Changenow
Changenow limits are network-driven minimums and fixed-rate caps
Changenow limits are pair-specific deposit floors and fixed-rate ceilings calculated from the selected assets, networks, network fees, available liquidity, and quoted flow. The widget rejects an amount below the live minimum and flags a fixed-rate amount above the executable cap. Classic-rate exchanges have no published maximum for most pairs, while fixed quotes impose a pair-specific maximum and a short send window. The displayed values, not an old saved figure, govern each order.
An under-minimum deposit has no processable remainder
An under-minimum ChangeNOW deposit falls outside automatic processing because the amount received cannot cover the route's required transfers and conversion. The threshold belongs to the order, not the wallet balance or the asset in isolation. Sending the value displayed as the minimum leaves no room for a custodial wallet's withdrawal deduction or a fee recalculation between quote creation and broadcast.
Bitcoin and Ethereum show why a universal coin count is meaningless. BTC records 8 decimal places, so 1 BTC equals 100,000,000 satoshis; ETH uses 18 decimals, so 1 ETH equals 10^18 wei. Those fixed units describe precision, not economical transfer size. ChangeNOW converts fee and liquidity requirements into the selected send asset, then exposes a dynamic floor. A deposit below it is not guaranteed automatic completion or a full refund because another on-chain transfer may be needed.
Classic flow, fixed rate, or an on-chain swap?
ChangeNOW's classic and fixed-rate flows impose different upper-bound logic, while an on-chain pool exposes liquidity and price impact directly. Changenow limits therefore separate a service quote from a protocol constraint: classic rate has no published maximum for most supported pairs, fixed rate has a displayed pair cap, and an automated market maker executes only against available pool liquidity.
| Route | Amount constraint | Standard duration or count |
|---|---|---|
| ChangeNOW classic rate | Dynamic minimum; no published maximum for most pairs | 1 quote per order |
| ChangeNOW fixed rate | Dynamic minimum and pair-specific maximum | 4-minute send condition |
| Uniswap v3 pool | Pool depth, price impact, and selected fee tier | 4 established fee tiers |
The comparison matters because the alternatives expose constraints differently. Uniswap v3 on Ethereum mainnet has four established pool fee tiers - 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30%, and 1.00% - and pool creators select a tier when deploying liquidity. 1inch aggregates routes across decentralized exchanges and requires the sender to pay the chosen network's gas, while THORChain uses protocol liquidity and vaults for native cross-chain swaps. Neither model supplies the same fixed-rate ceiling concept as ChangeNOW; effective size constraints appear through quoted price impact, route depth, or protocol-specific limits.
Two network legs set the displayed floor
The displayed ChangeNOW minimum reflects the economics of moving the deposit into a conversion path and sending the output to the recipient. That path contains at least 2 potential fee-bearing blockchain legs before additional venue or routing costs: the incoming transfer and the outgoing payout. The amount must also remain large enough to produce a valid output after those costs, which is why changing BTC-to-ETH into ETH-to-BTC creates a different floor even though both assets are unchanged.
Bitcoin fee demand is expressed in satoshis per virtual byte, so transaction size and mempool competition move the economical threshold even though Bitcoin targets a 10-minute block interval. On Ethereum, a basic ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas, while ERC-20 transfers execute token contract code and consume more. The EIP-1559 base fee changes with block usage and moves by at most 12.5% from one block to the next.
An ERC-20 route involving USDT or USDC therefore does not inherit the minimum of a native ETH route. Arbitrum and Base also quote their own execution and settlement costs despite using the Ethereum Virtual Machine. A fresh pair quote captures those differences without pretending one asset-wide minimum exists.
Fixed-rate caps follow liquidity and a short clock
A fixed-rate cap is the largest amount ChangeNOW will promise at one receive figure for the selected pair and moment. The ceiling follows executable liquidity, volatility exposure during the reservation window, and the ability to complete the payout on the destination network. Thin order-book depth or a concentrated on-chain pool reduces the cap; deeper routing expands it. That maximum belongs to one quote, so it does not establish an account allowance for later orders.
For a fixed-rate exchange, the operative condition requires the exact deposit to be sent within 4 minutes of creating the order. The countdown shown on the individual quote remains decisive because a screen can change before descriptive material is revised. A late or different fixed-rate deposit no longer satisfies the original promise; the service may offer current-rate processing or a refund after applicable fees rather than preserve the expired rate.
Classic flow removes the published platform maximum for most pairs, yet it does not promise infinite executable depth or a frozen output. A classic deposit made more than 30 minutes after order creation, or one that differs from the specified amount, loses the assurance that network fees will leave the estimated receive amount unchanged. Large orders still meet real liquidity and market-depth constraints.
Decimals, memos, and network choice alter usable amounts
Token precision and destination identifiers decide whether the quoted amount maps cleanly onto the chosen rail. ERC-20 tokens define their own decimals: USDT and USDC on Ethereum use 6 decimal places, while Wrapped Bitcoin, or WBTC, uses 8. A wallet that rounds below the quoted smallest unit can create an underpayment even when its fiat display appears unchanged, so the asset amount on the transaction screen is the operative value.
