The refund address: why every swap asks for one
The field almost everyone fills in without thinking. What it is for and why it must be an address you control.
Every swap on Swapea asks you for two addresses. One receives the coin you want. The other, the refund address, is where your original coins go back if the swap cannot be completed.
When a refund happens
- The deposit is below the minimum, or well above what the swap expected.
- A fixed rate expired before the deposit arrived and you do not accept the new rate.
- The exchange could not be completed.
- A compliance review ended in a refund instead of a release.
Why it must be yours
The refund goes back on the same network you sent from, so the address has to be for the coin you send. Use a fresh address from a wallet you control. That way the refund arrives quickly, you can see it, and it does not link your swap to an exchange account.
What we check
Before creating the swap, we check that the refund address has a valid format for the coin you send, just as we do with the receiving address. If you send USDT TRC20, the refund address has to be a Tron address, and the same goes for every coin.
Ready? Start on the swap page.
Questions
What happens if I leave the refund address empty?
On Swapea it is required, because without it the refund has to be handled manually. That takes longer and means you have to prove the deposit was yours.
Can I use an exchange address as my refund address?
Technically it works, but some exchanges are slow to credit deposits from unknown sources. Your own wallet is safer.
