Key points
- DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging) is an automated investment strategy that consists of scheduling purchases of the same asset at a fixed frequency and amount, regardless of the day's price.
- Its value lies in investing with a long-term view without depending on market timing; its cost is that in bull markets it can return less than investing everything at once.
- Skipo lets you do DCA on cryptocurrencies and tokenized stocks with Recurring Orders, in pesos and commission-free.
Automating your purchases and avoiding having to decide when to enter the market is one of the most common ways to invest with a long horizon. Skipo lets you do it with Recurring Orders on cryptocurrencies and tokenized stocks: you choose the asset, the amount and the frequency, and the app makes the purchase on its own.
What is DCA?
DCA stands for Dollar-Cost Averaging. The idea behind DCA is to schedule automatic purchases (or sales) of the same asset, at a fixed frequency and amount, so that execution doesn't depend on your decision day to day or month to month, depending on your strategy.
The mechanism behind it is simple: when the asset's price is low, that fixed amount buys you more units. When it's high, fewer. Over time, your average purchase price ends up somewhere in the middle of the range the asset had during the period. The position is built across the whole price window, not at a single point.
How does DCA work?
Instead of making one large purchase at a single moment, you spread that investment across small, regular purchases over time, all scheduled to execute on their own.
DCA with bitcoin
You schedule an automatic purchase of CLP 100,000 in bitcoin (BTC) once a month. Over a year, the order executes 12 times, each at a different price. You don't check the chart, you don't decide whether it's a "good time". After 12 months you have a position built without having made any timing decision.
DCA with tokenized stocks
You choose to buy CLP 30,000 of Apple (AAPLx) every week, or CLP 100,000 of the tokenized S&P 500 (SPYx) every month. The purchase executes on its own at the frequency you set, without you having to open the app.
What is DCA useful for?
DCA is useful for investing with a long-term view without having to keep an eye on the market. The cases where it adds the most are:
- Building a position gradually. When you'd rather start with small amounts than decide when to put in a large sum.
- Reducing the impact of volatility. You don't depend on a single entry price. If the market moves, your position is spread across several points.
- Staying disciplined over long horizons. When the market is in a correction and buying feels harder, an order that's already set up keeps working the same way.
- Taking emotion out of the decision. DCA eliminates the urge to buy when the market goes up (FOMO) and to sell when it goes down (panic). The decision has already been made.
Which assets can you use DCA on with Skipo?
Skipo lets you do DCA on cryptocurrencies and on tokenized stocks, ETFs and indexes, all from the same app and in pesos.
Crypto
Skipo lets you schedule Recurring Orders on any of the cryptocurrencies in the app. According to our analysis of the platform, the most common assets for DCA among our users are bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH), although several also choose to do DCA on Solana (SOL), XRP, Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and more.
xStocks
Skipo lets you do DCA on tokenized stocks (xStocks), which gives you access to US stocks, ETFs and indexes from Chile without opening an account with a foreign broker or converting to dollars. It is the only platform in Chile with this feature available in pesos.
Combining assets
Skipo lets you have several Recurring Orders active at the same time. You can have a monthly BTC purchase, a weekly SPYx purchase and a biweekly AAPLx purchase running in parallel, all deducted from the same peso balance.
Advantages of DCA on Skipo
Simple
Skipo lets you create a Recurring Order in a few steps from the app. You choose the asset, the amount and the frequency, and the order executes on its own. You don't need technical analysis or to follow the market.
Commission-free
Skipo charges no commission to buy, sell or maintain your account. In a DCA strategy with frequent purchases over months or years, having no commissions avoids the accumulated cost that erodes returns on other platforms.
Direct purchase in pesos
Skipo lets you trade directly in pesos. Each recurring purchase is deducted from your peso balance and buys the asset directly, without going through dollars first. There's no currency spread applied to each transaction.
DCA on crypto and tokenized stocks in the same account
Skipo is the only platform in Chile that lets you do DCA on both cryptocurrencies and tokenized stocks. You can have recurring purchases active in parallel on BTC, AAPLx, NVDA, SPYx and more.
