How much does it cost to send USDC on Optimism?

An execution fee plus an L1 data fee for publishing the transaction to Ethereum, both paid in ETH. Right now that comes to about $0.0001, or about $0.0002 to an address that has never held USDC.

Is USDC.e on Optimism the same as USDC?

No. Native USDC on OP Mainnet is issued by Circle at 0x0b2C639c533813f4Aa9D7837CAf62653d097Ff85. USDC.e is USDC bridged from Ethereum; Circle says it doesn't issue it, and Optimism's docs say the bridged version is being deprecated.

Do Optimism transfers take 7 days?

No. A transfer is in a block in about 2 seconds and final on Ethereum in about 15 to 30 minutes, according to Optimism's docs. The seven-day delay applies only to withdrawals to Ethereum through the Standard Bridge.

Does Align accept USDC on Optimism?

Yes. Align accepts USDC on Optimism, Ethereum, Solana, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum and Avalanche, and USDT on Optimism too. Confirm with Align which USDC contract it accepts. When you send USDC or USDT from an AlignPay balance, Align pays the network fee.

USDC on Optimism: what a transfer costs right now

Right now one USDC transfer on Optimism costs about $0.0001 (0.000000048 ETH) to an address that already holds USDC, and about $0.0002 to an address that has never held it. That's the network fee alone, including the L1 data fee for publishing the transaction to Ethereum.

Network fees only, in USD.

LiveUpdated 14:08 UTC, 29 October 2026Refreshed every 10 minutes

Fee per transfer: $0.00010.000000048 ETH
To a new address: $0.0002
Fee paid in: ETH
Circle credits a USDC deposit after: 12 Ethereum blocks, about 3 to 9 minutesFinal on Ethereum after about 15 to 30 minutes
Issued by: CircleContract address below
Align accepts it: Yes, USDC on Optimism

Worked out the same way as the stablecoin fee tracker, which compares every network side by side.

What sets the fee on Optimism

OP Mainnet is a layer 2 on Ethereum, and a transaction pays two fees, both in ETH: an execution gas fee that works exactly like Ethereum's (gas used times the base fee plus any priority fee), and an L1 data fee for publishing the transaction to Ethereum, according to Optimism's docs.

The L1 data fee depends mainly on Ethereum's blob gas price and the size of the transaction. On 22 October 2026 a native USDC transfer used 45,415 gas to an address that already held USDC and 62,964 to one that had never held it; we add the L1 data fee from OP Mainnet's fee oracle on every refresh.

OP Mainnet's sequencer orders transactions with a higher priority fee first, so a tip only matters when the network is busy. The L1 part follows Ethereum, so it's cheaper when Ethereum is quiet.

Not included: exchange withdrawal fees, bridging, conversion spreads and Align's own pricing, which is quoted on request.

How long a transfer takes

In an L2 block (soft finality): About 2 seconds
Circle credits a USDC deposit after: 12 Ethereum blocks, about 3 to 9 minutes
Final on Ethereum (hard finality): About 15 to 30 minutes

Optimism's docs describe two moments: soft finality, when the sequencer has put the transaction in a block, about 2 seconds after submission on OP Mainnet, and hard finality, once its data is in a finalized Ethereum block, typically 15 to 30 minutes. Circle credits a USDC deposit on OP Mainnet after 12 Ethereum blocks, about 3 to 9 minutes, and that is the time the tracker shows. The 7-day wait people associate with Optimism applies to withdrawals through the Standard Bridge, not to transfers.

The USDC contract on Optimism

0x0b2C639c533813f4Aa9D7837CAf62653d097Ff85

Circle lists this as the USDC contract on OP Mainnet. It's native USDC, launched there in September 2023. Circle says the bridged USDC.e on OP Mainnet isn't issued by Circle and isn't compatible with Circle Accounts or Circle's APIs. Sources: Circle, USDC contract addresses; Circle, Now available: USDC on OP Mainnet. View it on the block explorer.

Sending USDC on Optimism to Align

Align accepts USDC on Optimism. It also accepts USDC on Ethereum, Solana, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum and Avalanche, and lists every network it supports in its docs. Money you receive lands in your balance as USDC, and from there you can send it to wallets or pay out in USD, EUR, GBP or AED from named accounts in your company's name.

Not sure which network to use? See which network to use for USDT and USDC payments.

Common mistakes

Holding USDC.e instead of native USDC. Circle warns against sending USDC.e to a Circle Account, because the funds may not be recoverable. Compare the contract with 0x0b2C639c533813f4Aa9D7837CAf62653d097Ff85, and confirm with Align which contract it accepts.
Sending on Base or Ethereum instead. OP Mainnet, Base and Ethereum all use 0x addresses. Check the network field says OP Mainnet or Optimism.
No ETH on OP Mainnet for gas. Fees are paid in ETH held on OP Mainnet, so a self-custody wallet needs some there, not on Ethereum.
Using the Standard Bridge when you need dollars on Ethereum fast. A withdrawal through the Standard Bridge takes at least seven days. Circle's CCTP moves native USDC by burning it on OP Mainnet and minting it on Ethereum instead.

Not sure which network an address is on? Paste it into the wallet address checker. If a transfer has already gone to the wrong network or address, see what to do if you send USDT or USDC to the wrong network.

Other networks

Common questions

How much does it cost to send USDC on Optimism?: An execution fee plus an L1 data fee for publishing the transaction to Ethereum, both paid in ETH. Right now that comes to about $0.0001, or about $0.0002 to an address that has never held USDC.
Is USDC.e on Optimism the same as USDC?: No. Native USDC on OP Mainnet is issued by Circle at 0x0b2C639c533813f4Aa9D7837CAf62653d097Ff85. USDC.e is USDC bridged from Ethereum; Circle says it doesn't issue it, and Optimism's docs say the bridged version is being deprecated.
Do Optimism transfers take 7 days?: No. A transfer is in a block in about 2 seconds and final on Ethereum in about 15 to 30 minutes, according to Optimism's docs. The seven-day delay applies only to withdrawals to Ethereum through the Standard Bridge.
Does Align accept USDC on Optimism?: Yes. Align accepts USDC on Optimism, Ethereum, Solana, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum and Avalanche, and USDT on Optimism too. Confirm with Align which USDC contract it accepts. When you send USDC or USDT from an AlignPay balance, Align pays the network fee.

Sources

Circle, USDC contract addresses
Circle, Now available: USDC on OP Mainnet
Optimism, Transaction fees on OP Mainnet
Optimism, Transaction finality
Optimism, Token list
Circle, Blockchain confirmations (Circle Mint)
Circle, CCTP supported blockchains
Align docs, Blockchains and stablecoins
Live data: public Optimism RPC endpoints, with ETH prices from Kraken (Coinbase as a fallback).

Estimates of network fees for information, not financial advice. Actual fees depend on network load at the moment you send and on the wallet or provider you use.

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