diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 2873a8c738..08b1d98617 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 Changes:
 
+- Convert `api-contract` usage of `api.rpc.*` to `api.call.*`
+- Drop support for contract runtimes without `storageDepositLimit` (runtime `contractsApi` only has unversioned support for latest)
 - Export `api.rx.call.*` for internal usage (derive, contracts)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/api-contract/src/base/Base.ts b/packages/api-contract/src/base/Base.ts
index 52e3f4fd9f..ab36ca9ed9 100644
--- a/packages/api-contract/src/base/Base.ts
+++ b/packages/api-contract/src/base/Base.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export abstract class Base<ApiType extends ApiTypes> {
 
     if (!api || !api.isConnected || !api.tx) {
       throw new Error('Your API has not been initialized correctly and is not connected to a chain');
-    } else if (!api.tx.contracts || !Object.keys(api.tx.contracts).length) {
+    } else if (!api.tx.contracts || !Object.keys(api.tx.contracts).length || !api.call.contractsApi) {
       throw new Error('You need to connect to a chain with a runtime that supports contracts');
     } else if (!isFunction(api.tx.contracts.instantiateWithCode)) {
       throw new Error('You need to connect to a chain with a runtime with a V3 contracts module. The runtime does not expose api.tx.contracts.instantiateWithCode');
diff --git a/packages/api-contract/src/base/Contract.ts b/packages/api-contract/src/base/Contract.ts
index dc3fd16e18..aa90223fff 100644
--- a/packages/api-contract/src/base/Contract.ts
+++ b/packages/api-contract/src/base/Contract.ts
@@ -82,12 +82,12 @@ export class Contract<ApiType extends ApiTypes> extends Base<ApiType> {
     });
   }
 
-  public get hasRpcContractsCall (): boolean {
-    return isFunction(this.api.rx.rpc.contracts?.call);
+  public get hasRpcContractsApi (): boolean {
+    return isFunction(this.api.rx.call.contractsApi?.call);
   }
 
   public get query (): MapMessageQuery<ApiType> {
-    if (!this.hasRpcContractsCall) {
+    if (!this.hasRpcContractsApi) {
       throw new Error(ERROR_NO_CALL);
     }
 
@@ -112,35 +112,31 @@ export class Contract<ApiType extends ApiTypes> extends Base<ApiType> {
   };
 
   #exec = (messageOrId: AbiMessage | string | number, { gasLimit = BN_ZERO, storageDepositLimit = null, value = BN_ZERO }: ContractOptions, params: unknown[]): SubmittableExtrinsic<ApiType> => {
-    const hasStorageDeposit = this.api.tx.contracts.call.meta.args.length === 5;
     const gas = this.#getGas(gasLimit);
     const encParams = this.abi.findMessage(messageOrId).toU8a(params);
-    const tx = hasStorageDeposit
-      ? this.api.tx.contracts.call(this.address, value, gas, storageDepositLimit, encParams)
-      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/ban-ts-comment
-      // @ts-ignore old style without storage deposit
-      : this.api.tx.contracts.call(this.address, value, gas, encParams);
 
-    return tx.withResultTransform((result: ISubmittableResult) =>
-    // ContractEmitted is the current generation, ContractExecution is the previous generation
-      new ContractSubmittableResult(result, applyOnEvent(result, ['ContractEmitted', 'ContractExecution'], (records: EventRecord[]) =>
-        records
-          .map(({ event: { data: [, data] } }): DecodedEvent | null => {
-            try {
-              return this.abi.decodeEvent(data as Bytes);
-            } catch (error) {
-              l.error(`Unable to decode contract event: ${(error as Error).message}`);
+    return this.api.tx.contracts
+      .call(this.address, value, gas, storageDepositLimit, encParams)
+      .withResultTransform((result: ISubmittableResult) =>
+        // ContractEmitted is the current generation, ContractExecution is the previous generation
+        new ContractSubmittableResult(result, applyOnEvent(result, ['ContractEmitted', 'ContractExecution'], (records: EventRecord[]) =>
+          records
+            .map(({ event: { data: [, data] } }): DecodedEvent | null => {
+              try {
+                return this.abi.decodeEvent(data as Bytes);
+              } catch (error) {
+                l.error(`Unable to decode contract event: ${(error as Error).message}`);
 
