What an address looks like on each network
Format tells you the network, which is the single most useful thing to know about an address.
- Bitcoin: starts with
1,3, orbc1 - Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum:
0xfollowed by 40 hexadecimal characters - TRON: starts with
T, 34 characters total - Solana: 32 to 44 characters, no prefix
- Litecoin: starts with
L,M, orltc1 - TON: typically starts with
UQorEQ
Ethereum-style networks share one format entirely. An address valid on Ethereum is also valid on BNB Chain and Polygon, which is precisely why sending to the wrong one of them is such a common and expensive mistake.
Where to find your own
Open the wallet, choose the coin, and look for Receive. The wallet displays the address and a QR code for the same thing.
One habit worth building: check that the coin selected in the wallet matches the coin being sent. A wallet holding several assets will happily show you a Bitcoin address while you are expecting a USDT one.
How to check an address before sending
Three checks, in order of how much they save you.
Format against network
If you are sending TRC-20 USDT, the address must start with T. Anything else and the transfer is going somewhere it cannot arrive.
First and last characters
Addresses are too long to compare in full and too easy to substitute by malware that swaps whatever is on the clipboard. Compare the first four and last four against the source.
A test transfer
For any amount that would hurt to lose, send a small one first, confirm it arrived, then send the rest. One network fee against an unrecoverable mistake.
Why a gateway gives a new address per order
A merchant accepting payments does not publish one address for everyone. The gateway generates a fresh one for each order, and that single design choice solves several problems at once: every incoming transfer is matched to its order automatically, no manual reconciliation is needed, and two customers paying the same amount at the same moment never get confused with each other.