Network fees

Network fees are what you pay a blockchain to process your transaction. They go to the network, not to Superbridge or the provider. The review screen shows them as Network fees.

What is gas?

Every transaction needs gas, paid in the chain's gas token. On Ethereum and most rollups that's ETH. Some chains use their own token. Custom gas tokens

You need a little of the gas token on the chain you send from, or you can't start the transfer. If you don't have enough, the Network fees row turns red.

Gas prices change with demand. The review screen shows an estimate; the final cost is set when your transaction confirms.

Transfers with more than one transaction

Some routes need you to send more than one transaction:

• Approvals. Before a token can be sent, you may need to approve it first. Approvals
• Native bridge withdrawals. You start on the rollup, then prove and finalize on the settlement chain. Withdraw with a native bridge
• Manual USDC transfers. You finalize on the destination chain. Send USDC with CCTP

When there's more than one, the route shows Txns and the number of transactions, and the review screen shows See next steps beside Network fees. Each step shows its own estimate. Steps on another chain are paid in that chain's gas token.

Gasless transfers

Some routes let you sign a message instead of sending a transaction. The provider submits the transaction for you, so you pay no network fee. The review screen shows Free (no network fees).

Gasless routes may still include a provider fee. Fees

Expensive transfers

If the fees would cost more than you're sending, the review screen warns you:

Expensive! This transfer will likely cost more in fees than the ETH value being transferred. Consider waiting until fees are cheaper or choosing another route.

This happens most with small amounts on busy networks, or native bridge withdrawals from Ethereum-settled chains. Try a larger amount, a different route, or wait until the network is quieter.

Gas prices change while you wait

Native bridge withdrawals take days, and you pay for the prove and finalize steps when you send them. Gas prices can be higher or lower by then than when you started. There's no deadline for finalizing, so you can wait for a quieter time if gas is high.