How to Get Gas on a New Chain After Bridging
Bridged tokens to a new chain but have no gas? Solutions include bridge gas, buying on CEX, gas tokens via bridge and AEXI swap for native tokens.
The Gas Chicken-and-Egg Problem
Every blockchain transaction requires gas — the native token of the network. Bridge USDC to Arbitrum with zero ETH there and you cannot move the USDC, swap it or pay anyone. The value arrives but is locked behind a gas requirement.
This catches every new user at least once. You bridge successfully, see the tokens in your wallet, and then realize you cannot do anything with them.
The good news: there are several reliable solutions, and AEXI addresses the problem directly.
Solution 1: AEXI Destination Gas
AEXI includes a destination-gas option in the swap form. When enabled, it folds a small amount of the destination chain native token into your bridge route.
Instead of arriving with zero gas, your payout arrives pre-funded — enough for several transactions on the new network. The gas amount and its cost are shown in the route preview.
This is the simplest solution for first-time bridging to a new chain. Toggle it on in the swap form and the problem is solved in one transaction.
Solution 2: Bridge Gas Separately
Some bridges (Arbitrum Bridge, Optimism Bridge) include a gas option during the bridging process. You specify a portion of the bridged amount to be converted to native gas on arrival.
Third-party services like Bungee and Jumper also offer gas refill routes — sending a small amount of native gas from a chain where you have it to the new chain.
This works well when you already have ETH or SOL on multiple chains and can spare a small amount for gas.
Solution 3: Buy on a CEX
Centralized exchanges sell native tokens for most major networks. Buy a small amount of ETH, SOL or BNB and withdraw directly to the new chain address.
This is the most straightforward option if you already have a CEX account with verified identity. Withdrawal fees vary by network — L2 withdrawals are usually under $1.
For L2 networks like Base and Arbitrum, the gas needed is so small ($0.01-0.50) that a single CEX withdrawal covers months of transactions.
How Much Gas You Need
Arbitrum: $0.50-2 in ETH covers dozens of swaps. Base: $0.10-0.50 in ETH is plenty for weeks. Polygon: $0.01-0.10 in POL handles hundreds of transactions.
Solana: $0.01-0.05 in SOL covers many swaps. TRON: keep a small TRX balance for bandwidth. Optimism: $0.50-2 in ETH similar to Arbitrum.
On L2 networks, the gas requirement is so low that even a $1 top-up lasts a long time. Do not overthink it — a tiny amount goes a long way.
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