Replace-by-Fee (RBF): how to bump the fee of a stuck Bitcoin transaction
The cheapest way to speed up a transaction you sent yourself.
What is RBF?
Replace-by-Fee is a Bitcoin relay policy that lets an unconfirmed transaction be replaced by a new version that spends at least one of the same inputs and pays a higher fee. Nodes and miners keep the better-paying version and discard the old one. Because both versions spend the same coins, only one can ever confirm.
RBF was introduced in BIP 125, which required the original transaction to “signal” replaceability. Since Bitcoin Core 28.0 (October 2024), nodes accept replacements by default even without that signal — known as full RBF. In practice the limiting factor is now your wallet: it has to let you create the replacement.
Rules a replacement must follow
- It must pay a higher total fee than the original (and than any of its descendants it evicts).
- The extra fee must at least cover its own size at the minimum relay rate (≈1 sat/vB).
- It must have a higher fee rate than the transactions it replaces.
Your wallet handles these rules for you — you just pick a new fee rate. Check the current next-block rate first so you only bump once.
How to use RBF in popular wallets
| Wallet | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin Core | Transactions tab → right-click → “Increase transaction fee” (or bumpfee in the console) |
| Electrum | History → right-click the transaction → “Increase fee” |
| Sparrow | Transactions → right-click → “Increase Fee (RBF)” |
| BlueWallet | Open the transaction → “Bump fee” |
| Trezor Suite | Transaction details → “Bump fee” |
| Other wallets | Look for “Speed up”, “Bump fee”, “Increase fee” or “Replace” |
Wallet menus change between versions; if you can't find the option, your wallet probably doesn't support RBF for that transaction.
Using RBF to cancel a transaction
Some wallets offer “Cancel transaction”. Technically this is an RBF replacement that sends the same coins back to your own address with a higher fee. If it confirms first, the original payment is void. It only works while the original is unconfirmed, and you still pay the network fee.
When RBF isn't possible
- You're the receiver — only the sender can create a replacement. Use CPFP instead.
- The payment came from an exchange — ask their support, or use an accelerator.
- Your wallet has no fee-bump function, or it's a hardware/multisig setup that's hard to re-sign.
In those cases premium acceleration works without changing the transaction at all.
Merchants: because replacements are now relayed by default, treat any unconfirmed incoming payment as reversible until it has at least one confirmation.