-              return null;
-            }
-          })
-          .filter((decoded): decoded is DecodedEvent => !!decoded)
-      ))
-    );
+                return null;
+              }
+            })
+            .filter((decoded): decoded is DecodedEvent => !!decoded)
+        ))
+      );
   };
 
   #read = (messageOrId: AbiMessage | string | number, { gasLimit = BN_ZERO, storageDepositLimit = null, value = BN_ZERO }: ContractOptions, params: unknown[]): ContractCallSend<ApiType> => {
-    if (!this.hasRpcContractsCall) {
+    if (!this.hasRpcContractsApi) {
       throw new Error(ERROR_NO_CALL);
     }
 
@@ -148,28 +144,24 @@ export class Contract<ApiType extends ApiTypes> extends Base<ApiType> {
 
     return {
       // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-assignment
-      send: this._decorateMethod((origin: string | AccountId | Uint8Array) => {
-        const hasStorageDeposit = this.api.tx.contracts.call.meta.args.length === 5;
-        const inputData = message.toU8a(params);
-        const rpc = hasStorageDeposit
-          ? this.api.rx.rpc.contracts.call({ dest: this.address, gasLimit: this.#getGas(gasLimit, true), inputData, origin, storageDepositLimit, value })
-          : this.api.rx.rpc.contracts.call({ dest: this.address, gasLimit: this.#getGas(gasLimit, true), inputData, origin, value });
-
-        const mapFn = ({ debugMessage, gasConsumed, gasRequired, result, storageDeposit }: ContractExecResult): ContractCallOutcome => ({
-          debugMessage,
-          gasConsumed,
-          gasRequired: gasRequired && !gasRequired.isZero()
-            ? gasRequired
-            : gasConsumed,
-          output: result.isOk && message.returnType
-            ? this.abi.registry.createTypeUnsafe(message.returnType.lookupName || message.returnType.type, [result.asOk.data.toU8a(true)], { isPedantic: true })
-            : null,
-          result,
-          storageDeposit
-        });
-
-        return rpc.pipe(map(mapFn));
-      })
+      send: this._decorateMethod((origin: string | AccountId | Uint8Array) =>
+        this.api.rx.call.contractsApi
+          .call<ContractExecResult>(origin, this.address, value, this.#getGas(gasLimit, true), storageDepositLimit, message.toU8a(params))
+          .pipe(
+            map(({ debugMessage, gasConsumed, gasRequired, result, storageDeposit }): ContractCallOutcome => ({
+              debugMessage,
+              gasConsumed,
+              gasRequired: gasRequired && !gasRequired.isZero()
+                ? gasRequired
+                : gasConsumed,
+              output: result.isOk && message.returnType
+                ? this.abi.registry.createTypeUnsafe(message.returnType.lookupName || message.returnType.type, [result.asOk.data.toU8a(true)], { isPedantic: true })
+                : null,
+              result,
+              storageDeposit
+            }))
+          )
+      )
     };
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/api-contract/src/base/mock.ts b/packages/api-contract/src/base/mock.ts
index 455c0f32eb..f7151b5c21 100644
--- a/packages/api-contract/src/base/mock.ts
+++ b/packages/api-contract/src/base/mock.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ import { TypeRegistry } from '@polkadot/types';
 const registry = new TypeRegistry();
 
 export const mockApi = {
+  call: {
+    contractsApi: {
+      call: (): never => {
+        throw new Error('mock');
+      }
+    }
+  },
   isConnected: true,
   registry,
   tx: {