Memo, Tag and Destination Tag: why your XRP, TON or XLM transfer didn't arrive and what to do

What is a memo in crypto? A plain-English explanation

Think of a wallet address as the street address of an apartment building, and the memo as the apartment number. Some exchanges receive coins for thousands of customers at one shared address. The money arrives at the "building," and the memo tells the exchange which "apartment" to credit it to.

This field goes by many names: Memo, Tag, Destination Tag, Comment, Message, Payment ID. The idea is the same: it's a label that identifies the recipient within a shared address.

Why do exchanges need a memo if there's already an address?

On Bitcoin, Ethereum or Solana, an exchange gives every customer their own address, so no memo is needed. But on the XRP Ledger and Stellar, every new address must be "activated" by depositing a minimum reserve that stays locked on it. Keeping a million addresses with reserves is expensive, so the exchange uses one address and tells customers apart by their tag.

If you leave out the memo, the exchange sees that the money arrived but doesn't know whose it is. The coins don't vanish, but they won't be credited either until you prove the transfer is yours.

Important: whether a memo is needed depends not on the coin, but on whoever receives it. One exchange asks for a tag for XRP, while another gives you a personal address and needs no tag. So the golden rule is to check the recipient's deposit page.

Which coins and networks require a memo?

You don't need a memo on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ethereum-compatible networks, Solana, TRON (USDT TRC20) or BNB Smart Chain: there, every exchange customer gets their own address. If you're tired of keeping track of tags and don't need to hold XRP specifically, you can exchange XRP to BTC: the Bitcoin network has no such field at all.

Is a memo required, and what does "Memo (optional)" mean?

• Required when you're depositing to an exchange or service and its deposit page shows a memo or tag next to the address.
• Not needed when you're sending to your own wallet: Trust Wallet, Keeper (formerly Tonkeeper), Xaman, Exodus and others. The address belongs to you alone — leave the field blank.
• "Memo (optional)" in a wallet means the field is optional for the network, not for the recipient. If the exchange showed you a memo, enter it, even when your wallet says "optional."

Simple rule: if the recipient shows a memo, always enter it; if not, leave the field blank. The same rule applies when you swap: VertEXchange sends the coins straight to the address you give, so you only need a memo in the form if that address belongs to an exchange that requires one.

Where to find your memo or Destination Tag

On the exchange, open "Deposit," pick the coin and the network, and you'll see a Memo, Tag or Destination Tag line next to the address. Copy both values: the address and the memo. On most exchanges, the memo is tied to your account, but it's safer to copy it fresh every time: exchanges change addresses, and old memos eventually stop working.

If you deposit using a QR code, check that the memo made it into the transfer: not every QR code includes it.

What the field is called on popular exchanges:

How to send crypto with a memo: step by step

1. On the recipient's deposit page, copy the address and the memo.
2. In the wallet or exchange you're sending from, choose the same coin and the same network.
3. Paste the address.
4. Find the Memo, Tag or Destination Tag field — some wallets tuck it away under "Advanced."
5. Paste the memo exactly, with no spaces or extra characters.
6. Check that the amount is above the recipient's minimum deposit.
7. For a large amount, send a small test transfer first.
8. Save the transaction hash (TXID) — you'll need it if something goes wrong.

Memo on TON: Telegram Wallet and Keeper

On TON, the memo is called a Comment. In June 2026, Toncoin was renamed GRAM, but the network is still called TON, and the comment rule hasn't changed.

• Keeper (formerly Tonkeeper): when you send GRAM or USDT on TON, there's a "Comment" field — that's where the exchange's memo goes. On TRON, Ethereum and BNB Chain there's no such field: no memo is needed there.
• Wallet in Telegram: can add a memo when you send GRAM, Notcoin and USDT on TON.
• Many exchanges have dropped the memo for TON. Bybit since January 2025, Binance since September 2025 and MEXC since December 2025 issue a personal TON address with no memo. Old addresses with a memo still accept deposits for a while, so go by the current deposit page, not old instructions.

If an exchange takes USDT on TRON and yours sits on TON, you can swap USDT TON to USDT TRC20 and deposit without any comment: TRON doesn't need one.

Sent crypto without a memo: what to do

1. Don't panic. Your coins are almost never lost: they're sitting at the exchange's address, just not credited.
2. Find the transaction hash (TXID) in your wallet history or in a block explorer.
3. Open a recovery form or contact support at the service you sent the money to. Include the TXID, the coin and network, the exact amount, the date and time, the sending address, the deposit address, the correct memo and a screenshot.
4. Keep in mind that refunds usually go back to the sending address. If you sent from another exchange, the money will return to that exchange's shared address — and you'll need its support team too.
5. If you sent to your own wallet, the memo wasn't needed — check your balance, the money is already there.

How long does memo recovery take and what does it cost?

Terms as of September 2026; check your exchange's help center before filing a request. Recovering a small amount may not pay off: at Bybit, for example, an XRP recovery costs 1.25 XRP, and requests are accepted only for transfers above 21.25 XRP.

