What Is an XRPL Trustline?
Trustlines are how the XRP Ledger lets you choose which tokens to hold. Think of it as opening a tab with a token issuer.
What Is a Trustline?
A trustline is a connection between your XRPL account and a token issuer. It tells the ledger: "I agree to hold this token." Without a trustline, your wallet cannot receive any non-XRP token - this is by design.
On traditional exchanges, you can hold any token automatically. On the XRPL, you explicitly opt in to each token. This gives you full control over what enters your wallet and prevents spam tokens from being sent to you without consent.
Why Does the XRPL Need Trustlines?
Trustlines serve two purposes: spam prevention (nobody can airdrop unwanted tokens to you) and ledger efficiency (each trustline requires a 0.2 XRP reserve, discouraging unnecessary objects on the ledger).
How to Set a Trustline
That's it. The 0.2 XRP reserve is locked (not spent) and the trustline stays active until you remove it.
Trustline Reserves
Each trustline increases your account's owner reserve by 0.2 XRP. This XRP is not spent - it is locked in your account and becomes available again when you remove the trustline.
For example, if you have trustlines for 10 tokens, 2 XRP of your balance is reserved (10 × 0.2 XRP) on top of the 1 XRP base reserve. Your spendable balance is your total XRP minus all reserves.
Removing a Trustline
To remove a trustline and free your 0.2 XRP reserve:
- Sell or send your entire balance of that token (must be exactly zero)
- Submit a TrustSet transaction with a limit of zero
- The 0.2 XRP reserve is immediately unlocked
On XRPL.to, you can manage trustlines from your wallet dashboard.
Common Questions
Do trustlines cost money?
Setting a trustline locks 0.2 XRP in reserve - it is not spent. You get it back when you remove the trustline (balance must be zero). The transaction fee is ~0.000012 XRP.
Can I trust any issuer?
Technically yes, but only set trustlines for tokens you intend to trade. A trustline does not give the issuer access to your XRP or other tokens.
What happens if I remove a trustline with a balance?
You cannot remove a trustline while you hold a balance of that token. You must sell or send the entire balance first, then remove the trustline to free your 0.2 XRP reserve.
Ready to Trade?
Now that you understand trustlines, you're ready to start trading on the XRPL DEX.