Because of the increased transaction complexity, smart wallets can incur higher network fees (commonly known as gas fees) than traditional wallets. While transaction fees on mainnet Ethereum can be noticeably higher, the difference in fees is negligible on layer-2 networks (L2s). For example, transaction costs on Base and Optimism average between $0.01 and $0.06.
How do I get the lowest gas fees with smart wallets?
Read the tips below to get the lowest network fees possible.
1. Monitor gas prices
Network fees fluctuate depending on network congestion, meaning the more transactions there are at a given time, the higher the fees. For most layer 2 networks (L2s), the difference in fees is relatively low, even during peek usage. But for the mainnet Ethereum network, the fees during peek usage can be substantial. That’s why we recommend using L2s whenever possible. If you need to use the Ethereum network, monitor fees on a trusted source like Milk Road and execute transaction during periods of lower network activity.
2. Use layer-2 or alternative networks
Mainnet transactions (on Ethereum) are always the most expensive, so using alternative networks like Base and Optimism will result in much lower network fees.
3. Pay gas fees using the native ETH token
Network fees are always the lowest with the native ETH token for the network you are using, i.e. ETH on Base for transactions on the Base network. Your Pass App wallet defaults to this token if you have it, but you can use any token in your wallet if you don’t have enough of the native token to cover the fee.
4. Use Pass App’s Bulk Swap to combine transactions (coming in 2025)
Use Pass App’s swap feature to perform bulk swaps (coming at the end of February) in one transaction rather than performing multiple individual swaps (launching at the end of January). While the gas fee might be slightly higher than a traditional single-contract transaction, batching can significantly reduce gas fees compared to executing each transaction individually.
Check out our How-to guide on Bulk Swaps.
What is Pass Pay?
Pass App is the first crypto wallet that allows you to pay network fees with any token in your wallet. This innovative feature removes the typical headache of topping up gas on specific networks to be able to perform actions. With Pass Pay, you no longer need to buy or swap for a specific token to interact with a network.
When making a transaction, Pass Pay optimizes for the lowest fees and suggests paying with the native ETH token for that chain (i.e. ETH on Base, or ETH on Optimism), as this is always the cheapest option. However, you can click on Pay with to manually choose any token in your wallet that is supported in Pass Pay.
How can Pass Pay reduce network fees?
With traditional wallets, if you don’t have enough of the native token to transact on a specific network, you need to get that token in order to pay network fees, known as “topping up gas.” This means you have to perform two transactions with two network fees: one just to get the token, and a second when you pay with it.
By allowing you to pay network fees with any token in your wallet, this eliminates the need to perform two actions, reducing network fees and simplifying the process.