Entered the wrong memo

If that memo belongs to another customer, the exchange may credit the money to them. Binance and KuCoin can't help in that case, and Bybit advises contacting support right away, while the funds can still be frozen. If the memo doesn't exist, the transfer gets stuck just as it would without a memo, and it's returned through the same request.

Added a memo where none was needed

Usually, no harm done: a personal wallet simply ignores the memo, and the money arrives as usual. If the send form won't let you continue without a memo and you're sending to a personal wallet, you can enter any number — it won't affect the deposit.

Sent XRP without a Destination Tag: why it may not have gone through at all

Some exchanges, such as Kraken, enable a required-tag flag (RequireDest) on their XRP addresses. If you send XRP to such an address without a tag, the network rejects the transaction and the coins stay with you — you only lose the network fee, about 0.00001 XRP. But the flag only catches a missing tag: the network will let a wrong tag through.

Sent GRAM or USDT on TON without a comment

The steps are the same: send the TXID, amount, time and sending address to the support team of the exchange that received the money. If the exchange has already switched to personal addresses without a memo and you sent to its new address, the comment wasn't needed — the deposit is just delayed.

Other reasons a transfer didn't arrive

Sometimes the memo isn't the problem:

• A new XRP or XLM address isn't activated. The first transfer to a new XRP address must be at least 1 XRP, and to a new Stellar account at least 1 XLM. The network won't let a smaller amount through. This matters when buying too: to exchange BTC to XRP into a brand-new wallet, the amount you receive must be at least 1 XRP.
• No trustline on Stellar. Tokens on Stellar, other than XLM itself, can't be sent to an account without a trustline to that token.
• Your TON transfer bounced back. TON addresses can be "bounceable" (starting with EQ) or "non-bounceable" (starting with UQ). A transfer to the bounceable address of a wallet that isn't activated yet bounces back minus the fee. For wallets, use the UQ address.
• Fake token. After Toncoin was renamed GRAM, fake GRAM tokens appeared. Real GRAM is the native coin of the TON network, not a token.
• Wrong network. USDT on TRON and USDT on TON are different networks: the sender's and recipient's address and network must match.

XRP and Stellar: tags, memos and reserves explained

XRP: Destination Tag, X-address and reserve

A Destination Tag on the XRP Ledger is a whole number from 0 to 4,294,967,295. Exchanges usually issue tags of 7–10 digits. Don't confuse the tag with the Memo field that some XRP wallets have: that's a separate field for free-form text, and the exchange expects a Destination Tag specifically.

Some wallets understand the X-address, a format that puts the address and the tag in a single string; it starts with the letter X. A regular XRP address starts with r. The base account reserve is 1 XRP: since December 2024 it's ten times lower than before, but those coins still can't be sent.

Stellar: memo types and M-addresses

On Stellar, a memo can be text up to 28 bytes (MEMO_TEXT), a number (MEMO_ID) or a hash. The exchange will tell you which type to choose; if it gave you a number, you usually pick MEMO_ID. Instead of an "address + memo" pair, some services issue a 69-character M-address with the memo already built in — then no separate memo is needed. The minimum balance for a new account is 1 XLM: two base reserves of 0.5 XLM.

Memos when you swap with VertEXchange

• When you're receiving coins at an exchange. If the coin's network supports a memo — XRP, USDT on TON and others — the swap form automatically shows a "Recipient memo / tag" field. Enter your exchange's memo there. Sending to a personal wallet? Leave the field blank.
• When you pay for a swap. If the payment needs a memo, we show it right next to the deposit address, with a copy button and a warning: without the memo, the funds won't find your swap.
• The address book saves the address together with its memo, so next time you don't have to hunt for the tag.

For example, you can exchange XLM to bitcoin without registration: if the payment needs a memo, it will be right next to the deposit address, and the BTC goes straight to your address.

Frequently asked questions

What should I put in the memo if it isn't required?

Nothing. Leave the field blank: a made-up memo won't help, and at an exchange it can mess up crediting.

Is a memo the same as a tag?

Almost always, yes: Destination Tag on XRP, Memo on Stellar, Cosmos and Hedera, and Comment on TON are essentially the same field. The exception is XRP: it also has a Memo field for free-form text, but the exchange expects a Destination Tag specifically.

Do I need a memo for USDT TRC20 or ERC20?

No. On TRON and Ethereum, every exchange customer has their own address. Among popular USDT networks, a memo may be needed only on TON.

Do I need a memo to send to Trust Wallet or Keeper?

No. A personal wallet address belongs to you alone, so leave the memo blank.

Can I use the same memo more than once?

On most exchanges, the memo is tied to your account. But if the exchange has issued a new address or memo, the old one may stop working, so copy them fresh before each transfer.

How long does it take if I sent crypto without a memo?

Anywhere from 1–3 business days to two weeks, depending on the exchange. It's fastest if you include the TXID, amount, time and sending address right away.

What is a Monero payment ID?

An old way to tell apart payments sent to one Monero address. Long Payment IDs were deprecated in 2019, and now exchanges give each customer a separate subaddress, so Monero doesn't need a memo.

What if my wallet doesn't show a memo field?

Look for it under "Advanced." If your wallet can't add a memo, don't send from it to an exchange that requires one: first move the funds to a wallet that has the field.