How to Speed Up Bitcoin Transactions: A Beginner's Guide
You’ve just sent a bitcoin transaction, and now you’re waiting. Ten minutes pass. Then, an hour. Then, a full day. Still, the status of your transaction says “unconfirmed.” Your money is stuck somewhere in the network while your recipient expected to get their bitcoin hours ago.
Why does this sometimes happen in Bitcoin, and how can it be fixed? That’s what you are going to learn in this guide.
In this article:
Why Do Bitcoin Transactions (Sometimes) Get Stuck?
Bitcoin transactions can get “stuck” because fees are too low for the transaction to be confirmed and included in the nearest Bitcoin block.
To check your transaction status, you can paste the transaction’s ID into a Bitcoin explorer, such as mempool.space. (However, keep in mind that using public explorers might hurt your Bitcoin privacy; therefore, the safest explorer is the one offered by your own Bitcoin node.)
The key here is that transaction fees are constantly changing, depending on the Bitcoin blockspace demand: the more transactions that need to be included in the nearest blocks, the higher the fee.
Therefore, if you previously managed to pay a super small fee to get your transaction confirmed within ten minutes, once the demand for Bitcoin blockspace increases, the same fee might mean that you’ll need to wait hours until your transaction is confirmed.
Why?
Before a bitcoin transaction is confirmed, it doesn’t go straight to the blockchain; it lands in the so-called mempool. Think of it as a virtual waiting room where all new validated transactions are waiting to be picked up by miners.
Meanwhile, miners confirm transactions based on the fees assigned, not the time the BTC was sent. Therefore, the more fees you’re willing to pay, the faster your transaction moves to the front of the line.
Remember that fees are calculated in satoshis per virtual byte (sat/vB), so you’re paying for the space your transaction takes up.
How to Speed Up a Bitcoin Transaction in 4 Ways
Bitcoin wallets usually offer fee options based on how busy the network is. However, if your bitcoin transaction takes much longer to confirm than you need to, there are a few ways to push it through faster.
Replace-by-Fee (RBF)
If a transaction gets stuck, Replace-by-Fee (RBF) is one of the most effective ways to speed it up. The method works by rebroadcasting the same transaction but with a higher fee.
Many bitcoin wallets support RBF by default.
To use this feature, open your wallet, find the unconfirmed transaction, and select “speed up,” “bump fee,” or similar. Then, adjust the fee and confirm it, which will create a new transaction with the same inputs but a higher fee. If the fee is competitive, miners will pick up your transaction with a higher fee faster and drop the initial transaction with a lower fee.
Child Pays For Parent (CPFP)
RBF should be your first option to try to accelerate your BTC transaction. However, in some cases, for example, when RBF is not available, opt for another way, which is called Child Pays For Parent (CPFP).
CPFP is more practical when you’ve received an unconfirmed transaction and want to confirm it faster. In some cases, even the sender can use CPFP, for example, when the transaction doesn't include the sender’s entire BTC balance.
Here’s the idea: you create a new transaction, the “child,” that spends the output from the original unconfirmed one, the “parent.” Attaching a higher fee to the child makes it more profitable for miners to confirm it. At the same time, they must confirm the parent transaction as well.
A downside of this method is that CPFP might be more expensive than Replace-by-Fee, as during this process, more transactions are created. Also, not every wallet supports CPFP.
Transaction Accelerators
If RBF and CPFP aren’t an option, another workaround is transaction accelerators. These third-party services submit your stuck transaction directly to miners, offering a chance for a faster confirmation.
It doesn’t matter who sent the transaction or whether your wallet supports advanced features. You just need the transaction ID. Paste it into the form on the accelerator’s website, boost your transaction fee, and pay the accelerator service fee (which is sometimes free), and the service will forward your request straight to miners for prioritization.
Besides, when RBF and CPFP are not available, an accelerator can also be more efficient for multisignature transactions, Lightning Network channel management, when there are timelock restrictions, or when you need the same transaction ID (in RBF and CPFP, your bitcoin transaction ID changes).
Rebroadcast Transactions
Sometimes, a BTC transaction might be dropped by Bitcoin nodes because of, for example, fees that are too low or the mempools of those nodes are already full.
In these cases, simply rebroadcasting the transaction might help. While some wallets will do this automatically, more technically savvy Bitcoiners can do it manually.
However, if you’re rebroadcasting your transaction during network congestion, increasing the fee might also increase your chances of confirming the transaction faster.
How to Prevent Bitcoin Transaction Delays
If you want to avoid stuck transactions, getting things right from the beginning is best. These three simple rules will help you send bitcoin smoothly.
Avoid Peak Hours
When the Bitcoin network is overloaded, fees go up. Congestion often follows price surges, media hype, or the launch of new Bitcoin-powered projects. Also, the BTC network is usually busier during U.S. working hours, while you can also save on fees on weekends.
Set an Appropriate Fee
Before hitting “send BTC,” set an appropriate fee depending on how fast you need your transaction to be confirmed. If you’re not in a rush, a low fee can work for you just fine.
While wallets usually provide fee suggestions, you can also visit a Bitcoin explorer and check how many transactions are in line and what fee is needed for the next block, so you can plan your fees accordingly.
Just remember that the fee isn’t tied to the amount of BTC you're sending but to the size of the transaction in virtual bytes. The more complex the transaction, for example, if it uses multiple inputs, the larger its size and the higher the fee. This is why learning UTXO management can help save on fees.
Use Wallets with Acceleration Features
To have more control over your BTC transactions and to have the right tools when you need to accelerate bitcoin transfer, choose wallets that already have the necessary features:
- RBF (replacing a transaction with a higher fee);
- CPFP (speeding up incoming transactions);
- Manual fee and UTXO selection.
Get Expert Guidance on Bitcoin Transactions with The Bitcoin Way
Sometimes, it’s better not to go it alone. If you're moving a large BTC amount, unsure about the steps, dealing with more complex transactions, such as multisignature, or don’t want to risk it, getting expert help is smart.
The Bitcoin Way team is your trusted concierge. We'll teach you how to self-custody your bitcoin, improve your privacy and cybersecurity, and more.
FAQs
Can you speed up an unconfirmed bitcoin transaction?
Yes, if a transaction is still unconfirmed, it can be sped up. This can be done using one of four methods: Replace-by-Fee (RBF), Child Pays For Parent (CPFP), transaction accelerators, or rebroadcasting the transaction. Each of these methods has its own pros and cons. Feel free to consult The Bitcoin Way to find out which method is best for you.
How can I speed up my bitcoin transaction?
You can speed up your bitcoin transaction by increasing the fee. Besides your wallet, you can find current fees by visiting Bitcoin explorers, such as mempool.space, which will allow you to choose the right fee depending on how fast you need your transaction to be confirmed. When you decide on the fee, you can choose from a few methods to accelerate your transaction. If Replace-by-Fee (RBF) is supported by your wallet, use the "increase fee" option. If you're the recipient, try Child Pays For Parent (CPFP). In other cases, transaction accelerators can also help.