---
title: Swap USDT ERC-20 to BTC without an account | Sablebolt
description: Swap USDT ERC-20 for BTC without an account: live floating rate, network fee shown before you send, about 4–10 minutes from deposit to payout.
url: https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdt-erc20/btc
---

# Swap USDT ERC-20 to BTC

Swap USDT on Ethereum for Bitcoin without an account: enter the amount, paste your Bitcoin address and send USDT from any Ethereum wallet.

- **Arrival:** ≈ 4–10 min

- **Confirmations:** 15 on Ethereum

- **Rate:** Floating

- **Fee token after arrival:** BTC

## When this route is the right one

Your USDT is on Ethereum — the oldest USDT contract, the one DeFi protocols and many exchanges default to — and you want bitcoin instead: for a payment, for long-term holding, or because you are done paying Ethereum gas on a dollar token. Leaving Ethereum for Bitcoin in one step saves a trip through an exchange.

The two networks share nothing. An ERC-20 transfer cannot reach a Bitcoin address, and no Bitcoin wallet understands a token contract. The route receives your USDT at a one-time 0x… address, waits for 15 Ethereum confirmations and sends bitcoin to the address you gave. The BTC amount is fixed at the fifteenth confirmation, about 4–10 minutes after you send.

## USDT ERC-20 vs BTC — side by side

|  | USDT on Ethereum ERC-20 | BTC on Bitcoin |
|---|---|---|
| Address format | 0x… (42 characters) | 1…, 3…, bc1… |
| Fee token | ETH | BTC |
| Confirmations we wait for | 15 | 2 |
| Explorer | etherscan.io | blockchain.com |

## What happens, in order

1. Enter the USDT amount and your Bitcoin address Paste a receiving address from your Bitcoin wallet: 1…, 3…, bc1q… or bc1p…. The estimate is in BTC.
2. Send USDT on Ethereum A one-time 0x… deposit address appears for this swap. Send USDT from any Ethereum wallet; gas is paid in ETH.
3. Ethereum confirms 15 confirmations, about 4–10 minutes. The BTC amount is fixed at the last one.
4. Bitcoin is paid out The status page links your Etherscan deposit and the Bitcoin transaction. It shows as unconfirmed in your wallet until the next Bitcoin block.

## Before you send — checklist

- The address you paste is on the Bitcoin network — 1…, 3…, bc1q… or bc1p….
- If it belongs to an exchange, the deposit page says Bitcoin — the BTC network itself — not a BTC token on another chain.
- The sending wallet holds ETH for one token transfer at today's gas price; the wallet shows the fee before you sign.
- You are sending USDT on Ethereum, contract 0xdAC1…1ec7, not USDT on Arbitrum, Polygon or BNB Smart Chain, which reuse the 0x… format.
- You saved the status link.

## The two mistakes that cost money on this route

### Sending during a gas spike

Gas on Ethereum varies by the hour. A USDT transfer at a high gas price can cost a noticeable share of a small swap, and that cost is yours, outside the estimate. If the amount is small and the wallet quotes a fee you do not like, waiting an hour often helps.

### Expecting the bitcoin to be spendable at once

The payout is broadcast soon after the fifteenth Ethereum confirmation, but Bitcoin confirms it only with the next block — ten minutes on average, sometimes much longer. Most wallets let you see it as pending; most merchants and exchanges want 1 to 3 confirmations before they treat it as received.

## Other ways to make the same move

| Way | What you need | Where it is slower or dearer |
|---|---|---|
| An exchange account | An account; a USDT deposit on Ethereum, a market buy, a BTC withdrawal | Sign-up, a trading fee, a withdrawal fee in BTC, two waits |
| A peer-to-peer trade | A seller of BTC who takes USDT on Ethereum, escrow or trust | The counterparty's price and schedule, and gas on your side |
| This swap | Two addresses | A floating rate fixed at the 15th Ethereum confirmation |

## What is visible on-chain

Etherscan shows your wallet calling the USDT contract to send tokens to the deposit address — amount, time, gas. The Bitcoin explorer shows a transaction paying your address, with the amount, the fee and the inputs spent. Both are permanent and readable by anyone with the hash or the address; the two chains do not reference each other.

## FAQ

How long does it take?

About 4–10 minutes until the bitcoin is sent, then one Bitcoin block — ten minutes on average — until it shows as confirmed.

Why does the Ethereum side need ETH?

An ERC-20 transfer is an Ethereum transaction and the token cannot pay its own gas. The fee is your wallet's cost on the way in and is separate from the swap.

Which Bitcoin address type should I give?

Any mainnet format your wallet offers for receiving: bc1q… is the usual choice; 1…, 3… and bc1p… also work.

Can I send the USDT from an exchange?

Yes — withdraw on the Ethereum (ERC-20) network to the deposit address and allow for the exchange's fee.

What is the minimum?

It is shown under the amount field and follows Ethereum gas and the Bitcoin fee market.

What if the swap cannot be completed?

Write to support with the swap ID from the status page. The form has no refund address: a swap that cannot be completed is handled by hand, and a return to the address you sent from is arranged under the partner's rules, less the network fee.

## Related routes

About the coins on this route: [Tether (USDT)](https://sablebolt.io/coin/tether) · [Bitcoin (BTC)](https://sablebolt.io/coin/bitcoin)

- [USDT TRC-20 → BTC](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdt-trc20/btc)
- [BTC → USDT TRC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/btc/usdt-trc20)
- [USDT ERC-20 → USDT TRC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdt-erc20/usdt-trc20)
- [USDT BEP-20 → USDT TRC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdt-bep20/usdt-trc20)
- [USDT TRC-20 → USDT ERC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdt-trc20/usdt-erc20)
- [USDC ERC-20 → USDT TRC-20](https://sablebolt.io/swap/usdc-erc20/usdt-trc20)

Read next [Floating rate: what changes between the estimate and the payout](https://sablebolt.io/blog/floating-rate-estimate-vs-payout)

Read next [USDT network fees compared: TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Ethereum, TON, Solana](https://sablebolt.io/blog/usdt-network-fees-compared)

Read next [Reading a swap status page: every state from waiting to finished](https://sablebolt.io/blog/reading-a-swap-status-page)

## External resources

- [CoinGecko — Bitcoin](https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/bitcoin)
- [Tether — supported protocols](https://tether.to/en/supported-protocols/)
- [Etherscan](https://etherscan.io/)
- [Blockchain.com explorer](https://www.blockchain.com/explorer)