# Gas & Fees

> Three payment modes — from free to classic.

***

## What Is Gas?

**Gas** is the fee for executing an operation on the blockchain. Every action (transfer, swap, staking) requires network computational resources, and gas is the payment for them.

In traditional wallets, users **always** pay gas in the network's native token: ETH on Ethereum, POL on Polygon, BNB on BNB Chain, etc.

In QR Wallet — **three modes**.

***

## Mode 1: Sponsored (Free)

```
User → Transaction → Paymaster pays gas → Done
                      (QR Wallet)
```

* Gas is **fully paid by QR Wallet**
* User spends nothing — no tokens, no native currency
* Available within your daily limit (depends on Premium tier)
* Works on all L2 networks

**When used:** Always, when sponsored TX are available. The app automatically selects this as the priority mode.

***

## Mode 2: Gasless (Pay with Stablecoins)

```
User → Transaction → Paymaster pays gas → Deducts USDC/USDT from balance
```

* Gas is paid in **USDC or USDT** instead of native tokens
* Amount is automatically deducted from Smart Account balance
* Convenient when you don't have ETH/POL/BNB but have stablecoins

**When used:** If sponsored TX are exhausted and user has stablecoins.

***

## Mode 3: Self-pay (Classic)

```
User → Transaction → User pays gas in ETH/POL/BNB
```

* Classic method: gas paid in **native token**
* Gas cost shown before confirmation
* Always available as a fallback

**When used:** If no sponsored TX and gasless is unavailable.

***

## Selection Priority

The app automatically selects the **optimal** payment mode:

```
1. Sponsored  →  free TX available?       → YES → use it
                                          → NO  ↓
2. Gasless    →  stablecoins available?   → YES → use it
                                          → NO  ↓
3. Self-pay   →  native token available?  → YES → use it
                                          → NO  → insufficient funds
```

Users can always switch modes manually in the send interface.

***

## Gas Cost Comparison by Network

| Network     | Typical Transfer Cost |
| ----------- | :-------------------: |
| Polygon     |        < $0.01        |
| Base        |        \~$0.01        |
| Optimism    |        \~$0.01        |
| Arbitrum    |        \~$0.02        |
| BNB Chain   |        \~$0.03        |
| World Chain |        \~$0.01        |
| Solana      |        \~$0.001       |
| Tron        |    \~$1–3 (energy)    |
| Ethereum    |         $1–10+        |

> On L2 networks, gas costs fractions of a cent — even in self-pay mode it's practically free. On Ethereum — significantly more expensive, but **temporarily sponsored until March 2026**.

***

## FAQ

**Can I always use free TX?**

Yes, if your Premium tier provides sufficient daily limit. On Lifetime — up to 10 free TX per day (+ NFT bonuses).

**Why does gasless take USDC and not any token?**

Paymaster only accepts stablecoins (USDC, USDT) as payment — they have a stable exchange rate, which simplifies fee calculation.

**Does gas on Tron work differently?**

Yes. Tron uses an "energy" and "bandwidth" system instead of classic gas. USDT transfers on Tron require energy, which can be obtained by staking TRX.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.qr.xyz/core-concepts/gas-and-fees.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