Disadvantages of DCA
It can return less in bull markets
When an asset rises steadily throughout the period, investing the full amount at the start would have returned more than splitting it up. DCA smooths out the entry price, but that smoothing has a cost when the market only goes up.
It doesn't guarantee gains
DCA reduces exposure to bad timing, but it doesn't eliminate the possibility of loss. If the asset falls throughout the period and doesn't recover, DCA accumulates losses just like any other strategy. Its value isn't in guaranteeing returns; it's in managing execution.
Less room to react to one-off opportunities
DCA's discipline is its strength, but it also means the purchase goes ahead even if a specific reason to pause or increase your contribution comes up. If you want to combine DCA with tactical decisions, you have to manage it manually by pausing the order.
Which platforms let you do DCA in Chile?
In Chile there are several platforms where you can buy crypto or stocks, but few let you schedule those purchases to repeat on their own.
| Criterion | Skipo | Fintual | Buda | Zesty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic recurring purchases | Yes, on crypto and xStocks | Yes, on mutual funds | No | No |
| Available assets | Crypto, xStocks, tokenized gold | Index mutual funds | Crypto | Chilean and US stocks, and crypto |
| Purchase currency | Pesos | Pesos | Pesos | Dollars (with prior conversion) |
| Buy/sell commission | CLP 0 | No purchase commission (charges the fund's management fee) | Variable | 0.4% (crypto), 0.3% (US stocks) |
| Minimum purchase | CLP 1,000 | No minimum | Variable | USD 1 |
| Configurable frequencies | Daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly | Monthly, biweekly | N/A | N/A |
Data taken from each platform's official website as of July 2026.
How do you create a Recurring Order on Skipo?
- Log in to your Skipo account from your phone. If you don't have the app, download it from the App Store or Google Play.
- In the app, go to Profile.
- In the wallet section, select Recurring Orders.
- Choose whether you want to create a buy or sell order, and select the asset.
- Set the frequency, the amount and the currency you want to pay with.
- Turn on the order and you're done. The app makes the transaction on its own every time it's due, until you pause or cancel it.
You can have several orders active at the same time, on different assets and with different frequencies.
Why do DCA with Skipo?
At Skipo we designed Recurring Orders so you can set up your investment strategy just once, commission-free, in pesos and across different asset classes. Skipo is the only platform in Chile that lets you do DCA on cryptocurrencies and tokenized stocks from a single account.
Create your Skipo account and schedule your first Recurring Order in minutes. Get started now.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do DCA with cryptocurrency in Chile?
Yes. Skipo lets you schedule Recurring Orders for bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), tether (USDT) and more cryptocurrencies in the app, with a daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly frequency.
Can you do DCA with stocks from Chile?
Yes, with tokenized stocks (xStocks). Skipo is the only platform in Chile where you can schedule automatic recurring purchases of tokenized stocks such as Apple (AAPLx), Tesla (TSLAx) or the S&P 500 (SPYx), directly in pesos and commission-free.
What is the minimum amount for DCA?
Skipo lets you create Recurring Orders from CLP 1,000 per purchase, with no minimum duration commitment.
Which frequency should I choose for DCA?
It depends on how your income comes in. Monthly is the most common frequency because it matches the paycheck cycle, but you can also set it to weekly, biweekly or daily. Skipo offers all four options for each asset.
How long should you stick with a DCA strategy?
There's no single answer. DCA is a long-term strategy, so its value is best seen over horizons of at least several months, and typically several years. You can pause or cancel a Recurring Order at any time.
Can I pause or cancel a Recurring Order?
Yes. Skipo lets you pause or cancel a Recurring Order at any time from the app, at no cost.
Can you do DCA on several assets at the same time?
Yes. Skipo lets you have several Recurring Orders active in parallel, on different assets and with different frequencies. They are all deducted from the same peso balance.
