If you work with MT4/MT5 brokers, you’ve probably heard someone say, “My order didn’t fill at my price!“ That’s forex slippage, which is the difference between the price a trader thinks they will get and the price that actually happens when the order is filled.

It happens when the market is moving quickly or when there isn’t much liquidity at the top of the book. If prospects don’t get it, trust goes down, tickets go up, and your CPA or hybrid conversions go down.

This guide will help you clearly explain forex slippage, use strategies to reduce it, and turn a difficult subject into an advantage for your IB, Hybrid, or CPA business.

What does Forex Slippage Mean?

Forex slippage is the difference between the requested order price and the fill price is called forex slippage. It tends to happen when prices are unstable and can go up and down quickly.

Slippage can be good (the price goes down), bad (the price goes up), or zero (the price stays the same). When there are big news releases, like NFP (Non-Farm Payroll) or central bank decisions, spreads widen, depth thins, and prices can gap between ticks.

This is when forex slippage is most noticeable. It also happens during off-hours or rollover, when the book depth is lower, and on bigger orders that go through several price levels before the platform finishes the job.

Be clear about what you expect: slippage is a part of how the market works, not a hidden fee. Explain what forex slippage is at the beginning so that new users know why it happens more often in fast markets.

What Causes Forex Slippage on MT4/MT5

How transactions are done matters. When there isn’t enough volume on MetaTrader, order-filling policies like Fill or Kill (FOK) and Immediate or Cancel (IOC) decide how orders are carried out:

• – Fill or Kill (FOK): at the specified volume, it’s all or nothing. If the price isn’t available at full volume, the order won’t go through.

• – Immediate or Cancel (IOC): fill whatever volume is available right now and cancel the rest. Depending on the server’s settings, partial fills may happen.

MT4 also has a feature called “Maximum Deviation” (or “market range”) that lets traders set a limit on how far a market order can go below the requested price (before the platform rejects it and asks for a new quote.)

The explanation you can use:

“Execution isn’t just about spreads; it’s also about how orders are matched. In fast markets, the price can change from click to fill. You can set a “maximum deviation” in MT4/MT5 or use pending or limit orders to prioritize price control.

Note: Show, don’t tell: simple math for forex slippage that your prospects will understand.

Example A: A market order during a news spike

• – The trader buys one lot of EUR/USD at 1.10000.

• – Positive slippage: +0.3 pips (fills 1.09997) → +$3 (about $10 per pip per standard lot).

• – Negative slippage: −0.5 pips (fills 1.10005) = −$5.

Example B: The monthly drag

• – The average cost of slippage is −0.4 pips per trade.
• – 100 trades a month at 1 lot = 0.4 × $10 × 100 = $400 a month.
• – This is why it’s important to choose the right order type and size your positions.

• – Check in with reality:

Some trustworthy brokers publish execution statistics. These stats show that most orders have no slippage or positive slippage.

For instance: One well-known broker said that in 2024, 62.19% of orders had no slippage, 25.64% had positive slippage, and 12.18% had negative slippage. Share numbers like these to help people understand what to expect.

How to Avoid Forex Slippage

Your audience can’t get rid of forex slippage, but they can lower it by following a few simple rules. When accuracy is important, like when news breaks, traders should use limit orders to reduce slippage and put price control first.

Show how to set a limit on “acceptable deviation” on MT4/MT5 and when to use pending entries instead of market orders.

To avoid running out of top-of-book liquidity, stress scaling into positions, trading during the London-New York overlap when depth is stronger, and using a low-latency setup (like a VPS close to broker servers) to cut down on round-trip time.

Put these steps together as useful ways to reduce forex slippage that are tight, repeatable, and easy to follow.

The Affiliate’s Guide to Cutting Down on Drop-Offs Caused by Forex Slippage

Before the first live trade, talk about slippage in advance. Put a 60-second video on your “Start Here” page and link to it in an email on Day 1.

