Every blockchain charges fees in its native token, called the gas token: ETH on Ethereum and on layer 2s like Arbitrum, Base and Optimism, BNB on BNB Chain, POL on Polygon, AVAX on Avalanche, SOL on Solana and TRX on Tron. Holding USDT or USDC alone is not enough: without a little gas token you cannot move your tokens on that network.
Key Takeaways
- ETH pays gas on Ethereum and most of its layer 2s.
- Other chains use their own coin: BNB, POL, AVAX, SOL, TRX, TON.
- Stablecoins do not pay gas on most chains.
- After bridging, make sure you have gas on the destination chain.
Gas Token Table
| Network | Gas token | Chain ID | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | ETH | 1 | Highest fees of the list |
| Arbitrum One | ETH | 42161 | Layer 2 |
| Base | ETH | 8453 | Layer 2 |
| Optimism | ETH | 10 | Layer 2 |
| BNB Chain | BNB | 56 | |
| Polygon PoS | POL | 137 | POL replaced MATIC in 2024 |
| Avalanche C-Chain | AVAX | 43114 | |
| Solana | SOL | - | Non-EVM |
| Tron | TRX | - | Energy and bandwidth can replace burned TRX |
| TON | TON | - | Non-EVM |
| Bitcoin | BTC | - | Fee paid in the transaction |
Chain IDs are explained in what is a chain ID.
Why Layer 2s Use ETH
Layer 2s post their data to Ethereum and pay Ethereum for it, so they charge users in ETH too. That is why the same ETH balance works on Arbitrum, Base and Optimism, but ETH on Arbitrum is not on Base: each network has its own balance. See what is a layer 2.
How to Get Gas on a New Network
- Cross-chain swap a small amount of the native token from a chain where you already have funds, for example ETH on Arbitrum to ETH on Base.
- Withdraw from an exchange directly to that network if it supports it.
- Use a wallet with gas help: some wallets, including Gem Wallet, offer built-in swaps that make it easy to get the native token.
How much gas you need depends on the network; on layer 2s and Solana a few dollars usually cover many transactions. For Ethereum mainnet, see ETH gas fees.
Related: crypto bridge fees, sent crypto to the wrong network.
