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Internal vs. blockchain addresses

Some apps give you an address that only works inside that app. A swap pays out on a public blockchain, so sending it to one of those addresses can lose the funds for good. Here’s how to tell them apart and find the right one.

By Hamish Webb · Last reviewed 1 October 2026

What happened to us

While testing a NEAR swap on WalletExchange on 1 October 2026, one of our team pasted the “address” from their near.com app into the destination box. It looked like 0xa40f…97bd, and our address check said the format was valid.

It wasn’t safe. near.com labels that address “Internal use only” and warns that anything sent to it on a blockchain will be lost. We stopped before sending anything, and the same day we changed WalletExchange to refuse 0x… addresses for NEAR, with an explanation of why.

The address format was fine. The problem was the kind of address, and a format check can’t always tell the difference. That’s what this article is about.

Two kinds of address

  • Blockchain (on-chain) address An address on a public network such as Bitcoin, Ethereum or NEAR. Anyone can send to it from any wallet or service, and the transfer is recorded on that blockchain. This is the only kind a swap can pay out to.
  • Internal address or ID A username, email, phone number, pay ID or account number that exists only inside one company’s system. Transfers between two users of the same app never touch a blockchain; the company just updates its own records. Nothing outside that app can send to it.

Internal IDs are convenient for sending to friends on the same app. But a swap service like ChangeNOW or NEAR Intents sends your coins on the public blockchain, so it needs a blockchain address.

Why they can look the same

An internal ID can be formatted exactly like a real blockchain address. The near.com one above is the clearest example: 0x followed by 40 characters, the same shape as an Ethereum address.

NEAR makes this extra confusing. NEAR accounts normally look like a name ending in .near (for example alice.near) or a 64-character string of letters and numbers. NEAR’s rules also allow a rarer account type written as 0x plus 40 characters, so a pure format check accepts it. Almost no one receives NEAR at an address like that, which is why WalletExchange now refuses 0x… for NEAR entirely.

How to find the right address

  • 1. Use the Receive or Deposit screen for the right network In your wallet, choose the coin, then the network (for example “USDT on Ethereum” or “NEAR on NEAR”), and copy the address shown there. Avoid anything labelled internal, pay ID, username or “send to another user”.
  • 2. Prefer a wallet where you hold the keys For NEAR, that means a NEAR wallet such as Meteor, MyNearWallet, HOT or a Ledger, which gives you a name.near or 64-character account. See What does non-custodial mean?
  • 3. If you use an exchange address, check its rules Exchange deposit addresses are real blockchain addresses, but some coins need an extra memo or tag (XRP does), and an exchange may not credit a token or network it doesn’t support. Never use an exchange address as a refund address: you can’t prove it’s yours if something goes wrong.
  • 4. Match the network, not just the coin USDT on Ethereum and USDT on Tron are different networks with different address formats. The receiving address must be on the network you picked on WalletExchange.
  • 5. Check the first and last few characters After pasting, compare the start and end with your wallet. Clipboard malware can swap an address for a lookalike.
  • 6. Try a small amount first With a new wallet or a new route, send a small swap and wait for it to arrive before sending more.

What WalletExchange checks, and what it can’t

  • What we check Every destination and refund address is checked against the format for its network before a swap can start. We also block known traps: shielded Zcash and PIVX addresses that providers can’t pay (see Transparent vs. shielded addresses), a missing XRP destination tag, and now 0x… addresses for NEAR.
  • What we can’t check A format check can’t tell who controls an address, whether an app treats it as internal, or whether an exchange will credit it. Only your wallet can confirm that, so always copy the address from the Receive screen for the network you chose.

Sources

  • near.com in-app warning on its internal address Seen by our team in the near.com app, 1 October 2026.
  • NEAR documentation: account IDs docs.near.org
  • NEAR Protocol specification: accounts, including implicit accounts nomicon.io
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