The amount you receive from a cross-chain swap is the destination token output after the route converts your input and accounts for execution costs. The key figure is the minimum received, since prices can move between the quote and the destination swap. When a route crosses networks, it is an example of omnichain interoperability; Omnichain is one service for moving and swapping tokens across chains through one interface. To judge any route, separate the expected output from the amount it guarantees you at execution.
A quote combines several parts of the route
A cross-chain quote estimates what happens from source-chain deposit to destination-chain delivery. The route may transfer the same asset between chains, or bridge one asset and swap it for another on the destination chain. Each step can affect the final quantity.
Read the quote for these components:
- Input amount: the token and quantity you send.
- Exchange rate: the estimated conversion between the input and output assets.
- Route costs: bridge, network, and swap costs, which may be deducted from the input or charged separately.
- Minimum received: the lowest destination amount accepted under the quote’s slippage setting.
A displayed output may already account for some estimated costs. Don’t subtract them again unless the quote shows them separately. Wallet gas can also be separate: it may be paid in the source chain’s native token, so it raises your total cost without reducing the quoted token input.
Work out the delivered amount from the quote
For an illustrative route, suppose you send 1,000 USDC and the quote estimates 1.20 USDC in costs deducted from the input. That leaves 998.80 USDC to convert. At an implied rate of 0.0004 ETH per USDC, the expected output is 0.39952 ETH, before any separate gas paid from your wallet.
If the quote allows 0.5% slippage, its minimum might be about 0.39752 ETH: 0.39952 × 0.995. The actual minimum is the figure shown by the route, since providers can calculate costs and rounding differently. Slippage is the permitted change in execution price; it is not an extra fee, and a larger tolerance can mean accepting a worse rate.
For an asset-to-asset route, the effective rate is more useful than comparing token counts. Divide the expected output by the input after any deductions, then compare that rate with another route for the same assets and direction. A route with a lower displayed fee can still deliver less if its conversion rate is worse.
Choose the route that meets your minimum
Set the least output you can accept before sending. Compare that number—not only the headline output—with your task: for example, whether it covers an app’s deposit requirement or the amount you need to trade next. If the minimum falls short, choose a route with a better rate or a smaller slippage tolerance, or wait for conditions to change.
Before confirming, check that the destination asset and chain match where you intend to use the funds, and that you can cover any separately charged gas. An omnichain route can simplify the transfer, but each chain still has its own transaction and execution costs. Once the transfer starts, the delivered amount depends on the route completing within its quoted conditions.