros per month Bitcoin savings plan: Analysis of benefits and risks from 2017 to the present

For most people, when starting to consider a Bitcoin savings plan, the initial investment amount is usually set at 50 euros per month. So, is such a plan worth it? The short answer is: Anyone who started buying a fixed amount of € 50 a month since January 2017 has invested a cumulative amount of € 5,900 and holds 0.7137 bitcoins. Based on the price on October 5, 2026 (approximately € 54,500), its value is approximately nine times the capital invested. In contrast, those who only started investing the same in January 2024 had a return of only 14.5%.

These two data come from the same calculation logic, which is the core: the final return on a savings plan depends mainly on the entry time and the length of market position. This article will analyze five different time periods, compare each fixed investment with a one-time lump sum investment, and explain the impact of fees and German tax law on earnings. Bitcoin trading prices fluctuated between 76,300 and 76,400 euros on Monday; all closing prices below are calculated at this level.

Performance of 118 fixed bids for 50 euros since January 2017

The core mechanism of a savings plan is to buy for a fixed amount on a fixed date, regardless of the price at that time. When the price of Bitcoin is high, 50 euros buys very little shares; when the price is low, the same amount buys more shares. For the 118 monthly fixed ballots since January 1, 2017, the average entry price is 8,267 euros per Bitcoin. Today, one Bitcoin is worth about 76,400 euros, so you can still buy about 0.000655 BTC each time for 50 euros.

The following table shows five different start dates. Each line assumes an investment of € 50 on the first day of each month, and the valuation is as of October 5, 2026:

Fixed investment performance data table

Start Time | Number of periods | Total investment | Holdings | Current Value | Rate of return | Average Price
January 2017| 118 | €5,900 | 0.71370 BTC | €54,514 | +824.0% | €8,267
January 2021| 70 | €3,500 | 0.08975 BTC | €6,855 | +95.9% | €38,998
January 2022| 58 | €2,900 | 0.07336 BTC | €5,603 | +93.2% | €39,531
January 2024| 34 | €1,700 | 0.02549 BTC | €1,947 | +14.5% | €66,689
October 2025| 13 | €650 | 0.00971 BTC | €742 | +14.2% | €66,909

表格中间的一行尤为引人注目。那些在2022年1月（即当时高点过后不久）开始定投的人，如今的处境与一年前入场的人几乎完全相同。原因在于平均成本：两者的平均成本均在39,000欧元左右，因为2022年执行的定投价格极低，拉低了整体均价。

成本平均法：为何比特币储蓄计划的平均成本降至8,267欧元

成本平均法描述了一个简单的机制：由于投入金额固定而价格波动，你在低价时会自动买入更多单位，高价时买入较少。因此，你的平均成本始终低于该期间内所有价格的算术平均值。

自2017年以来的118次投定期中，这一差异巨大。8,267欧元的平均成本在任何单一交易日都不存在。它之所以产生，是因为2017年至2019年间支付的定投以每枚几百到几千欧元的价格成交，构成了持有量的主体。而2024年以后的定投单位成本高出十倍，对总量的贡献相应较小。

这种效应有其反面，却鲜少出现在营销宣传中：只有市场实际下跌时，它才能降低你的入场成本。在一个从起点持续上涨的市场中，储蓄计划反而是更昂贵的路径，因为后续的每一次定投都比第一次昂贵。

比特币储蓄计划 vs 一次性投入：何时定投是更差的选择

The honest reverse test is a lump sum, where all money is invested in one time on the first day of the cycle, rather than spreading it over several months.

Comparison table between fixed investment and one-time investment

Start Time | Total amount | Value of Savings Plans Today | Today's Value of One-Time Investment | Dominant Party
January 2017| €5,900 | €54,514 (+824.0%) | €475,019 (+7,951.2%) |One-time investment
January 2021| €3,500 | €6,855 (+95.9%) | €11,063 (+216.1%) |One-time investment
January 2022| €2,900 | €5,603 (+93.2%) | €5,283 (+82.2%) |Savings Plan
January 2024| €1,700 | €1,947 (+14.5%) | €3,245 (+90.9%) |One-time investment
October 2025| €650 | €742 (+14.2%) | €491 (-24.5%) |Savings plans

In three of the five periods, one-time investment performed better, and the gap in the longest term was even wider. This is neither accidental nor a reason to oppose savings plans. This stems from Bitcoin's steep rise over the past decade: Investing all your money early means you have longer market exposure.

The pitfall of this comparison is that no one can predict the outcome in January 2017, and few people will invest € 5,900 in one time when assets have plunged more than 80% twice in the previous two years. A savings plan does not guarantee higher returns, but it provides the opportunity to "get started."

Since October 2025, the situation has reversed: compared with the one-time investment of-24.5%, the fixed investment has achieved a positive return of +14.2%.

How much does a 1.5% spread cause in 118 investment periods?

Cryptocurrency savings plans often promote "free execution." But you are still paying, just through Spread. The spread is the difference between the provider's bid price and the ask price. It is included in the quote price and is not listed separately on the bill.

The above 118 fixed investments can clearly demonstrate the impact of the price difference. The higher the markup is executed each time, the less Bitcoin will enter the account, and as the price rises, the shortage will intensify.

Effect of mark-up on final value

Price increase per time | Total Cost | Current Value | Difference from zero mark-up
0.0% | €0 | €54,514 | -
1.0% | €59 | €53,969 | -€545
1.5% | €88 | €53,696 | -€818
2.0% | €118 | €53,423 |-€1,090

A fee of € 88 translates into a final value loss of € 818 over nine years. The reason is that every unpurchased bitcoin fragment cannot participate in the subsequent overall rise. For a fixed investment of 50 euros per month, this is the most important cost leverage and is more important than account management fees or withdrawal fees.

