diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/contract/base_contract_interaction.ts b/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/contract/base_contract_interaction.ts
index a4258e3df0f4..bff9c0c3f2ea 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/contract/base_contract_interaction.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/contract/base_contract_interaction.ts
@@ -116,9 +116,11 @@ export abstract class BaseContractInteraction {
    * @param fee - User-provided fee options.
    */
   protected async getDefaultFeeOptions(fee: UserFeeOptions | undefined): Promise<FeeOptions> {
-    const maxFeesPerGas = fee?.gasSettings?.maxFeesPerGas ?? (await this.wallet.getCurrentBaseFees());
+    const maxFeesPerGas =
+      fee?.gasSettings?.maxFeesPerGas ?? (await this.wallet.getCurrentBaseFees()).mul(1 + (fee?.baseFeePadding ?? 0.5));
     const paymentMethod = fee?.paymentMethod ?? new NoFeePaymentMethod();
     const gasSettings: GasSettings = GasSettings.default({ ...fee?.gasSettings, maxFeesPerGas });
+    this.log.debug(`Using L2 gas settings`, gasSettings);
     return { gasSettings, paymentMethod };
   }
 
diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/entrypoint/payload.ts b/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/entrypoint/payload.ts
index eef9009f3e1f..c6f3593c1e58 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/entrypoint/payload.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/entrypoint/payload.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ export type UserFeeOptions = {
   paymentMethod?: FeePaymentMethod;
   /** The gas settings */
   gasSettings?: Partial<FieldsOf<GasSettings>>;
+  /** Percentage to pad the base fee by, if empty, defaults to 0.5 */
+  baseFeePadding?: number;
   /** Whether to run an initial simulation of the tx with high gas limit to figure out actual gas settings. */
   estimateGas?: boolean;
   /** Percentage to pad the estimated gas limits by, if empty, defaults to 0.1. Only relevant if estimateGas is set. */
diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/utils/cheat_codes.ts b/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/utils/cheat_codes.ts
index 284632a677ba..c51139f2e90a 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/utils/cheat_codes.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec.js/src/utils/cheat_codes.ts
@@ -188,6 +188,14 @@ export class RollupCheatCodes {
     await action(owner, this.rollup);
     await this.ethCheatCodes.stopImpersonating(owner);
   }
+
+  /** Directly calls the L1 gas fee oracle. */
+  public async updateL1GasFeeOracle() {
+    await this.asOwner(async (account, rollup) => {
+      await rollup.write.updateL1GasFeeOracle({ account, chain: this.client.chain });
+      this.logger.warn(`Updated L1 gas fee oracle`);
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/yarn-project/bot/src/bot.ts b/yarn-project/bot/src/bot.ts
index 3a9c9e48871d..e41fb6797e0e 100644
--- a/yarn-project/bot/src/bot.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/bot/src/bot.ts
@@ -139,7 +139,8 @@ export class Bot {
       estimateGas = true;
       this.log.verbose(`Estimating gas for transaction`);
     }
+    const baseFeePadding = 2; // Send 3x the current base fee
     this.log.verbose(skipPublicSimulation ? `Skipping public simulation` : `Simulating public transfers`);
-    return { fee: { estimateGas, paymentMethod, gasSettings }, skipPublicSimulation };
+    return { fee: { estimateGas, paymentMethod, gasSettings, baseFeePadding }, skipPublicSimulation };
   }
 }
diff --git a/yarn-project/circuits.js/src/structs/gas_fees.ts b/yarn-project/circuits.js/src/structs/gas_fees.ts
index 827cc41255c2..e8eec800c37d 100644
--- a/yarn-project/circuits.js/src/structs/gas_fees.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/circuits.js/src/structs/gas_fees.ts
@@ -45,10 +45,16 @@ export class GasFees {
   }
 
   mul(scalar: number | bigint) {
-    return new GasFees(
-      new Fr(this.feePerDaGas.toBigInt() * BigInt(scalar)),
-      new Fr(this.feePerL2Gas.toBigInt() * BigInt(scalar)),
-    );
+    if (scalar === 1 || scalar === 1n) {
+      return this.clone();
+    } else if (typeof scalar === 'bigint') {
+      return new GasFees(new Fr(this.feePerDaGas.toBigInt() * scalar), new Fr(this.feePerL2Gas.toBigInt() * scalar));
+    } else {
+      return new GasFees(
+        new Fr(this.feePerDaGas.toNumberUnsafe() * scalar),
+        new Fr(this.feePerL2Gas.toNumberUnsafe() * scalar),
+      );
+    }
   }
 
