Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

What is Swaptain?

Swaptain is a Telegram-based trading bot that lets you swap cryptocurrencies across 20+ blockchains. It uses THORChain's decentralised liquidity protocol to trade native assets — real BTC, real ETH, not wrapped versions.

How do I start using Swaptain?

Open Telegram, search for @SwaptainBot, and press Start. You'll create a wallet (or import an existing one), set a password, and you're ready to trade. No email, no KYC, no app download. See the Quick Start Guide.

Do I need to create an account?

No traditional account. Just start the bot on Telegram. Your Telegram account is your identity. Swaptain creates a wallet for you that works across all supported chains.

Which chains does Swaptain support?

Over 20 chains including Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Cosmos, THORChain, Ripple, Tron, Sui, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Zcash, and more. See Supported Chains for the full list.

Is Swaptain available in my language?

Swaptain supports 15 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and Simplified Chinese.

Wallet & Security

Is my wallet secure?

Your wallet's recovery phrase is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a password you set. Swaptain never stores your password. Sensitive messages (like your recovery phrase) are automatically deleted from the chat. Learn more in Wallet Management.

What if I forget my password?

If you have your 12-word recovery phrase, you can reset your wallet (/reset) and re-import it with a new password. If you've lost both your password and recovery phrase, your funds cannot be recovered.

Always keep your recovery phrase backed up in a safe place. It's your ultimate fallback for accessing your funds.

Can I use my existing wallet?

Yes. During setup, choose Import Wallet and enter your existing 12-word mnemonic phrase or private key. Swaptain will derive addresses for all supported chains.

Can I export my private keys?

Yes. Navigate to /wallet → Export Private Keys. You'll need to enter your password. You can export keys for any connected chain.

Does Swaptain have access to my funds?

Swaptain stores your encrypted wallet data. Your password decrypts it and is never stored on the server. You maintain full control and can export your keys or recovery phrase at any time.

Trading

How do I buy a token?

Use the /buy command, search for the token by ticker or contract address, select your source asset, enter the amount, review the quote, and confirm. See Making Your First Swap for a detailed walkthrough.

How long do swaps take?

Depends on the chains involved:

Same-chain swaps: seconds to a few minutes
Cross-chain with fast chains (ETH, AVAX, BNB): 2-5 minutes
Cross-chain with Bitcoin: 10-30 minutes (due to block confirmation times)
Streaming swaps (Best Price mode): may take slightly longer for better execution

What are the fees?

Swaptain charges a 1% platform fee per swap, which includes everything. You also pay standard blockchain gas fees (which vary by chain). No fees on deposits or withdrawals. See Fees & Limits.

Is there a minimum swap amount?

Yes. Each chain has a minimum determined by current network fees — very small swaps would have most of the output consumed by gas costs. The bot tells you the minimum if your amount is too low.

Can I cancel a swap?

Before confirming — yes, just don't tap Confirm. After confirming and the transaction is submitted to the blockchain — no, it cannot be cancelled.

What happens if the price changes during my swap?

Your slippage tolerance (default 3%) protects you. If the price moves more than your tolerance, the swap is cancelled and your funds are returned. You can adjust this in Settings.

What is "Best Price" vs "Fastest Execution"?

Best Price (default) uses streaming swaps — your trade is split into smaller pieces for better execution. Fastest Execution does a single swap for speed. Best Price is better for most situations, especially larger trades. See Settings.

My swap failed. What do I do?

Common causes: insufficient gas, price drift beyond slippage tolerance, or temporary network issues. See Troubleshooting for detailed solutions.

Gas Fees & Costs

What are gas fees?

Gas fees are transaction fees paid to the blockchain network (not Swaptain) to process your transaction. They go to the validators who maintain the network. Learn more in Understanding Gas Fees.

Why do I need ETH/BNB to swap ERC-20/BEP-20 tokens?

On EVM chains, gas fees are always paid in the native token (ETH on Ethereum, BNB on BNB Chain, etc.). Even if you're swapping USDC, you need some ETH to pay the transaction fee. This is how all EVM blockchains work.

Why are Ethereum gas fees so high?

Ethereum has limited block space and high demand. Gas fees spike during market volatility, popular NFT mints, and network congestion. Consider using Layer 2 chains (Arbitrum, Base, Optimism) for lower fees.

Do I pay gas fees on deposits and withdrawals?

Yes — standard blockchain gas fees apply. But Swaptain charges no platform fee for deposits or withdrawals.

Cross-Chain & Technical

How do cross-chain swaps work?

When you swap BTC for ETH, Swaptain sends your BTC to a THORChain vault on Bitcoin. THORChain swaps it through its liquidity pools and sends ETH from its Ethereum vault to your wallet. You receive real ETH, not a wrapped version. See Cross-Chain Swaps Explained.

What if THORChain goes down?

During network halts (scheduled maintenance or security responses), pending transactions are queued — not lost. Swaptain notifies you of any delays. Funds are processed when the network resumes.

What is slippage?

Slippage is the difference between the expected and actual swap rate. It occurs because your trade changes the pool balance, affecting the price. Larger trades relative to pool depth = more slippage. See DeFi Basics for a deeper explanation.

What are streaming swaps?

Streaming swaps break a large trade into multiple smaller sub-swaps executed over several blocks. This reduces price impact and typically gives a better rate. Swaptain uses these automatically in "Best Price" mode.

Referral Programme

How do I refer someone?

Open @SwaptainBot, go to the Referrals section, and copy your unique referral link. Share it anywhere — when someone starts the bot through your link, they become your referral.

How much do I earn?

You earn 0.3% of the swap volume on every trade your referrals make. This comes from Swaptain's platform fee — your referrals pay the same 1% as everyone else. See Commission Structure.

Is the referral permanent?

Yes. Once a user is attributed to you through your referral link, they remain your referral permanently. You earn on every swap they make, indefinitely.

Is there a limit on referrals?

No limits — refer as many people as you want and earn on all of their trades.