Write a short guide on how MT4/MT5 fills orders (market vs. pending, FOK vs. IOC, partial fills).

Then, add a “news-trading safety checklist” that tells users to check the times of events and think about waiting for the first spike to settle.

Give customers a low-latency path with clear VPS instructions, share execution stats from well-known brokers to set realistic expectations,

Lastly, finish the loop with template support replies that check the order type, time of day, and deviation settings.

This tight loop, which is teach, equip, and check, directly cuts down on refunds and churn caused by confusion over forex slippage.

Quick Reference: Scenarios, Behaviors, and Controls (use this again in funnels)

Reminder: Put forex slippage in the context of a normal market outcome that traders can change. Promise to explain what forex slippage is in simple terms, show users how to use MT4’s Maximum Deviation, and show them when to use pending entries.

Give users a latency checklist with VPS options and a news calendar that is always activated. Finally, choose brokers who share execution statistics and detailed price-improvement rates. Give leads those links so they can check the claims themselves.

This way of framing keeps complaints low and funded-account conversions high without making too many promises.

Mini-embedded “Forex Slippage” Calculator for Onboarding New Traders.

Inputs: Lot size, expected slippage in pips, and trades per month.

• – The formula for cost is: cost = lot size (in standard lots) × $10 × slippage pips × trades.
• – For example, 0.5-pip average slippage × 0.5 lots × 60 trades = 0.5 × $10 × 0.5 × 60 = $150 per month.
• – In a good case, if positive slippage averages +0.2 pip on 40% of trades (which is what brokers that show price improvements do), the expected drag gets a lot smaller. You can use the broker’s execution page to show this.

Set Up Your Broker Content in a Smart Way (so that your CPA stays high)

Make an Execution Quality page that talks about spreads and execution with links to other sources. Tell the users/audience what happens on the platform during news events (for example, spreads may get bigger).

Be honest when you compare MT4 and MT5, and link to MetaQuotes’ official help for FOK/IOC and trade operations.

Set expectations during onboarding by giving new traders a checklist of things to do. These include pending orders, maximum deviation, and session choice.

Anchor the message with BIS (Bank of International Settlements) turnover context, so the leads will understand why execution is dynamic in a multi-trillion-dollar market.

Advanced Forex Slippage Controls for Power Users (Great for Webinars)

If you want more control as a trader, go beyond the basics. For low-millisecond pings to the broker’s matching engine, suggest proximity hosting.

Show how to disable EAs around high-impact news unless the strategy explicitly trades it. Teach people how to size their trades based on liquidity (by breaking up a big order into smaller pieces).

Suggest that they get a monthly “execution truths” update that goes over what forex slippage is, when to use limit orders to cut down on slippage, and how to read their own fill reports.

This rhythm makes advanced topics a long-lasting resource for your community.

Shippable Assets

Make a one-page PDF of the rule book called “Forex Slippage Mitigation Strategies — 5 Moves to Try

First.” Write two short explanations: one about market and pending entries, and the other about how to set MT4‘s Maximum Deviation.

Put a simple chart of execution outcomes (positive, zero, or negative) with links to the sources on your blog. Put reply templates in your helpdesk that show users how to do an order-quality audit step by step.

Putting these assets together gives your funnel quick ways to cut down on complaints about forex slippage and get more leads to make their first deposit.

Conclusion

Affiliates who make forex slippage clearer win twice. They get fewer cancellations and more trust. Teach what forex slippage is right away. Show how to use pending orders, session timing, and VPS to reduce forex slippage.

Encourage limit orders to cut down on slippage when accuracy is important. Back it all up with real-world stats and platform settings. Besides that, utilize information about the current market that shows how scale and volatility affect fills.

That’s how you stop confusion from turning into churn and get more of your hard-earned traffic to turn into funded, active traders.

Join VT Affiliates and earn high commissions through Forex CPA, Hybrid Partner, or IB programmes with top-tier payouts and expert marketing support. Start today and turn your referrals into a steady income stream with a trusted broker.