   static from(fields: FieldsOf<GasFees>) {
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fee_settings.test.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fee_settings.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b8ad1b1b9bc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fee_settings.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import {
+  type AccountWallet,
+  type AztecAddress,
+  type AztecNode,
+  type CheatCodes,
+  FeeJuicePaymentMethod,
+} from '@aztec/aztec.js';
+import { Fr, type GasSettings } from '@aztec/circuits.js';
+import { TestContract } from '@aztec/noir-contracts.js/Test';
+
+import { inspect } from 'util';
+
+import { FeesTest } from './fees_test.js';
+
+describe('e2e_fees fee settings', () => {
+  let aztecNode: AztecNode;
+  let cheatCodes: CheatCodes;
+  let aliceAddress: AztecAddress;
+  let aliceWallet: AccountWallet;
+  let gasSettings: Partial<GasSettings>;
+  let paymentMethod: FeeJuicePaymentMethod;
+  let testContract: TestContract;
+
+  const t = new FeesTest('fee_juice');
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    await t.applyBaseSnapshots();
+    await t.applyFundAliceWithFeeJuice();
+
+    ({ aliceAddress, aliceWallet, gasSettings, cheatCodes, aztecNode } = await t.setup());
+
+    testContract = await TestContract.deploy(aliceWallet).send().deployed();
+    gasSettings = { ...gasSettings, maxFeesPerGas: undefined };
+    paymentMethod = new FeeJuicePaymentMethod(aliceAddress);
+  }, 60_000);
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await t.teardown();
+  });
+
+  describe('setting max fee per gas', () => {
+    const bumpL2Fees = async () => {
+      const before = await aztecNode.getCurrentBaseFees();
+      t.logger.info(`Initial L2 base fees are ${inspect(before)}`, { baseFees: before });
+
+      // Bumps L1 base fee, updates the L1 fee oracle, and advances slots to update L2 base fees.
+      // Do we need all these advance and upgrade calls? Probably not, but these calls are blazing fast,
+      // so it's not big deal if we're throwing some unnecessary calls. We just want higher L2 base fees.
+      t.logger.info(`Bumping L1 base fee per gas`);
+      await cheatCodes.rollup.updateL1GasFeeOracle();
+      await cheatCodes.eth.setNextBlockBaseFeePerGas(1e11);
+      await cheatCodes.eth.mine();
+      await cheatCodes.rollup.advanceSlots(6);
+      await cheatCodes.rollup.updateL1GasFeeOracle();
+      await cheatCodes.rollup.advanceSlots(6);
+      await cheatCodes.rollup.updateL1GasFeeOracle();
+
+      const after = await aztecNode.getCurrentBaseFees();
+      t.logger.info(`L2 base fees after L1 gas spike are ${inspect(after)}`, { baseFees: after });
+      expect(after.feePerL2Gas.toBigInt()).toBeGreaterThan(before.feePerL2Gas.toBigInt());
+    };
+
+    const sendTx = async (baseFeePadding: number | undefined) => {
+      t.logger.info(`Preparing tx to be sent with base fee padding ${baseFeePadding}`);
+      const tx = await testContract.methods
+        .emit_nullifier_public(Fr.random())
+        .prove({ fee: { gasSettings, paymentMethod, baseFeePadding } });
+      const { maxFeesPerGas } = tx.data.constants.txContext.gasSettings;
+      t.logger.info(`Tx with hash ${tx.getTxHash()} ready with max fees ${inspect(maxFeesPerGas)}`);
+      return tx;
+    };
+
+    it('handles base fee spikes with default padding', async () => {
+      // Prepare two txs using the current L2 base fees: one with no padding and one with default padding
+      const txWithNoPadding = await sendTx(0);
+      const txWithDefaultPadding = await sendTx(undefined);
+
+      // Now bump the L2 fees before we actually send them
+      await bumpL2Fees();
+
+      // And check that the no-padding does not get mined, but the default padding is good enough
+      t.logger.info(`Sendings txs`);
+      const sentWithNoPadding = txWithNoPadding.send();
+      const sentWithDefaultPadding = txWithDefaultPadding.send();
+      t.logger.info(`Awaiting txs`);
+      await expect(sentWithNoPadding.wait({ timeout: 30 })).rejects.toThrow(/dropped./i);
+      await sentWithDefaultPadding.wait({ timeout: 30 });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fees_test.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fees_test.ts
index 518f545c8de3..7a5c2de8cbfe 100644
--- a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fees_test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_fees/fees_test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   type AccountWallet,
   type AztecAddress,
   type AztecNode,
+  CheatCodes,
   type Logger,
   type PXE,
   SignerlessWallet,
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ export class FeesTest {
   public logger: Logger;
   public pxe!: PXE;
   public aztecNode!: AztecNode;
+  public cheatCodes!: CheatCodes;
 