The term "free execution" and its omissions

"Free execution" only means that there is no order fee. The key is whether the provider has indicated a reference price at which its quotation can be measured. Without this figure, you cannot determine the actual price increase. Street banks or brokers may also provide certificates or debt securities instead of real coins, which is a different concept legally. For example, Comdirect lists 29 certificates with no order fee in its savings plan list, but none of them are true Bitcoin.

Minimum amount, interval and execution date: Adjustment leverage of cryptocurrency savings plans

Three settings determine how the savings plan operates and all have measurable effects.

Minimum amount: Most providers have minimum amounts between 1 and 25 euros. All requirements have been met at € 50 per month. A more related question is whether providers trade fractional units: without fractional units, a fixed investment of 50 euros would not be possible at a price of 76,400 euros.

Interval: can be weekly, biweekly, or monthly. More frequent fixed bets can slightly smooth the entry price, but will increase the number of executions, thereby increasing the total spread. For a fixed annual amount, the difference in returns is small in the long run; the cost advocates reducing the frequency, and the smoothing effect advocates increasing the frequency.

Execution date: This point is often exaggerated. The above calculations use the first day of each month. There are no systematically better days for Bitcoin because the market runs seven days a week with no settlement dates that form a pattern.

Which providers in Germany operate real coin savings plans and their terms

Need to check whether providers hold EU MiCA authorization, because starting from 2025, crypto service providers must operate under this license.

Holding period is based on Article 23 EStG: Each fixed investment has a separate purchase date

There is a difference between a savings plan and a one-time investment that cannot be seen in the return statement. Under current law, Bitcoin is considered to be "other assets", and Article 23, paragraph 1, item 2 of the German Income Tax Law stipulates a one-year holding period: if there is no more than one year between acquisition and sale, the proceeds from disposal will be taxed. Once a year has passed, no matter how big the income is, it is tax-free.

Savings plans create separate acquisitions and dates for each fixed investment. Of the 118 investment periods since 2017, 106 have exceeded a year. These fixed investments account for 0.70448 bitcoins, accounting for approximately 53,800 euros of the total value. The total value of the remaining twelve younger fixed investments is about 704 euros. If sold today, they will fall into the tax net.

EUR 1,000 threshold and order of sales

There is a threshold for taxable income: according to Article 23 (3) sentence 5 of the German Income Tax Act, if the total proceeds of private disposals for the calendar year are less than EUR 1,000, they are exempt. This is a threshold, not a deduction. When it reaches or exceeds € 1,000, all proceeds are subject to tax, not just the excess.

In practice, which fixed investments in some disposals are counted as sold are determined by the order of acquisition: the units purchased first are deemed to be sold first. For savings plans that span many years, this means that the oldest and tax-exempt fixed investment is sold first. It's almost impossible to manually record the allocation of 118 individual purchases; that's what tax tools and portfolio trackers are for, reading purchase dates directly from exchanges.

The December 31, 2026 deadline splits your Bitcoin savings plan in half

On September 30, 2026, the German Federal Ministry of Finance submitted its draft for reforming the tax on privately held certain crypto assets for inter-agency consultation. The draft reclassifies crypto-asset income as investment income and imposes a 25% tax deduction on investment income. According to article 2 of the draft, the law will take effect on January 1, 2027.

For savings plans that are already in operation, application terms are a key part. The explanatory note for item 7 reads: "Substantive legal changes will apply on January 1, 2027, covering exchange-type crypto assets acquired or received after December 31, 2026." It further pointed out: "For existing holdings, Articles 22 and 23 EStG continue to apply unchanged."

shall be applied to fixed bets of € 50 on the first day of each month, which means that fixed bets on October 1, November 1 and December 1, 2026 will be regarded as "existing holdings" according to the draft and will remain for a one-year holding period. The new rules will apply to each fixed vote in January 2027. As a result, savings plans that span the New Year will consist of two tax-distinct components during the same holding period, and this division will be permanent.

Qualifications are important: departmental drafts are not laws yet. The text is subject to review by the Cabinet, the Bundestag and the Bundestag, and its deadlines, deadlines and tax rates may change. Making a purchase decision based solely on this deadline would be a process of betting that the outcome is undecided.

Custody: When € 50 per month is worth transferring to your wallet

Savings plans are initially deposited with the provider. As long as the amount you hold is only a few hundred euros, it is usually uneconomical to withdraw it into your wallet, because the network fee for Bitcoin transactions is charged per dollar, and for small amounts of money, the percentage weight is large.

One possible rule is not to extract each fixed vote individually, but to package it regularly. 50 euros per month, with one transfer every year to combine 600 euros into one transaction instead of twelve. When dedicated hardware devices are cost-effective depends on your willingness to spend on security; such devices start at tens of euros. There is only one point that is crucial here: moving to your own address is not a sale, as long as you are the owner, no tax will be triggered, and the holding period for each fixed investment continues to be calculated.

Reasons for Opposing a 50-euro monthly savings plan

有三个反对意见值得认真对待。首先，定期转账占用了本可作为紧急基金的资金；如果在市场低迷期被迫出售，正好失去了长期运行所要带来的优势。其次，自动化让你从不审视头寸，尽管提供商、费用和法律地位都在变化。第三，比特币仍然是一种在过去多次损失超过70%的资产。上表中2024年定投的14.5%收益在近三年后显得微薄，它同样可能是一笔亏损。