No Gas After Cross-Chain? How to Claim Tokens Without Depositing
After bridging, you have no native gas to claim airdrops or tokens, but you can still resolve this without making a deposit. The core issue is that the claiming or confirmation transaction on the target chain requires native gas, and your account lacks that native asset. Without buying or depositing, there are viable workarounds.
Prerequisites
The cross-chain transaction has been completed, and the target address holds cross-chain assets on that chain (e.g., USDC, USDT).
You know which chain's native gas is needed to claim the token (e.g., IP for Story chain, ETH for Arbitrum).
Your account holds at least some non-native asset on that chain, with value sufficient to cover the gas cost, only the native gas balance is zero.
Method 1: Use the Gas on Receive Feature Built into Cross-Chain Tools
Some cross-chain aggregators (e.g., Jumper Exchange, Stargate) have a "Gas on Destination" or "Gas on Receive" option. When you enable it before bridging, the system automatically converts a small portion of your transferred amount into the target chain's gas and sends it along.
Before initiating the cross-chain transaction, look for the "Gas on Destination" or "Gas on Receive" checkbox in the cross-chain interface, and select the amount of gas you need. For example, Cosmos chains require a minimum of about $0.10, EVM L2 chains around $2. The system will deduct the equivalent value from your transferred amount to provide the gas.
If the cross-chain is already completed and you didn't select this feature in advance: go to the Jumper Exchange or Stargate interface, check the transaction history for a "Replenish Gas" or "Claim Gas" button. Some tools support purchasing gas after the transaction is done.
Completion criteria: Your target wallet now has the chain's native token balance, even if it's just $0.10 to $2.
Method 2: Use Wallet or Platform Gas Sponsorship Service
If the cross-chain tool doesn't support topping up gas, you can use the platform's gas station. Gate Wallet's "Gas Station" feature supports using USDT, USDC, and over 100 other assets in your wallet to automatically convert into the required native token to pay gas for your transaction.
Steps:
Open your Web3 wallet (e.g., Gate Wallet, OKX Wallet), and find the "Gas Sponsorship" toggle in the "Trade" or "Swap" interface.
When enabled, the system automatically detects your target chain's native gas balance. If it's insufficient, it will deduct the equivalent value in stablecoins or other assets from your wallet to cover the gas, without you needing to buy native coins in advance.
Completion criteria: After enabling gas sponsorship, try the claim action again. The transaction should broadcast normally without the "insufficient gas" error.
Common Notes
Many people get stuck by choosing the wrong path. Don't go to an exchange to buy gas and then withdraw it; withdrawal has a minimum limit and high friction. Using the cross-chain tool's "Gas on Receive" or the wallet's "Gas Sponsorship" to directly swap your existing cross-chain assets into gas is the fastest route.
Fallback Solution: What to Do When Neither Method Works
If the cross-chain tool doesn't have a replenish button and your wallet lacks gas sponsorship, you don't need to top up from outside. You can bridge the assets back to the source chain, then redo the cross-chain with the gas included.
Steps:
In the cross-chain tool, bridge the assets on the target chain (e.g., USDC on Story chain) back to your original chain.
Initiate the cross-chain again, and this time manually tick the desired amount in "Gas on Receive".
After the new cross-chain, your target address will receive both the assets and the gas together.
Completion criteria: The target chain address now contains both assets and enough native gas to perform the subsequent claim transaction.
Operation Risk Reminder
Don't panic and search for "claiming service" online. Any service that asks for your private key, seed phrase, or wallet authorization to "help you top up gas" is a phishing scam. Insufficient gas only causes the transaction to fail; your assets on chain are not lost. The safest way is to handle it yourself.
How to Verify Your Setup
Open the target chain's block explorer and enter your wallet address. Once you see both native gas (e.g., IP, ETH, BNB) and cross-chain assets, you're ready. Then go to the claim interface and initiate the transaction again. The transaction status changing from "Failed" to "Successful" means the issue is resolved.
If you used "Gas Sponsorship", check the wallet's transaction records for additional sponsorship deduction details; the gas cost is already settled internally.
