Quick answer
How do I pay for a hotel with USDT?
To pay for a hotel with USDT, top up a StaySats balance from $25, then book from it. StaySats, a hotel booking site paid only in crypto, accepts USDT on Tron (TRC-20) or Ethereum (ERC-20) at the same dollar price. TRC-20 is credited after 20 confirmations, ERC-20 after 12. Each stay is then held, not charged, until the hotel confirms.
USDT on TRC-20 and ERC-20: key facts
| Networks accepted for USDT | 2: Tron (TRC-20) and Ethereum (ERC-20) |
|---|---|
| USDT networks listed by Tether | 13 supported protocols (checked October 12, 2026) |
| Confirmations before credit | TRC-20: 20 · ERC-20: 12 |
| Network fee paid in | TRC-20: TRX (or staked energy and bandwidth) · ERC-20: ETH (gas) |
| Address format | TRC-20: 34 characters starting with T · ERC-20: 42 characters starting with 0x |
| Hotel price | The same US dollar total on both networks |
| Withdrawals of refunds | Possible on both networks, and in USDC on Ethereum |
| Fee figures | Not published: we have not measured network fees yet |
How do TRC-20 and ERC-20 compare for a hotel top-up?
| USDT on Tron (TRC-20) | USDT on Ethereum (ERC-20) | |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmations before StaySats credits you | 20 | 12 |
| Fee asset | TRX, or staked or rented energy and bandwidth | ETH (gas) |
| What the fee depends on | Energy used by the token contract and bandwidth for the transaction size | Gas used by the token transfer and the gas price at that moment |
| Address format | 34 characters, starts with T | 42 characters, starts with 0x |
| Usual name on exchanges | Tron, TRX or TRC20 | Ethereum, ETH or ERC20 |
| Look-alike networks to avoid | BNB Smart Chain, Solana, TON (other formats, other networks) | BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base (same 0x format) |
| Refund withdrawals to this network | Yes | Yes |
| Page | Pay with USDT on TRC-20 | Pay with USDT on ERC-20 |
Network fees change with demand. We give no fee figure until we have measured one. Check the fee in your wallet or on the withdrawal screen of your exchange before you send.
How do I send USDT for a hotel top-up?
Start a top-up of $25 or more in your account and choose USDT on TRC-20 or on ERC-20. Then:
Pick the same network on your side
On the withdrawal screen, choose USDT, then the network shown on the payment page. Pick Tron (TRX, TRC20) for a T address, Ethereum (ETH, ERC20) for a 0x address.
Paste the address from the payment page
Copy it, paste it, then compare the first and last four characters. Check the network field again: a 0x address also fits BNB Smart Chain and layer-2 networks.
Send the exact amount in one transfer
The exact USDT amount on the payment page must arrive. If your exchange takes its fee from the amount, add the fee on top.
Wait for the confirmations, then book
Your balance is credited in US dollars after 20 confirmations on Tron or 12 on Ethereum. Then choose a hotel; its total is held, not charged, until the hotel confirms.
Which network costs less to send?
It depends on the moment and on where you send from, so check both before you choose. From an exchange, compare the withdrawal fee shown for USDT on Tron and on Ethereum: that is your real cost. From your own wallet, a TRC-20 transfer burns TRX for energy if you have none staked or rented. An ERC-20 transfer pays gas in ETH, at the current gas price.
StaySats charges nothing for either network, and the hotel price is the same on both. We have not measured network fees yet, so we publish no figure.
Do I need TRX or ETH as well as USDT?
From a self-custody wallet, yes. A USDT transfer never pays its own fee in USDT:
- TRC-20: the Tron network takes the fee in TRX, or in energy and bandwidth that you have staked or rented. With no TRX and no energy, the transfer fails.
- ERC-20: the Ethereum network takes gas in ETH from the same address. With no ETH, the transfer cannot be sent.
From an exchange, you need neither: you pay the exchange's withdrawal fee, taken from your exchange balance.
Which mistakes lose USDT?