   public aliceWallet!: AccountWallet;
   public aliceAddress!: AztecAddress;
@@ -133,6 +135,7 @@ export class FeesTest {
         this.pxe = pxe;
         this.aztecNode = aztecNode;
         this.gasSettings = GasSettings.default({ maxFeesPerGas: (await this.aztecNode.getCurrentBaseFees()).mul(2) });
+        this.cheatCodes = await CheatCodes.create(aztecNodeConfig.l1RpcUrl, pxe);
         const accountManagers = accountKeys.map(ak => getSchnorrAccount(pxe, ak[0], ak[1], 1));
         await Promise.all(accountManagers.map(a => a.register()));
         this.wallets = await Promise.all(accountManagers.map(a => a.getWallet()));
diff --git a/yarn-project/ethereum/src/eth_cheat_codes.ts b/yarn-project/ethereum/src/eth_cheat_codes.ts
index ebb4d95434c6..e5863918854d 100644
--- a/yarn-project/ethereum/src/eth_cheat_codes.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/ethereum/src/eth_cheat_codes.ts
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ export class EthCheatCodes {
    * Set the next block base fee per gas
    * @param baseFee - The base fee to set
    */
-  public async setNextBlockBaseFeePerGas(baseFee: bigint): Promise<void> {
+  public async setNextBlockBaseFeePerGas(baseFee: bigint | number): Promise<void> {
     const res = await this.rpcCall('anvil_setNextBlockBaseFeePerGas', [baseFee.toString()]);
     if (res.error) {
       throw new Error(`Error setting next block base fee per gas: ${res.error.message}`);
diff --git a/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts b/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts
index a53f7f50b39c..f66c4eabe3d1 100644
--- a/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ export class L1TxUtils {
 
     let priorityFee: bigint;
     if (gasConfig.fixedPriorityFeePerGas) {
-      this.logger?.debug('Using fixed priority fee per gas', {
+      this.logger?.debug('Using fixed priority fee per L1 gas', {
         fixedPriorityFeePerGas: gasConfig.fixedPriorityFeePerGas,
       });
       // try to maintain precision up to 1000000 wei
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ export class L1TxUtils {
       maxFeePerBlobGas = maxFeePerBlobGas > minBlobFee ? maxFeePerBlobGas : minBlobFee;
     }
 
-    this.logger?.debug(`Computed gas price`, {
+    this.logger?.debug(`Computed L1 gas price`, {
       attempt,
       baseFee: formatGwei(baseFee),
       maxFeePerGas: formatGwei(maxFeePerGas),
diff --git a/yarn-project/foundation/src/fields/fields.ts b/yarn-project/foundation/src/fields/fields.ts
index 0c849076bea9..1b2072769fb4 100644
--- a/yarn-project/foundation/src/fields/fields.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/foundation/src/fields/fields.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,10 @@ abstract class BaseField {
     return Boolean(this.toBigInt());
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Converts this field to a number.
+   * Throws if the underlying value is greater than MAX_SAFE_INTEGER.
+   */
   toNumber(): number {
     const value = this.toBigInt();
     if (value > Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER) {
@@ -107,6 +111,15 @@ abstract class BaseField {
     return Number(value);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Converts this field to a number.
+   * May cause loss of precision if the underlying value is greater than MAX_SAFE_INTEGER.
+   */
+  toNumberUnsafe(): number {
+    const value = this.toBigInt();
+    return Number(value);
+  }
+
   toShortString(): string {
     const str = this.toString();
     return `${str.slice(0, 10)}...${str.slice(-4)}`;
diff --git a/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/tx_validator/gas_validator.ts b/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/tx_validator/gas_validator.ts
index 4f5bc03692b0..90334cbb83d7 100644
--- a/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/tx_validator/gas_validator.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/tx_validator/gas_validator.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,12 @@ export class GasTxValidator implements TxValidator<Tx> {
     return this.#validateTxFee(tx);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Check whether the tx's max fees are valid for the current block, and skip if not.
+   * We skip instead of invalidating since the tx may become elligible later.
+   * Note that circuits check max fees even if fee payer is unset, so we
+   * keep this validation even if the tx does not pay fees.
+   */
   #shouldSkip(tx: Tx): boolean {
     const gasSettings = tx.data.constants.txContext.gasSettings;