What to send the person paying you: coin, network and address in one message

Send the person paying you one written message with four lines: the coin (for example USDT), the network written the way both platforms might show it (for example “TRON (TRC20)”), the deposit address copied from your deposit page, or your account ID if you both use the same exchange, and the memo, but only if your deposit page shows a memo field. Those four lines are everything a payer needs to reach you. Anything more, like your password, a login code or a screenshot of your balance, is something they should never ask for.

Everything else in the message is there to prevent the three mistakes that lose money: the wrong network, a wrong character in the address, and a missing memo. Once the address is in the message, the only way it should ever get there is copy and paste. I never type an address by hand, and I’d ask you not to either, even a short one, even once.

The message template, line by line

Here is a message you can copy and fill in. The four core lines sit at the top; the lines below them handle the amount, the fee and the first-time test.

Hi [name], here are my payment details:

Coin: USDT
Network: TRON (TRC20). Please send on this network only.
Address: [paste from your deposit page]
Memo: [only if your deposit page shows a memo field; otherwise delete this line]

Amount: [amount] USDT for [invoice or reason]. Please cover the fees so the full amount arrives.

First time only: please send a small test first. I'll confirm when it shows in my account, then you can send the rest to the same address.

If your platform doesn't offer TRON (TRC20) for USDT, please tell me which networks it does offer before sending anything.

Why each line is there:

• Coin. “USDT” and “USDC” are both dollar tokens and look alike in a hurry. Naming the coin stops the payer from choosing the wrong one from a list.
• Network. USDT exists on several blockchains, and an address you copy is for one coin on one network. If the payer picks a different network in their withdrawal screen, the payment may not arrive and may not be recoverable. This is the line that matters most, which is why the message says “this network only”.
• Address. This is where the tokens go. It is long, it is case-sensitive on some networks, and one wrong character sends the money somewhere else. It must be pasted from your deposit page.
• Memo. Some coins and networks use an extra identifier so the exchange knows which account a deposit belongs to. If your page asks for one and the payer leaves it out, the deposit can’t be matched to you automatically.
• Amount and fee. Many platforms take their withdrawal fee out of the amount the sender types, so without a fee line you can receive slightly less than you agreed. The details are in who pays the fee when someone sends you crypto.
• Test first. A small first transfer costs one extra fee and turns “the whole payment went to the wrong place” into “the test went to the wrong place”.
• The last line. It gives the payer a way to stop and ask instead of guessing a network.

If this is your first crypto payment and you haven’t yet decided where it should land or how you’ll cash it out, start with what to set up before you say yes to USDT, then come back to this message.

Network names differ between platforms

The same network can carry two or three names depending on where you look. Your deposit page might say “TRON” while the payer’s withdrawal screen says “TRC20”. Common pairs:

Write both names in your message: “TRON (TRC20)”, “BNB Smart Chain (BEP20)”, “Ethereum (ERC20)”. It costs nothing and removes a moment of doubt on the payer’s side. Note that BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum addresses both start with “0x” and look alike. An address that “looks right” is not proof that the network is right, so the network line matters even when the address format seems obvious.

The memo line: only when your page shows one

A memo (some platforms say tag) is a short identifier that some exchanges use to match a deposit to your account, because many customers share one deposit address for certain coins. USDT on TRON, BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum normally doesn’t need one. The rule is simple: if your deposit page shows a memo or tag field for the coin and network you chose, copy it into the message on its own line, and tell the payer it is required. If there is no memo field, delete the memo line entirely rather than writing “none”, which some payers will try to type into a box.

Where to find the address and network on your deposit page

Your address comes from your exchange’s or wallet’s deposit page, and you get it by choosing the coin first, then the network. The page then shows an address and usually a QR code for that exact pair, with a copy button next to the address.

On most exchanges the path looks like this:

1. Open the app or website and find Deposit (sometimes under Wallet or Assets).
2. Choose to deposit crypto, not cash.
3. Choose the coin: USDT.
4. Choose the network. This is the moment that decides which address you get.
5. Tap the copy button next to the address. If a memo field appears, copy that too.
6. Some platforms also ask which of your internal wallets the deposit should go to. Either is fine for receiving; it only changes where the balance appears.

On Binance, for example, the web path is Deposit, then Deposit Crypto, then coin, then network, and its deposit page says it directly: the network you select must be the same as the network the sender uses on the platform they withdraw from. Other exchanges word it differently, but the logic is identical everywhere.

