As Bitcoin’s value continues to increase, so do the transaction fees. You can reduce your BTC fees by consolidating data packets, transacting during off-peak periods, and using SegWit.

Since Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies began to rise in 2020, the fees associated with Bitcoin transactions have been under greater scrutiny. As prices reached new all-time highs throughout 2021, this only increased the amount of attention paid to these fees. The reason for this is that when a BTC user has a higher value transaction, they also have to pay a higher fee.

There are four primary elements that affect how much you pay in transaction fees for Bitcoin: the number of inputs, the number of outputs, script complexity and multi-signature capability.

When BTC users initiate transactions, they include different bits of information. As more inputs are added to a transaction, the size of the data packet increases. Since Bitcoin blocks are limited to 4 MB, large transactions limit the number of BTC transactions that can be included in a block. Consequently, large BTC transactions will have higher fees than smaller ones.

BTC users who start transactions are also charged for the outputs. The outputs refer to what is sent to both the transaction initiators and recipients after miners have processed the transaction. Those who initiate BTC transactions must pay beforehand for the required outputs that need to be generated and sent to various BTC user account addresses.

If a BTC transaction uses script complexity to reduce the size of a data packet, increase the security of the transaction, or for some other reason, there will most likely be a fee assessed for the ‘privilege’ of using the complex script.

The multi-signature feature lowers the cost of smart contracts and BTC payments by requiring a specific number of signatures before a transaction can be completed on a platform. For using the multi-signature option, platforms charge high transaction fees to Bitcoin users. The multi-signature functionality saves BTC smart contract users money but increases their costs in transaction charges.

Try to limit the size of data packets sent for processing on the blockchain. If possible, use shortcuts or special features that can help make your transactions quicker and take up less space.

When fewer people are using the platform, transaction fees are lower and transactions processed quicker. So, it’s advantageous to process your transactions during these times.

By utilizing SegWit, you can essentially shrink the size of your data packet. The result? You guessed it- lower transaction fees and a quicker processing time for your transaction.

The Lightning Network allows you to process your transactions on a side-chain and then have the results of the transaction sent to the main blockchain. You can also process a string of transactions and then consolidate them on the Lightning Network. This will help reduce your transaction fees, speed up your transactions, and ensure that the results are recorded on the blockchain’s ledger.

Choose your cryptocurrency exchange depending on which services are most important to you, the fees they charge, and how well they fit other key criteria such as security or available payment methods.

If you want to avoid high transaction fees, choose bank transfer as your payment method. PayPal and credit/debit cards tend to have the highest fees. But before sending a transaction to the mempool, think about which payment method you’ll use and how it will affect the cost of your transaction.

You are charged less per transaction when you send one large transaction rather than multiple small ones.

Make sure you’re aware of all of the costs you may incur when using that platform before deciding on a platform to execute your transactions. You should compare numerous platforms and select the ones that assess you the least money for processing your transactions while still being efficient.

Use these methods the next time you do a Bitcoin transaction to help lower fees!