How Do You Speed Up an Acrossbridge Transfer?

Start with the live quote; speed up only when time is worth the lost output. A relayer usually fills an Across intent quickly after the origin transaction confirms, but a quote’s estimated fill time is not a guarantee. To decide whether to pay more, compare the amount you would give up with the cost of waiting on this specific route.

What Does the Standard Quote Buy You?

The standard quote sets the destination amount a relayer must deliver, after which a relayer decides whether to fill the intent using its own funds. On mainnet, Across quotes commonly estimate a fill in about two seconds; congestion, route liquidity and relayer availability can change the result. Settlement and reimbursement happen later, but you do not need to wait for them to receive the fill.

Before sending, refresh the quote for the exact token pair, route and amount. Check the expected fill time, the minimum and maximum amount, and the fee breakdown; fees reflect destination gas, relayer capital costs and, on some routes, liquidity pool costs. The API’s maxDepositInstant and maxDepositShortDelay limits matter for large transfers: exceeding the instant limit can mean a slower fill, even if the deposit remains within the route maximum. See the fee fields and limits.

For example, suppose a 1,000 USDC quote returns 998.80 USDC and estimates a two-second fill. The implied cost is 1.20 USDC, or 0.12%: (1,000 − 998.80) ÷ 1,000 × 100. Recalculate with the displayed destination amount, rather than comparing fee percentages from a different route or quote time.

When Is the Assigned Relayer Worth Keeping?

Keep the assigned relayer when the quote already meets your deadline and the quoted output is competitive. Some deposits give one nominated relayer exclusive fill rights until an exclusivity deadline; after it passes, other relayers can fill. That window coordinates who may act, but it does not promise that the nominated relayer will fill by a particular second.

If you use acrossbridge for a routine transfer whose value comes from a quick destination balance, the normal quote can be the efficient choice: it requires no follow-up action after the deposit. Inspect the quote’s exclusivity parameters and expected fill time before signing, especially if you are timing a trade or another transaction. Exclusivity is a fill-rights rule, not a separate guarantee of speed.

When Should You Speed Up a Pending Deposit?

Speed up only when the deposit is still pending and the value of an earlier fill exceeds the extra amount you will forgo. Across V3’s speed-up changes the promised destination output; the depositor signs the update, and a relayer can then fill against the improved terms. It is an incentive adjustment, not a command that makes a relayer submit immediately. The contract function is speedUpV3Deposit; the update can also change the recipient or message, so confirm those fields remain correct. See the V3 speed-up parameters.

Use the same 1,000 USDC example. If you lower the output from 998.80 to 997.80 USDC, the added speed-up cost is 1 USDC; if the earlier fill saves you from missing a trade worth 4 USDC to you, that trade-off may make sense. If the deadline has passed, a speed-up cannot revive the expired intent; check its status and refund path instead.

What Should You Check Before Acting?

Compare the live quote and current deposit status before spending another transaction fee. A quote’s expectedFillTime is an estimate, while the deposit status tells you whether the relayer has filled it; a fill already recorded leaves nothing to speed up. For frequent transfers, keep a record of route, amount, quoted output, estimated time and actual fill time, then use that history to judge whether a small output reduction is buying meaningful reliability on your route.

• Confirm the destination token and recipient.
• Check the current fill status before signing a speed-up.
• Compare the revised output with the value of receiving funds sooner.
• For a large amount, check the route’s instant and short-delay limits before splitting or sending.

Use the standard quote when its output and estimated timing meet your need; pay for a speed-up only when the time saved is worth the extra output you surrender.