While you are on that page, look for two more things. First, any minimum deposit shown for that coin and network; a first test payment should be above it. Second, any notice that deposits on the network are paused. Exchanges publish a status page for this, and it can show a network suspended for deposits at a given moment. If the network you picked is paused, choose another one you and the payer both have, or wait before sending your details.

Same exchange? Send an ID instead of an address

If you and the payer both have verified accounts on the same exchange, you can often skip the blockchain entirely and give them your account ID, email or phone number for an internal transfer instead of a deposit address. The money moves inside the exchange’s own records, so there is no network to choose and no on-chain network fee.

The four lines then become two or three:

Hi [name], we're both on [exchange name], so you can send it as an internal transfer:

Coin: USDT
My account ID: [copy from your profile or receive page]
Amount: [amount] USDT for [invoice or reason]

Please use the internal transfer option (sending to another user of the same exchange), not a withdrawal to an address.

Two things change with internal transfers. They are usually credited straight away, which is convenient, and they generally can’t be pulled back if the sender enters the wrong ID. So the same care applies: copy the ID, don’t type it, and have the payer check the recipient details on their confirmation screen before they confirm. Whether an ID or an address is better for your situation, and the limits that come with each, are covered in account ID or deposit address: which to give.

If you are not sure the payer is on the same exchange, send the address version. An ID only works within one platform, and a payer who tries to paste an account ID into a withdrawal address box will just get an error, or worse, give up and ask you to “just take a screenshot of your account”.

Checks before you press send

Before the message leaves your phone, check that the address was pasted, that its first and last characters match your deposit page, and that it is going through a channel you trust. It takes under a minute.

1. Copy and paste, never type. Use the copy button on the deposit page. Typing an address by hand invites a single wrong character, and there is no spell-check for addresses.
2. Compare the first and last characters. After pasting, look at the first four and last four characters in your message and compare them with the deposit page. Malware that silently replaces a copied address with a different one exists, and this check is how you catch it. If they don’t match, don’t send; copy again from the page and check your device.
3. Check the network line against the page. The network in your message must be the one you selected when you copied the address. Copying a TRON address and writing “BEP20” out of habit is an easy slip.
4. Send it through a channel you trust. Use the chat or email thread you already use with this person, not a new number or a new email address that appeared this week. If someone else (an “assistant”, a “payment department”) gets in touch to collect your details, reply only in the original thread.
5. Keep a copy. Save the message, or at least the address and network, in your own notes. If there is ever a dispute about what you sent, you’ll want to show it.

One more check happens after you send. If the payer replies with your address “to confirm” and it differs from yours, even by one character, stop. Don’t accept their version and don’t assume it’s a typo. Copy the address again from your deposit page and resend it. A changed address in someone else’s message is either a slip on their side or an attempt to redirect the payment, and in both cases the fix is the same: your deposit page is the only source.

Once the payer says they have sent it, check your own account’s deposit history rather than relying on a screenshot or a link they send; the guide on checking whether a crypto payment has really arrived goes through what each status means.

When the payer can only send on a network you don’t have

If the payer’s platform offers only networks your deposit page doesn’t list for USDT, don’t let them send on a “close enough” network. A deposit on a network your address doesn’t support may never be credited. Instead, work through the options in this order:

1. Ask for the full list. Payers often mention the first network they see. Ask them to open their withdrawal screen, choose USDT, and tell you every network it lists. There is often an overlap they didn’t notice.
2. Check your deposit page again. Choose USDT and scroll the whole network list. The network may be there under its other name, “TRC20” rather than “TRON”, or “BEP20” rather than “BNB Smart Chain”.
3. Try an internal transfer. If you both turn out to have accounts on the same exchange, an ID transfer avoids the network question entirely.
4. Change the coin, carefully. If the payer can send another dollar token on a network you do support, you can agree to that, but treat it as a new payment: select that coin and network on your deposit page, copy the new address, send a fresh message, and ask for a new test. Don’t reuse the USDT address and hope.
5. Wait, or use another platform you already have. If there really is no overlap, the honest answer is “not yet”. A payment that waits a few days is better than one sent where it can’t be credited.

Whatever you agree, confirm it in writing with a new version of the message, so the payer has one clear set of details and doesn’t mix lines from two messages. The last step doesn’t change: they send a small test, you see it credited, and only then does the rest follow.