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What Is a Trust Line?

What Is a Trust Line?​

On Stellar and the XRP Ledger, your account can't hold a token until you opt in to it. That opt-in is called a trust line: a record on the network that says your account accepts a specific token from a specific issuer, such as Circle's USDC on Stellar or Ripple's RLUSD on the XRP Ledger.

The network coins, XLM and XRP, don't need a trust line. Only tokens do.

Why Trust Lines Exist​

  • No unwanted tokens. Nobody can send you a token you haven't accepted, which cuts down on spam.
  • The issuer matters. Two tokens can share a name, such as USDC, but only the one from the issuer you trust can arrive. Always check the issuer.

If someone sends you a token you don't have a trust line for, the transfer fails and the token stays with the sender.

How Much a Trust Line Costs​

A trust line isn't a fee you lose. It locks a small reserve in your account for as long as the trust line exists:

NetworkReserve per trust lineAccount's own minimum
XRP Ledger0.2 XRP1 XRP
Stellar0.5 XLM1 XLM

The reserve stays in your balance but can't be spent. Adding the trust line also costs a tiny network fee. See What is the XRP Reserve Fee? and What are Minimum Balance Requirements for Blockchains?

When Gem Wallet Adds a Trust Line​

  • Activating a token on the XRP Ledger. When you enable a token such as RLUSD, Gem Wallet asks you to Activate Asset, which adds its trust line. See How to Add and Activate an XRP Asset on Gem Wallet.
  • Swapping into a token you don't hold yet. A swap on the Stellar DEX or the XRP Ledger DEX adds the trust line in the same transaction, so it happens in one step. See What are Swap Providers?

Until a token is activated, its screen doesn't offer Buy, Swap, or Receive actions, because the account can't receive it yet.

note

Some cross-chain routes, such as Bridgers swaps to RLUSD, need the trust line to exist before you swap. Without it, no quote appears. Activate the token first.

Before You Receive a Token​

  1. Check which network the sender uses: Stellar or the XRP Ledger.
  2. Make sure the token is activated in Gem Wallet, with a trust line for the right issuer.
  3. Keep enough XLM or XRP for the reserve and network fees.