Sending less than the total: fees that get deducted on the way
You sent the total, yet less arrived. The usual culprit is a fee taken out along the way. How it happens, and how to make sure the full amount lands.
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One of the most common payment hiccups is also one of the least obvious: you send what you believe is the full total, but slightly less arrives. Your wallet history says the right number; the order says underpaid. In almost every case the difference is a fee that was taken from the amount instead of being added to it. This article explains where those fees come from and how to send so the full total lands.
Why the arriving amount matters
An order is paid when the amount that arrives covers the total. It doesn't matter what you typed into your wallet; what counts is what the receiving address got. The checkout reports the amount it received, and wallet transfers are checked against the blockchain record. If the arriving amount is clearly below the total, the order is held as Underpaid – needs review until it is sorted out.
Where the shortfall comes from
Exchange withdrawal fees taken from the amount
Many exchanges charge a fee for each withdrawal. Some add it on top of the amount you enter; others subtract it from that amount. In the second case, if you enter exactly the order total, the exchange sends the total minus its fee. The receiving side sees less than the total.
Look at the withdrawal screen closely before confirming. Exchanges usually show both a “withdrawal amount” and a “receive amount” or “amount you'll get”. The receive amount is the one that has to match.
Network fees on certain tokens
On most chains the fee comes out of the chain's native coin, not out of the token you are sending. But some wallets and services handle fees differently, for example by converting part of the transfer. If the wallet shows the fee being taken from the token balance, check what will actually be sent.
Rounding by the wallet
Some apps round the amount you type to fewer decimals. Usually that is harmless, but on a total with cents it can drop a cent or two. A tiny shortfall is generally absorbed by the small tolerance we allow; it is still worth sending the exact figure.
Price movement on non-stable coins
If you pay through the checkout with a coin whose price moves, and you send after the checkout's timer has expired, the coin amount you send may be worth less than the total by the time it confirms. Pay within the time shown, or reopen the payment to get a fresh amount.
How to make sure the full amount arrives
- Copy the exact total from the receipt or the checkout.
- Open your withdrawal or send screen and paste it.
- Read the line that shows what will be received. If it is lower than the total, raise the amount you send until the received amount matches.
- Check the network once more — a correct amount on the wrong network is still a problem; our guide to gas, energy and bandwidth shows how the networks differ.
- Send one transfer for the full amount.
The How it goes page explains the two ways to pay and where the total is shown for each.
What happens to an underpaid order
When an order is underpaid, you get an email explaining the amount reported and the total. Nothing is lost: the payment is recorded against your order. A team member then reviews it and contacts you with the options, which usually are:
- Pay the difference, after which the order continues and your card is issued.
- Have the received amount returned, minus the network costs of sending it back.
Do not send a top-up for the difference on your own without talking to us first. A second, separate transfer is harder to connect to the first and can create a second mismatch. Open a help ticket from the receipt instead.
The small tolerance
Each payment method has a small tolerance for shortfalls, set by our team. A payment that is only a little below the total still counts as paid, and the receipt notes the difference. This exists for rounding and tiny fee differences, not as a way to pay less — larger gaps always go to review.
Reading a withdrawal screen
Exchange withdrawal screens follow a similar pattern, even when the labels differ. Typically you see:
- Amount — what you type in.
- Fee or network fee — the exchange's charge for this withdrawal.
- Receive amount, you will get, or total — the result of combining the two.
The question to answer is simply: does the line describing what the recipient gets equal the order total? If the screen shows “amount 100, fee 1, you will get 99”, the fee is being subtracted and only 99 will arrive. Change the amount to 101 so 100 arrives. If the screen shows “amount 100, fee 1, total deducted 101”, the fee is added on top and 100 will arrive.
Some exchanges have a toggle to choose between the two behaviors. Whatever the layout, it only takes a few seconds to read, and it is the step that prevents most underpayments.
Paying by wallet transfer
On wallet transfers you also tick a box saying the full total went out on that chain. That checkbox is there to make you pause at precisely this point. Before ticking it, look at the received amount in your exchange's history. If it is lower than the total, say so in a help ticket rather than submitting the order as if it were complete. Our step-by-step payment guide shows where to find the transfer details you will need.
Quick answers
Who keeps the deducted fee?
The exchange or the network, depending on which fee it was. It never reaches us.
Will a few cents short block my order?
Usually not. Small differences within the tolerance still count as paid. Larger gaps are held for review.
Can I just send the missing amount?
Please ask first through a help ticket. We will tell you exactly how to complete the payment so it is matched to the right order.
What if I sent more than the total?
The order is paid, and we will contact you about the extra amount.
Summary
Shortfalls almost always come from fees subtracted instead of added. Read the “you'll receive” line before confirming, send the full total in one transfer on the right network, and if an order still ends up underpaid, let us guide the fix through a help ticket.
