Network fees are set by the blockchain, not the exchange. Learn how gas pricing works on Ethereum and Bitcoin, why fees spike, and how to time your deposits to avoid overpaying.
Every blockchain transaction carries a fee — and unlike a bank wire charge, this fee isn't paid to the exchange. It goes directly to the validators or miners who include your transaction in a block. Understanding how these fees work can save you real money, especially on large swaps.
What network fees actually are
Blockchains have finite block space. Each block can only fit a limited number of transactions. When demand exceeds capacity, users must bid for inclusion — this competition is what drives fees up. The exchange you use has no control over this: Cambio doesn't set gas prices, and we don't profit from them.
The fee you pay is separate from the exchange rate. Your deposit amount minus the network fee is what arrives at the exchange address — and that net amount is what gets exchanged.
Ethereum's EIP-1559 fee model
Since the London upgrade, Ethereum uses a two-part fee structure. The base fee is algorithmically determined by recent block fullness and is burned (removed from supply). The priority fee (tip) is paid to the validator and incentivises fast inclusion.
- Base fee: automatically set by the network, adjusts up or down by up to 12.5% per block
- Priority fee: optional tip you add to be included faster; typically 0.1–2 gwei in calm markets
- Max fee: the ceiling you set — you pay base fee + priority fee, never more than your max
- Unused fees are refunded automatically by the protocol
On Ethereum, setting too low a max fee can leave your transaction stuck for hours. Always use an up-to-date gas estimator before sending a large deposit.
Bitcoin fee mechanics
Bitcoin uses a simpler model: you pay a fee per byte of transaction data, and miners prioritise higher-fee transactions. Typical fees are measured in satoshis per virtual byte (sat/vB). A standard transaction is roughly 140–250 vB; a SegWit transaction is smaller, so cheaper.
Bitcoin fees spike during high-activity periods — popular NFT mints, exchange deposit surges, or halving speculation. During these periods, a transaction with a low sat/vB fee may sit in the mempool for hours or days.
How fees affect your exchange order
When you send a deposit to a Cambio exchange address, we receive the amount that arrives after the network fee is deducted. If your send amount is 0.1 ETH but the gas fee is 0.002 ETH, we receive 0.098 ETH — and that's the amount that gets swapped.
If the received amount falls below the minimum for the pair, the exchange cannot proceed. Always factor in network fees when calculating your send amount, especially for small trades on congested networks.
Timing and alternatives
- Ethereum gas is typically lower on weekends and early UTC mornings (low US/EU trading activity)
- Use mempool.space to check current Bitcoin fee conditions before sending
- For stablecoin transfers, TRC-20 (Tron) and BEP-20 (BSC) fees are often under $0.01
- Batch or consolidate UTXO inputs on Bitcoin to reduce transaction byte size
If you're exchanging large amounts, a few minutes checking current fee conditions can save you more than the exchange rate difference between providers.
