How to use gasless swaps
MetaMask offers you the ability to cover a swap's network or gas fee with a different token, without needing to hold the network's native token. This feature is referred to as gasless swaps, and is only available for MetaMask Swaps.
A similar feature is available for other transaction types, such as Send and Dapp transactions. To learn more about this feature, check out 'How to use gas included transactions'.
Networks like Ethereum Mainnet typically require a small fee to cover the cost of processing your transaction. If you don't have enough of the network's native token, like ETH, to cover this fee, your transaction will fail.
With gasless swaps, MetaMask deducts a small amount of the token you're swapping from to cover the network fee. For example, if you're swapping USDC into mUSD on Ethereum Mainnet, you would typically need to have enough ETH to cover the network fee. However, with gasless swaps, if you don't have enough ETH to cover the network fee, MetaMask will automatically include the network fee in your transaction. In this example, the network fee will be paid in USDC, which is the token you're swapping from.
Gasless swaps are available on the following networks:
- Ethereum Mainnet
- BNB Smart Chain
- Base (Extension only)
To use gasless swaps, you need to have the following:
Smart Transactions enabled
MetaMask versions - version 12.6 or later (Extension) or version 7.43 or higher (Mobile)
'Estimate balance changes’ enabled - this setting is on by default. To find it, go to Settings > Security & privacy, and toggle ‘Estimate balance changes’ on.
Gasless swaps on Base has slightly different prerequisites:
- Smart account enabled. To learn more about switching to smart accounts, check out 'How to switch to or revert from a smart account'.
- Estimate balance changes' setting enabled. To learn more about this setting, check out 'How to enable estimate balance changes'.
- Version 13.5 or later of MetaMask Extension.
Use gasless swaps
If you don’t have enough of the native token to cover your swap’s network fee, MetaMask includes the fee in your swap quote. To do so, MetaMask uses the token you’re swapping from to process the network fee in your transaction.
Let’s say you want to swap 400 PEPE into USDT, but you don’t have enough ETH to cover the network fee. If the network fee is estimated to be $3.41, that amount is subtracted from the amount of PEPE you are swapping.
Any extra ETH or BNB from executing the transaction will be added to your wallet following the completion of your transaction.
FAQs
What tokens can I use gasless swaps with?
You can use most popular tokens for gas included swaps. Tokens you can use include:
- mUSD - USDT - USDC - DAI - ETH - wETH - wBTC - wstETH - wSOL
Most popular tokens not listed above (e.g., PEPE, SPX), can be used with gasless swaps, depending on liquidity pairs and depth at the time of the swap.
What if the value of my swap is less than the cost of gas?
You’ll be unable to use gasless swaps if the value of your swap is less than the cost of gas. In this case, you can always buy more ETH or BNB to cover gas.
Can I use gasless swaps on other networks?
Gasless swaps are only available on Ethereum Mainnet, BNB Smart Chain, and Base at this time, with other popular networks to come in the future. For other networks, MetaMask offers the ability to purchase tokens with fiat via the MetaMask Buy feature, or you can swap tokens from another network using the bridge. This provides you with a convenient way to top-up your gas balance and continue with your swap.
Can I use gasless swaps if I have enough gas already?
If you’re using MetaMask Swaps and have enough gas, you will not have the option to use gasless swaps.