What does it really cost to pay for an eSIM in crypto?

What are the parts of the real cost?

Five things decide what a crypto payment really costs you:

1. The eSIM price, in US dollars. It is the same in every coin. A Japan plan starts at $1.79, and every price is in pricing.json.
2. The network fee of your transfer. The sender pays it to the network, on top of the amount. It goes to the network, not to eSIMwithCrypto.
3. The exchange withdrawal fee, if you send from an exchange. Each exchange sets its own fee per coin and per network.
4. The size of your order. There is no minimum: you pay the exact price of your order. But the network fee does not shrink with the price, so it weighs more on a very small order.
5. The price risk of BTC, ETH, SOL and LTC while you pay. The payment page locks the amount and the rate for 30 minutes.

How much is the network fee on each network?

We have not measured network fees yet, so we give no figures. The fee depends on the network and on demand at the moment you send. On the five networks we accept, it does not depend on the amount you send. Here is what you pay for on each one, and where to check the fee live.

What do energy and bandwidth mean on TRC-20?

They are the two resources a Tron transaction uses. Every transaction uses bandwidth, for its size. A token transfer such as USDT also uses energy, for the token contract, and energy has no free allowance.

You get energy by staking TRX or by receiving delegated energy. Without it, the network burns TRX from the sending account to pay. That is why a self-custody Tron wallet needs some TRX next to its USDT: without TRX or energy, the transfer can fail. From an exchange, the exchange pays the network and charges you its withdrawal fee instead.

What does gas mean on ERC-20?

Gas is the fee for the work an Ethereum transaction needs, and it is always paid in ETH. A USDT or USDC transfer on Ethereum (ERC-20) pays gas too, so a self-custody wallet needs ETH next to its stablecoins.

Gas has a base fee and an optional priority fee. The base fee follows demand and can move by up to 12.5% from one block to the next. So the same transfer can cost more or less from one hour to the next. Check the Etherscan Gas Tracker just before you send.

Why does the amount not change a Bitcoin or Litecoin fee?

Because Bitcoin and Litecoin fees depend on the size of the transaction in bytes, not on its value. Sending a small amount costs the same as sending a large one of the same size. A wallet that spends many small coins builds a larger transaction, so it pays more.

You choose a fee rate in your wallet, in sat/vB on Bitcoin. A higher rate is usually confirmed sooner. If a Bitcoin payment waits too long, Replace-by-Fee (RBF) lets you raise the fee: keep the amount sent to us unchanged. Details: buy an eSIM with Bitcoin.

What do exchanges charge to withdraw?

Each exchange sets its own withdrawal fee, per coin and per network, and shows it on the withdrawal screen before you confirm. The same coin can cost a different fee on each network, so compare the networks we accept.

Some exchanges take the fee from the amount you type. In that case, add the fee so that the exact amount arrives: the payment is matched to your order by that exact amount. Sending from your own wallet replaces the exchange fee with the network fee. But you then need the network's own coin to pay it: TRX, ETH or SOL.

Is a very small order worth the network fee?

It depends on the network fee at that moment, so check it first. At checkout, you pay the exact price of your order in crypto, with no minimum and no top-up. The sender pays the network fee on top of the price, and on the networks we accept it does not shrink with the amount. So on a very small order, the fee can be large compared with the price.

Two ways to keep it low:

• Check the live fee of your network just before you send, on the explorers above.
• Put several eSIMs in one order. The cart allows up to 10 different plans per order, and up to 10 eSIMs of each plan. One order means one transfer, so one network fee.

Credits on your balance are used first, so you pay only the missing amount. The refunds page explains when an eSIM is credited back.

How do I calculate a Japan eSIM payment in USDT on TRC-20?

You want a Japan eSIM, 1 GB · 7 days, priced $1.79.

1. You choose the plan, then USDT on Tron (TRC-20). The payment page shows the exact USDT amount for $1.79, our address with its QR code, and a 30-minute countdown.
2. You send that exact amount, in one transfer. From an exchange, you also pay its withdrawal fee. From your own wallet, the Tron network takes its fee in TRX or energy.
3. After 20 confirmations, usually about 1 minute, the payment is confirmed.
4. The eSIM is bought, and its QR code appears in My eSIMs.

Your real cost for this eSIM is $1.79, plus one network fee, plus the exchange fee if you used an exchange. eSIMwithCrypto adds nothing, and there is no balance to fund. On a plan this small, the network fee can be large compared with the price: check it before you send, or buy several eSIMs in one order.

Which coin costs the least to send?

We cannot say yet: we have not measured network fees, and they change with demand. What is sure:

• The eSIM price is the same in every coin.
• On every network we accept, the fee does not grow with the amount.
• Confirmation is fastest with SOL and USDT on Tron (TRC-20): about 1 minute.
• USDT and USDC aim to track the US dollar, but their market values can vary. The checkout locks the requested crypto amount for 30 minutes; that does not guarantee a token’s market price.

Check the live fees on the explorers above just before you send, and compare them with the withdrawal fees on your exchange. Each coin has its own page: pay with crypto.