Four mistakes cause most losses on hotel top-ups:
- Choosing a look-alike network. BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum and Base use the same 0x address format as Ethereum. A wallet may accept the address on the wrong network without a warning. Pick Ethereum (ERC-20) for the 0x address and Tron (TRC-20) for the T address.
- Sending the wrong token. TRX sent to the Tron address, or ETH sent for a USDT top-up, does not match the top-up.
- Letting the exchange take its fee from the amount. The exact amount on the payment page must arrive; add the fee on top.
- Splitting the payment. Send the full amount in one transfer.
If something went wrong, write to [email protected] with the transaction ID before you try again.
Why only two USDT networks when Tether supports more?
Because our payment settings list two: Tron (TRC-20) and Ethereum (ERC-20). Tether listed 13 supported protocols for USDT on October 12, 2026, including Solana, TON and Avalanche. USDT sent on a network we don't list is not credited to your balance and may be lost.
BNB Smart Chain is a common choice on exchanges, but it is not one of our networks. Other crypto travel sites differ. As of October 2026, per its payment options page, Travala lists USDT on Polygon, Solana, BNB Smart Chain, TON, KAIA and Arbitrum. It also shows a plain "USDT" option: the page code calls it TRC-20, but the label names no network. Its USDT page names ERC-20. Laters takes USDT on ERC-20, Cronos and Polygon, but not on TRC-20.
We sell hotel bookings paid in crypto. Our offer is included and marked.
Does the network change my hotel refund?
No. When an amount is withdrawable, for example when the hotel can't host you, you choose the coin and the network. The options are USDT on TRC-20, USDT on ERC-20, or USDC on ERC-20. You can pay with one network and be refunded on another. The address you give may be screened against sanctions lists before we send. Refunds.
TRC-20 or ERC-20: FAQ
Can I pay for a hotel with USDT directly at the front desk?
Rarely, and not through us. Very few hotels take USDT themselves, and some countries ban paying in crypto on the spot. With StaySats you pay us in USDT online, and we pay the hotel in local currency. Who accepts crypto directly: acceptance index.
Is USDT on TRC-20 the same coin as USDT on ERC-20?
It is the same stablecoin issued by Tether, on two different blockchains. Each network has its own addresses, and a transfer cannot cross from one to the other by itself. That is why the payment page shows one address per network.
Which network is credited faster?
We credit TRC-20 after 20 confirmations and ERC-20 after 12. The usual times for each network are in the payment table on our pay with crypto page. The hotel booking itself starts only after the top-up is credited.
Can I send USDT from Binance on BEP-20?
No. BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20) is not one of our networks, even though its addresses look like Ethereum addresses. On the withdrawal screen, choose Tron (TRC-20) for the T address or Ethereum (ERC-20) for the 0x address.
What does a TRC-20 or ERC-20 transfer cost today?
We do not quote a figure, because we have not measured network fees yet and they change with demand. Your exchange shows its withdrawal fee for each network, and your wallet shows the network fee before you confirm.
Can I top up with USDT on one network and later on the other?
Yes. Each top-up is separate, and all of them add up on one balance in US dollars. Choose the network each time on the payment page, and send on that network only.
Is USDT better than BTC for booking a hotel?
For many travellers it is simpler, because USDT tracks the US dollar and hotel prices are in US dollars. With BTC, the amount and rate are locked for 30 minutes and then credited in dollars. Both pay the same hotel price.
Sources (checked October 12, 2026) (8)
- Supported Protocols and Integration Guidelines — Tether (2026-10-12)
- Encoding addresses and data — TRON Developer Hub (2026-10-12)
- TRON economic model (resources) — TRON Developer Hub (2026-10-12)
- Ethereum accounts — ethereum.org (2026-10-12)
- Gas and fees — ethereum.org (2026-10-12)
- Travala payment options — Travala (2026-10-12)
- Travala: book hotels with USDT (Erc20) — Travala (2026-10-12)
- Laters: pay with USDT — Laters (2026-10-12)