How to speed up a pending transaction
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 5 min
In short
A transaction stuck in the pending state can often be pushed through by resubmitting it at the same nonce with a higher fee. Most wallets expose a function for this. It does not work on an already-confirmed transaction, it is not guaranteed to succeed, and it costs additional fees — understand all three before using it.
Key points
- It works by resubmitting at the same nonce with a higher fee so that version gets picked up
- It cannot touch a transaction that has already confirmed
- The higher fee is an added cost; the original fee is not refunded
- If congestion is the cause, simply waiting is an equally valid choice
Definition
Resubmitting an unconfirmed transaction at the same nonce with a raised fee, so that version is included first and confirmation comes sooner.
Start from the fact that a submitted transaction is not written to the chain immediately. It sits in a waiting area and only becomes final once it is picked up. Selection is influenced by the fee offered, so a transaction sent with a low fee during congestion can keep being passed over. That is what being stuck pending means.
The way out is to resubmit at a higher fee. Transactions from one account carry a sequence number — a nonce — and only one transaction per nonce can ever confirm. So you send the same content, at the same nonce, offering more. The network prefers the higher-paying version, it gets included, and confirmation arrives sooner. 'Nonce' covers the underlying idea.
In practice, most wallets provide this as a feature: open the pending transaction and you will generally find an item meaning resubmit with a higher fee, though names and locations vary. You can also do it manually by specifying the nonce yourself, but getting the nonce wrong jams every later transaction, so use the built-in function when one exists.
Know the limits too. First, it does nothing for a transaction that has already confirmed — realising too late that the destination was wrong leaves you with no move. Second, too small an increase may simply be rejected by the network. Third, this is an additional cost; the original fee is not returned.
Practically, ask first whether speed actually matters. If it is ordinary congestion and the transfer has no deadline, waiting almost always works. Where there is a deadline, or where you need to keep up with a moving price, raising the fee earns its cost. If what you really want is to stop the transfer rather than hurry it, see 'How to cancel a pending transaction'.
Watch out for
- · A confirmed transaction can be neither cancelled nor altered; this only applies while pending
- · Raising the fee is money added, not moved — repeating it stacks up cost
- · If you set the nonce by hand, a wrong value leaves every later transaction stuck
Frequently asked questions
I used the speed-up function and it still has not confirmed.
The increase may still be below the current going rate. Check present fee levels in a block explorer and raise again if needed. When the whole network is severely congested, waiting it out is sometimes genuinely faster.