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How to Use the Simple Gas Station to Pay for Transaction Fees

Learn how to pay for transaction fees using stablecoins.

Updated over a week ago

What is gas and why it matters

Gas is a network’s native token (ETH, MATIC, BNB, etc.) used to pay blockchain fees.
Without gas you can’t Send, Swap, or do anything on-chain — even if you only use stablecoins like USDC.

Your Simple Gas Station

Your Simple wallet includes Gas Station — a single prepaid balance that works across all supported chains.

How it helps:

  • Prepay once in USDC/USDT

  • Simple automatically delivers the right native token for each transaction

  • No more juggling tiny gas balances on every chain

Automatic gas when you transact

If you tap Send or Swap and don’t have enough native gas:

  1. You’ll see a Low Gas Balance banner → tap Get Gas

  2. If your Gas Station has funds, Simple instantly sends just enough gas to cover the fee

  3. If the Station is empty, you’ll be guided to Top Up Gas Station

  4. Once gas arrives, the banner disappears and you can finish the transaction

What appears in history:

  • A small incoming transaction of the native token (e.g., 0.002 ETH) from Gas Station

  • Any leftover gas stays in your wallet for next time

Top up Gas Station

When the Station is low/empty and you try to Send/Swap, you can top up:

  1. Open Top Up Gas Station

  2. Choose:

    • Top-up token: USDC or USDT

    • Top-up amount

  3. Confirm

Under the hood (Lend-and-Repay):

  • Simple temporarily lends a tiny amount of native gas (e.g., 0.003 ETH) so the top-up can be processed

  • The cost of that lent gas is added to your top-up and repaid automatically

  • You may see a small leftover (e.g., 0.0002 ETH) in your wallet — that’s normal and useful for the next action

Done — your Gas Station is ready again.

Pro tips

  • One prepaid balance can power many future transactions across chains

  • You can top up any time from the Gas Station screen

FAQ

  • Do I need gas for every transaction?
    Yes. Every on-chain action requires a small amount of the network’s native token.

  • Can I choose which gas token I receive?
    No. Simple auto-detects the chain and supplies its native token (e.g., MATIC on Polygon, ETH on Ethereum).

  • Why is there leftover ETH (or another gas token) in my wallet?
    We intentionally send slightly more to avoid failures from underestimating fees. The remainder is yours. Next time, Simple detects it and reduces or skips sending.

  • Why are Tron transactions so expensive?
    Tron often costs more overall. A typical USDT on Tron transfer can be about $5–$10, depending on network load and whether the recipient already has USDT:

    • No USDT on recipient: ~$10

    • Some USDT on recipient: ~$5

  • Why am I charged when topping up Gas Station?
    If you don’t have gas to process the top-up itself, Simple lends a small amount via Lend-and-Repay. Its cost is added to your top-up and repaid automatically.

  • Can I top up with SHIB or other tokens?
    Not yet — USDC/USDT only for now. More tokens are planned.

  • If I already have some gas, will I still be charged during top-up?
    ​Not always. If you already have enough gas, Simple skips lending and you aren’t charged. If you have some but not enough, Simple lends only the missing portion and charges just that.

Where to see it in the app

  • Gas Station: unified balance + Top Up

  • Auto-gas delivery: Low Gas Balance → Get Gas when sending/swapping

  • History: incoming native token from Gas Station

Still have questions?
Contact support via the in-app chat — we’ll help you pick a top-up amount and sort out any fee nuances.

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