Across Repayment Depends on Where Relayers Request Funds

Across lets relayers choose where they are repaid after filling a transfer, returning the deposit’s input amount minus the liquidity-provider (LP) fee after settlement. The relayer fronts its own funds to deliver tokens on the destination chain, then requests reimbursement through the protocol’s settlement process.

Repayment location is a relayer decision, not a second choice the user makes after sending tokens. For a fuller walkthrough of the transfer and repayment sequence, see this AcrossBridge guide to a first cross-chain transfer.

What is same-chain repayment on Across?

Same-chain repayment means the relayer asks to be paid on the deposit’s origin chain. Across’s fee documentation says that choice avoids cross-chain rebalancing for the repayment, so the LP fee is zero; the relayer fee still covers costs such as destination-chain gas and the capital tied up while it waits.

This does not mean the transfer itself stays on one chain: the user’s deposit and the relayer’s fill can still involve different chains. “Same-chain” describes where the relayer receives its reimbursement compared with where the user deposited.

How does cross-chain repayment change the cost?

With cross-chain repayment, the relayer requests funds on a supported chain other than the deposit’s origin. Across uses LP liquidity to rebalance funds between its pools, and its documentation says non-zero LP fees apply when repayment occurs on a different chain.

The fee reflects the liquidity needed for that route and can vary with pool utilization. The total transfer fee is the difference between the user’s input and output amounts; it also includes the relayer fee.

• Same-chain repayment: no cross-chain rebalancing for the repayment and no LP fee, according to Across.
• Cross-chain repayment: rebalancing is needed, and the LP fee may be higher or lower depending on route conditions.
• Either choice: the relayer still pays to fill on the destination chain and waits for reimbursement.

How should users compare the two routes?

Users should compare the quoted output amount and fee breakdown for their chosen route before depositing. The repayment chain is part of the route’s economics, but Across’s documentation says relayers select it; users should use the current quote to judge the amount they will receive rather than assume a repayment choice guarantees a lower fee.

After fills are collected, Across’s dataworker groups relayer refund instructions into settlement bundles. The relayer then receives reimbursement on its requested chain once the bundle is finalized and executed.