How to Send Native Crypto Without a Token Approval

Send a blockchain’s native coin by signing a transaction that transfers it directly from your wallet; no token approval is needed. The transaction authorizes the transfer itself, rather than granting a contract permission to spend a balance later.

Why doesn’t a native coin need approval?

On Ethereum, a native ETH transfer names a recipient and an amount, and the wallet signs the transaction and pays its network fee in ETH. The chain updates the sender’s and recipient’s balances when it processes that transaction. For a cross-chain swap, a thor swap sends the source-chain asset to a protocol address, which is a different operation from approving a token contract.

An ERC-20 token is recorded by a smart contract, not as the chain’s native balance. If an app needs to pull tokens from your wallet with transferFrom, the token contract first checks whether you have approved that spender and amount. A direct token transfer to another address can use the token contract’s transfer function without granting that separate allowance.

How do I send a native coin?

Choose the asset on its own network, enter the recipient address, set the amount, and review the transaction in your wallet before signing. Keep enough of the same network’s native coin to cover the fee: sending ETH requires ETH for gas, while a token approval is a separate transaction that also costs gas.

Before signing, check:

• The selected network matches the recipient’s address and instructions.
• The asset is native to that network, rather than a token with a similar name.
• The recipient address and amount are correct.
• The wallet shows a transfer of value, not an unexpected contract permission.

When will a token approval still appear?

An app may ask for approval when you swap or deposit an ERC-20 token, because its contract needs permission to move that token. That allowance can be limited to the amount needed; a larger or unlimited allowance gives the spender more room to move tokens, so check the spender and amount shown by the wallet.

Native-coin transfers avoid this allowance step, but they still require a valid address, the right network, and a fee balance. If the transaction is for a swap, review the quoted output and destination before signing; the next step is the on-chain transaction, which may take time to confirm.