An ETH or ERC-20 transfer has been pending for a long time and later transfers are queued behind it. Wallet buttons “Speed up” and “Cancel” can help, but they work differently from what many people expect.
How replacement works
Every Ethereum transaction from an address has a nonce, and the network processes them in order. Both buttons broadcast a new transaction with the same nonce and a higher fee. Speed up repeats the same transfer; cancel sends 0 ETH to yourself. Nodes accept a replacement only if it pays noticeably more, otherwise you see replacement transaction underpriced. See the MetaMask guide.
Steps
- Open the pending hash in an explorer and note nonce and fees.
- Compare your max fee with the current base fee (why max fee below base fee waits).
- Speed up from the same wallet and raise both fee values enough.
- Cancel only if you no longer need the transfer — it costs gas and may lose the race.
- Never resend the same payment with a new nonce.
A transaction that disappeared from the explorer may have been dropped from mempools while your wallet still holds its nonce. A replacement with the same nonce and a normal fee clears the queue.
Payments to a swap order
If the pending transfer pays an order, do not pay again. When it confirms after the order window, contact support with the order number and hash. For new orders on ETH to USDT, set a fee with headroom using the EIP-1559 calculator.
FAQ
Is cancelling free?
No. It is a replacement transaction that pays gas.
Can I speed up an exchange withdrawal?
No, only the exchange that signed it can replace it.