Is there a cost when switching between PPLNS pools?

[DrGoose]

While I understand well there is no *advantage* to pool hopping between PPLNS pools, I am not clear about the *disadvantage* when switching.

My goal is to understand the cost (if any) when a rig moves to a new pool.

Lets assume here clean switching (e.g. disabling/enabling pool in cgminer), not failover scenarios.

My Take on this
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For a while, you are still being paid for the pool you left, while you are now being underpaid under the new pool. Also, the "lost shares" in one pool are irrelevant when your shares count (or not) in the other one.

Intuitively, this seems to average out and there is no *disadvantage* for clean switching between PPLNS pools on the long run.

Am I right?

[Eljoka]

From what I understand, I'd say your reasoning is perfectly sound. The only disadvantage is tied to your number so shares vs the number of last n shares paid by the pools. If you switch and stay at the new one for a couple hours (depending on hashrate), you won't notice a significant drop in your payout.