Minimums: why a small swap can cost more than it returns

Updated 22 September 2026 · compiled by the editorial team from the services' own pages

Every swap has a minimum, and just above it the network fee can eat a painful share of the payout. On some pairs a swap of twenty dollars returns less than it cost to move.

The minimum is set by the coin and the network, not by goodwill: below it the outgoing transfer would cost more than it carries. Two practical rules:

• Compare the fee with the amount, not with the rate. A 1 % difference in the quote is nothing next to a fixed network fee on a small transfer.
• Pick the cheap network when the amount is small. TRC-20 and BEP-20 exist for exactly this case.

Check before you send

• The amount is comfortably above the pair minimum — just above it the fixed network fee eats the payout.
• The cheap network is chosen when the sum is small — TRC-20 and BEP-20 exist for exactly this case.
• The payout estimate is compared with what you send — the difference is the fee plus the spread, not a trick.

Mistakes that cost the most

• Splitting one transfer into several small ones. Every part pays the network fee again.
• Comparing quotes without the network fee. On small amounts the fee decides the winner.

Questions

Why is there a minimum at all?

Below it the outgoing transfer would cost the service more than it carries — it is the chain, not goodwill.

Is the minimum the same on every service?

No, and on rare coins the difference is large — the shortlist pages print what each one publishes.

Services that support this