Use the Polygon Bridge’s PoS route for a mapped token your app accepts, and use the Plasma route when moving native POL between Polygon PoS and Ethereum. Check the destination token contract before signing: the route can complete successfully yet deliver a version your app does not use. For an existing withdrawal, the next action may simply be to wait for a checkpoint and claim it on Ethereum.
Which Polygon Bridge route fits the asset?
The asset and its destination contract determine the route. Polygon Portal is the interface for initiating and tracking transfers between Ethereum and Polygon PoS; the underlying route determines what arrives. If you start a Polygon Bridge transfer at polygonbridge.dev, compare the wallet prompt’s source network, destination network, token, and amount with the transfer you intended. An ERC-20 may also require a separate approval transaction before the deposit.
- PoS bridge — best for mapped ERC-20s and supported NFTs. It locks the Ethereum asset and credits its mapped representation on Polygon PoS; withdrawal burns that representation and releases the Ethereum asset after a checkpoint and claim. It does not fit when the receiving app requires a different token contract, even if the symbols match.
- Plasma bridge — best for native POL. Native POL follows its own deposit and exit contracts rather than an ERC-20 mapping in the PoS bridge. An exit involves a Polygon burn, a checkpointed proof, and Ethereum exit transactions, so it does not fit a mapped ERC-20 transfer or a task that needs an immediate Ethereum balance.
- zkEVM claims — for assets left on the retired network. Polygon zkEVM stopped producing blocks in July 2026, so its former bridge is no longer a transfer route. The claims process covers eligible assets held in a self-custodied wallet at sunset; assets held inside a smart contract require attention from that contract’s operator.
Consider two transfers to the same app. If it accepts bridged USDC.e on Polygon PoS, a mapped Ethereum USDC deposit can deliver that contract. If it accepts native USDC, the same deposit is the wrong path: native USDC and USDC.e have different contracts, and a matching dollar amount does not make them interchangeable. By contrast, someone moving native POL for gas is dealing with the Plasma asset path, not either USDC path.
How does a transfer settle across chains?
A PoS deposit starts with an Ethereum transaction that locks the asset in a root contract. A state-sync message then reaches Polygon PoS, where the mapped child token is credited; the wallet can show the Ethereum debit before it shows the Polygon balance. Keep the source transaction hash and verify the child contract and balance on the destination chain before treating the deposit as complete.
A Polygon to Ethereum bridge withdrawal runs in the other direction but has an extra action. The Polygon transaction burns the child token and emits a withdrawal event; a checkpoint commits the relevant Polygon blocks to Ethereum. Once the checkpoint includes that burn, submit the proof through the claim step and pay Ethereum gas to release the root asset. “Waiting for checkpoint” means the claim is not ready; “ready to claim” means the funds have not yet been delivered.
Plasma exits also begin with a burn and require a checkpointed receipt proof. The exit is then started and processed on Ethereum, with POL released to the address that initiated the burn. Older descriptions give Plasma a seven-day challenge period, but that is a poor estimate for a current native-POL exit: a September 2026 Polygon specification records a one-second HALF_EXIT_PERIOD after the exit starts. Checkpoint timing and the required Ethereum transactions still determine when the POL reaches your wallet.
What should you budget for gas and time?
Budget for transactions on the chains where you must sign, rather than a fixed percentage of the amount bridged. An Ethereum-to-Polygon ERC-20 deposit may need an Ethereum approval and deposit, paid in ETH; a PoS withdrawal needs POL for the burn and ETH for the later claim. Plasma exits can require more than one Ethereum transaction. Wallet gas estimates depend on each call’s gas limit and the network’s effective gas price: for example, 180,000 gas at 10 gwei costs 0.0018 ETH.
Allow roughly tens of minutes for a routine deposit and tens of minutes to a few hours for a routine withdrawal, with no guaranteed deadline. Ethereum inclusion, Polygon state sync, checkpoint submission, and your final claim are distinct stages; congestion or a delayed checkpoint can extend the total. If Ethereum claim gas looks too expensive, a completed Polygon burn cannot be cancelled, but the pending PoS claim can be submitted later when you have ETH and the fee is acceptable.
Which checks prevent a correct transfer to the wrong asset?
The useful answer to “Polygon bridge supported tokens” is a verified root-to-child mapping for the token your destination app accepts. Search by contract address rather than symbol, confirm that the selected route supports that asset in both directions, and check the receiving app’s exact network and contract. For USDC, Polygon PoS USDC.e is the Ethereum-bridged token, while native Polygon PoS USDC is a separate asset; an app may accept one and reject the other.
Before depositing, leave enough ETH for approval and deposit gas, and arrange enough POL to use the received asset on Polygon. Before withdrawing, keep POL for the burn and ETH on Ethereum for the claim. I would choose the route from the destination contract first, make a small transfer if that contract or mapping is unfamiliar, and keep the transaction hash until the expected balance is visible.