Money and pricing
Network fee
Last updated by The PanelCompare editorial team
Why does network fee matter to a buyer?
A fixed cost per transfer inverts the usual logic of a low minimum deposit. A $1 minimum on a card is a $1 test; a $1 minimum in crypto is $1 plus a network fee plus whatever the exchange charged to buy and send the token, and the fee does not shrink because the deposit did. This is why crypto-only panels effectively have a much higher entry cost than their stated minimum, and why the minimum should always be read next to the rail rather than on its own.
Network choice is where the fee is decided, and it is also where deposits are permanently lost. The market settled on the TRON network for dollar-pegged tokens precisely because per-transfer costs there are low. Sending the same token over a different network to a TRON address destroys it with no recourse and no party who can reverse it — a failure with no equivalent on any reversible rail.
How does network fee show up in a price list?
The fee is never shown by the panel, because the panel does not charge it: it is deducted by the network and by whatever wallet or exchange you send from, so the amount that lands is smaller than the amount you sent.
Panels quoting a crypto minimum well above their card minimum are usually reflecting this rather than discriminating: below a certain size, a crypto deposit costs more to move than it is worth.
Think this definition is wrong?
Terminology in this market is set by the panels that use it, and it moves. If a panel uses network fee to mean something other than what is written here, send us the listing and we will either correct the definition or record the variant. The process is on the about page.