Free Gas vs Direct mode
Two ways to send money from the web wallet -- and when to use each one.
When you send money from the web wallet, you choose between two modes. Both send USDC on Arbitrum. The difference is who pays the network fee and whether a daily limit applies.
Free Gas
Sippy submits the transaction for you and covers the network fee.
- Cost to you: $0
- Daily limit: $500 (or $50 without a verified email)
- How it works: Sippy's infrastructure moves the money on your behalf, using a permission you granted during setup
- Also used by: WhatsApp sends (same mechanism)
This is the default. It's the simplest way to send -- no ETH needed, no extra steps.
Direct
You submit the transaction yourself and pay a small network fee.
- Cost to you: less than $0.01 in ETH per transaction (Arbitrum fees are very low)
- Daily limit: none
- How it works: your wallet signs the transaction directly. Sippy's infrastructure is not involved.
- Requires: a small amount of ETH in your wallet for gas
Use Direct mode when you want to send more than your daily limit allows, or when you prefer to sign transactions yourself.
Side by side
| Free Gas | Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Network fee | Sippy pays | You pay (~$0.01) |
| Daily limit | $500 / $50 | None |
| ETH required | No | Yes (small amount) |
| Available on | WhatsApp + Web | Web only |
| Who signs | Sippy (on your behalf) | You |
Which should I use?
Most of the time, Free Gas is fine. It's free, it's fast, and the $500 daily limit covers everyday sends.
Use Direct when:
- You need to send more than $500 in a day
- You want full control over the transaction (no intermediary)
- You prefer the non-custodial approach where Sippy never touches your funds
How to switch
On the web wallet, the two modes appear as a toggle above the send form:
- "Gas gratis" / "Free gas" -- the default
- "Directo" / "Direct" -- available when your wallet has ETH
If your wallet has no ETH, Direct mode shows a message explaining what you need. You can deposit ETH to your wallet address on Arbitrum to unlock it.
What's next?
- Send money -- step-by-step sending guide
- Limits -- how daily limits work and how to increase them
- Add funds -- how to get USDC and ETH into your wallet