How to Bridge USDC From Base to Arbitrum

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381e35

11/12/2026

#plugs#across#base#arbitrum#usdc#bridging#how to
on Base and
on Arbitrum are both issued by Circle, but they live on different chains, so moving one to the other takes a bridge. Across is one of the cheapest and fastest ways to do it. You deposit
on Base and receive native
on Arbitrum, usually within a few seconds.

How Across Works

When you deposit on Base, a relayer pays you the same
on Arbitrum out of its own funds right away, minus a small fee. Across then repays the relayer from your deposit once it has verified the transfer, so you never wait for the bridge itself to settle.

Bridging By Hand

  1. Have the
    on Base and a little
    on Base for gas.
  2. Open Across's app and connect your wallet.
  3. Pick Base as the chain you send from and Arbitrum as the chain you send to, with
    on both sides.
  4. Enter the amount. The app shows the fee and exactly how much arrives on Arbitrum.
  5. Approve Across to move your
    , then confirm the bridge.
That is two transactions on Base in most wallets: the approval, then the deposit. You send nothing on Arbitrum, so you don't need
there to receive.

What It Costs

Across charges a relay fee, taken out of what arrives. Bridging 25
from Base to Arbitrum cost about 0.0096
when this was written, so 24.99
arrived. Most of that fee covers the relayer's gas on Arbitrum, which doesn't grow with the amount, so it is a larger share of a small transfer and a smaller share of a large one. Across quotes the fee live and sets a minimum deposit so the fee is always covered; it was about 0.50
.
On top of that you pay Base gas for the deposit, about a cent at November 2026 prices.

Bridge With Plug

Use in App
The plug does it in one run on Base:
  1. Reads the address of the wallet that runs it.
  2. Deposits 25
    into Across, to be paid to that same address as
    on Arbitrum.
What arrives on Arbitrum isn't a number saved in the plug. It is priced from Across's live quote each time the plug runs, so you receive what Across quotes at that moment, fee already taken out. The approval happens in the same run, sized to exactly the amount you bridge.
Change 25 to whatever you want to move. To send it to someone else's wallet on Arbitrum, replace the address step's wallet with theirs.

If It Isn't Filled

A relayer almost always fills an Across deposit within seconds. If none fills it before its deadline, Across refunds the deposit on Base rather than leaving it in the bridge.

Related

  • How to withdraw USDC from Aave on Base covers getting your
    out of Aave before you move it.
  • How to earn interest on USDC with Aave on Base covers lending it where it already is.
  • How to deposit USDC into a Morpho vault on Base covers another place to lend it on Base.
  • How to bridge USDC from Ethereum to Base covers getting
    onto Base in the first place.

Protocols ยท 4

How to Bridge ETH From Ethereum to BaseHow to Bridge USDC From Ethereum to Base

How to Bridge USDC From Base to Arbitrum

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