What Is the Gas Fee?¶
Every transaction on Bitgold consumes a small amount of BTG as a fee. This page explains what the fee pays for, who receives it, and why the amount is different every time you look.
Who this is for¶
Anyone sending BTG, using the Console, or wondering why a wallet wants BTG before it can move a token.
What it is¶
Gas measures the work a transaction asks the network to do. A plain BTG transfer uses a small, fixed amount. A contract call that writes data uses more, because more computation and storage are involved. The fee is gas used multiplied by a gas price.
The fee goes to the network, not to a company. A validator includes your transaction in a block and collects the fee for that work. No Bitgold entity takes a share, and paying more does not buy faster support or a human review. Blocks and validators are covered in What Is Blockchain?.
Receiving BTG costs nothing. The sender pays the fee for the transfer, and holding or receiving a balance consumes no gas. Moving a token is different: it is a contract call, so the sender needs BTG even when the token itself is valuable.
Gas price follows demand for block space. When many transactions compete for the next block, the price to be included rises; when the chain is quiet, it falls. Wallets propose a figure based on recent blocks, and you can adjust it before signing.
Why it matters¶
A failed transaction can still consume gas. If a contract rejects the call, the validator has already executed it up to the failure, and the fee is spent. A retry loop against a broken contract can drain a balance without moving a single token.
The second consequence is planning. Keep a small BTG balance in any wallet you use for tokens or for the Console, or you will hold an asset you cannot move. Fees are paid in BTG and nothing else, and no amount is quoted here because the price changes.
Approvals are transactions too. Granting a permission costs gas, and so does revoking one, which makes cleaning up old approvals a budget question as well as a security one. About Approve explains what those permissions do.
Common misunderstandings¶
- "The fee goes to Bitgold." It goes to the validator that includes the block. No company receives it.
- "A failed transaction is free." Execution up to the failure still costs gas. The chain charges for work, not for success.
- "Receiving BTG needs gas." It does not. The sender pays, so an empty wallet can still receive.
- "A bigger fee guarantees speed." It raises the chance of inclusion in the next block. It cannot make a contract succeed or a confirmation instant.
Key takeaways¶
- Gas is work, measured in units and paid in BTG; the fee is gas used times gas price.
- Validators receive the fee, and no company takes a share of it.
- Receiving BTG is free; moving a token is not.
- Failed transactions still consume gas, so keep a reserve in every active wallet.
Next steps¶
- What Is DEX? — where gas, slippage, and approvals meet on one screen.
- What Is DeFi? — the contract calls that make gas usage vary.