Shared deposit addresses add a separate recognition constraint. XRP Ledger destination tags are 32-bit unsigned integers, providing 4,294,967,296 possible values, and the tag shown for the order must accompany the XRP payment. Stellar supports memo text of up to 28 bytes, a 64-bit unsigned memo ID, and 32-byte hash memo forms. These identifiers do not raise the monetary minimum, but omitting one prevents the deposit from being assigned normally.
Network names are equally material. USDT sent as an Ethereum ERC-20 token is not the same ledger entry as USDT sent through TRON's TRC-20 standard, and BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, and Base are separate selections even though they use 20-byte Ethereum-style addresses. The quote's minimum and cap apply only to the network named in that order.
Read the quote in the order that funds move
The ChangeNOW quote should be read in the same order that funds move: send asset and network, exact deposit amount, rate flow, recipient asset and network, destination address, and any memo or tag. The displayed minimum answers whether the order is large enough; a fixed-rate maximum answers whether the reserved price is available at that size. Wallet balances, fiat estimates, and earlier screenshots do not replace either value.
Confirmation requirements start only after broadcast and are separate from the amount limit. ChangeNOW's terms describe 6 block confirmations as typical for normal-order acceptance while reserving chain-specific confirmation counts. Bitcoin targets one block every 10 minutes, whereas Ethereum schedules 12-second slots and groups 32 slots into an epoch. Those protocol clocks explain why a deposit can be sent within a 4-minute fixed-rate condition yet remain in confirmation afterward.
Create the quote immediately before authorizing the withdrawal, then make sure a sending exchange such as Coinbase or Binance will deliver the exact on-chain amount rather than subtract its withdrawal fee from it. Requote whenever the pair, network, flow, or amount changes. That sequence keeps a dynamic minimum, a fixed-rate cap, and a confirmation policy from being mistaken for one universal limit.
Things people ask about Changenow limits
Can one large fixed-rate swap be divided into smaller orders?
Yes, one large fixed-rate exchange can be divided into smaller orders, but every order receives a separate rate, cap, address, and countdown. Each part must clear its own dynamic minimum and carries its own routing and network-cost exposure. Splitting improves executability only when the smaller quotes remain inside the pair's displayed range; it does not preserve one rate across the full amount.
Does sending from Coinbase or Binance change the quoted threshold?
Yes, a withdrawal from a centralized exchange can arrive below the number entered if that platform deducts its withdrawal fee from the requested amount. ChangeNOW tests the on-chain deposit it receives, not the balance reduction shown by Coinbase, Binance, or another sender. Select an option that delivers the exact quoted amount, or increase the withdrawal so the received amount stays above the displayed minimum.
Are ChangeNOW API limits identical to the web widget?
The API and web widget draw on the same pair- and network-specific constraints, but an integration can include a partner commission or configured flow that changes the estimate presented to users. API clients should request the current minimum for the exact asset, network, and rate flow rather than copy a widget value. A cached response stops being reliable when network fees, liquidity, or routing changes.
Do registration and ChangeNOW Pro remove fixed-rate caps?
No, registration or ChangeNOW Pro does not create a universal fixed-rate ceiling that overrides pair liquidity. Pro is intended for repeated exchange activity, while each fixed quote still exposes its executable amount range. If a requested amount exceeds that range, changing account status does not turn the quote into an unlimited order; a new size or classic-rate quote must be evaluated separately.
How are card-purchase ceilings related to crypto-swap limits?
Card purchases follow third-party fiat provider rules rather than crypto-to-crypto swap limits. Guardarian, Simplex, and Transak apply their own minimums, maximums, payment-method conditions, and identity requirements. A ceiling displayed during a card purchase therefore does not describe the classic-rate maximum or fixed-rate cap for a wallet-to-wallet crypto exchange, even when both flows appear within the same service.
Can a promo code reduce the deposit minimum?
No, a promo code does not make a below-minimum blockchain deposit processable. A supported promotion changes only the commercial quote shown for the order; it does not erase network costs or valid-output requirements. Enter the code before accepting the quote and use the recalculated screen values, because the previously displayed minimum and receive amount no longer describe that order.
Does an old deposit address keep the same limit?
No, an old deposit address does not preserve the minimum, maximum, or rate attached to its original order. Retail fixed-rate addresses are issued within a quote lifecycle, and the amount window is evaluated at creation. Even if a later transfer is detected, it does not inherit the expired terms. Generate a new order and use its address, memo, amount, and countdown together.
How many ChangeNOW transactions can one user create?
ChangeNOW publishes no numerical ceiling on the number of classic-rate transactions a user may create. That statement concerns order count, not transaction size: every order still receives its own dynamic minimum, pair availability, address, quote, and confirmation requirement. Repeated fixed-rate orders also remain subject to the cap and timer shown for each order, so transaction count does not aggregate into a standing allowance.
Last updated