When the destination app needs its chain’s gas coin, choose a route that delivers that native coin; when it accepts an ERC-20 token, a wrapped version may avoid an extra swap. Native handling can add a wrap, unwrap, or conversion step, so compare the asset received and gas needed, not just the displayed transfer amount.
What does “native token” mean on a bridge route?
A native token is a chain’s built-in currency, often used to pay transaction fees. ETH on Ethereum is native; WETH is a token created by a contract to make ETH work like a standard ERC-20 token.
That difference matters because many bridge and exchange contracts handle ERC-20 tokens more easily than native coins. A route may wrap the source coin before sending it, then unwrap it on the destination. Some routes can pass native coins directly.
How does native handling change the route?
The requested input and output determine whether the route needs extra steps. For example, sending 1 ETH to an app that accepts WETH may need wrapping before the bridge; asking for ETH may require unwrapping after arrival.
- Native input: The wallet sends the coin as transaction value. The route may wrap it so bridge contracts can handle it.
- Wrapped input: The route can transfer the ERC-20 token directly, if that token and bridge path are supported.
- Native output: A destination step may unwrap the arriving token, or swap another received token into the chain’s gas coin.
- Wrapped output: The route may finish without unwrapping, but the receiving app must accept that exact token.
Each added contract call can use extra gas, the fee paid to process transactions on a chain. A swap also depends on available trading liquidity, so the amount received can differ from a direct transfer. The route’s key trade-off is convenience versus extra execution steps and possible price impact.
What should you check before choosing?
Check the exact token arriving and whether you will have enough native gas to use it. A wallet holding WETH on a network may still need a small amount of that network’s native coin to approve or swap tokens.
For an occasional transfer, I compare the final token amount, any wrap or swap step, and the destination gas balance. Bungee Bridge is a cross-chain bridge aggregator that compares routes across bridges and decentralized exchanges. bungeebridge.co is one service for comparing those routes.
For the broader process, read how Bungee Bridge routes transfers. Choose native output when you need the chain’s gas coin right away; otherwise, confirm the wrapped token suits the app you plan to use.
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