Of Binance's several ways to get free new tokens, Alpha points are the hottest and the most fiddly. Unlike Launchpool, where you put coins in and wait, this one wants you to earn points daily, watch the cycle and count the cost. We too assumed at first that points just keep stacking and that grinding once locks it in — then re-read the rules, recalculated, and found it doesn't work like that at all.
This piece explains Alpha points from the top: where the points actually come from, why the total keeps falling, how much you need to claim, how to grind at the lowest cost, and whether it's worth grinding at all. The last section turns "do the maths before you grind" into a framework you can actually use. By the end you should be able to judge: given the money and time you have, is this round worth grinding.
One, the rules move, and Alpha changes especially often. Point thresholds, claim bars and the deduction cycle get tweaked frequently. This article is about how it works and how to think; for any specific point value or threshold, go by the current announcement on Binance's official page at the time you join (checked 2026-06). Two, nothing here is guaranteed. The fees you spend grinding are certain; the value of the token you get is not. None of this is investment advice.
01What Alpha is, and how points relate to airdrops
First, the names. Binance Alpha is a section for early-stage tokens — a batch of newer projects still in their early days. It sits between "already listed for full trading" and "not on the exchange yet": you can buy and sell these tokens inside Alpha, and Binance also uses it as the vehicle for airdrop events.
Alpha points are a score Binance keeps for users who take part in Alpha. The score itself can't be cashed out directly. What it's for: when a new project runs a TGE (token generation event) airdrop, Binance sets a point threshold, and only people who've earned enough qualify to claim it. In other words, points are the thickness of your ticket — the more you have, the more events you can reach.
So the chain looks like this: you hold assets on Binance and generate volume in Alpha → that converts to points daily → you build up to a certain score → a new token's TGE comes along and you use points to claim → claiming burns some of your points → the airdrop lands in your account. This runs on completely different logic from Launchpool and Megadrop; to compare all four first, see which of the four airdrops to pick.
02Where points come from: two scores added up
This is the mechanic to get straight before anything else. Alpha points are two parts added together, each worked out separately every day, then summed:
1. Balance score (how much you hold)
This part looks at how much you hold across your Binance exchange account plus Binance wallet. More assets, higher balance score. It has nothing to do with whether you trade — it's purely a score derived from "how much is sitting in your account." So anyone who already keeps assets on Binance gets a "base score" that lands automatically each day, hands-off.
2. Volume score (how much Alpha token you've bought)
This part looks at your buy volume of tokens in Alpha. The key thing is it's not linear — it builds on a curve. In plain terms, double your volume and the matching points more than double, stepping up in tiers. Which means: when your volume is small, each extra bit is so-so value; past a certain band, pushing higher gets more "worth it," but the marginal cost (fees) climbs the further you go. Exactly how each tier converts follows the official announcement for the round — Binance has adjusted it more than once.
At each daily settlement, that day's balance score + that day's volume score = the points added that day. Sounds simple, but "settled daily" is the root of all the trouble that follows — because points come in day by day, they also get taken out day by day.
Plenty of people assume "I've got a big balance, so the balance score alone will hit the threshold hands-off." Usually it won't — the balance score is typically just a base, and the thing that actually stacks points fast is the volume score. In other words, to push toward the threshold, parking money isn't enough; you mostly have to go and grind volume, and grinding volume costs fees. That's why Alpha is called the "most fiddly" one.
03The cycle and rolling deductions: the easiest thing to get wrong
If you remember one thing from this article, make it this section. Alpha points are not a piggy bank that only fills up — they're a rolling window that expires.
Here's the mechanic: the points you earn each day are only valid within a cycle. Once that cycle passes, that day's points expire and get clawed back. Because you're earning new points every day while a batch "from some days ago" expires every day, the total you see is really the sum of all not-yet-expired points in a sliding window.
That leads to a counter-intuitive conclusion: if the new points you earn on a given day are fewer than the old points expiring that day, your total falls. This is exactly where we came unstuck — we assumed grinding to a number and stopping would hold it, then came back a few days later to find the total dropping day by day. Holding a high total takes steady input, so each day's incoming points at least match what's being deducted.
Think of it as "the sum of the last N days' points." A new batch comes in today, and the oldest batch (from N days ago) drops out. Stop grinding and your only new input is the balance base score, but the deductions keep coming, so the total naturally slides down. So deciding "should I grind now" can't just look at the current total — you also have to look at how much will be deducted over the next few days. This is clearer worked out on its own: how Alpha's rolling deduction actually works.
Rolling deductions have another practical upshot: timing matters when pushing for a threshold. If an airdrop's claim day is three days out, you need your total on that day to clear the bar — so work backward and figure how much to top up each of those days, rather than grinding hard a week early and watching it slide down. The exact cycle length and deduction pace still follow the official announcement for the round.
04Threshold and burn: earn enough to claim
You build points to use them. When a new project runs a TGE airdrop, Binance publishes a claim threshold: if your current points hit that number, you can claim during the claim window.
Two things here are easy to overlook:
- Claiming burns points. Claiming an airdrop usually deducts a chunk of points (effectively "spend points for the new token"). How much, and whether it's a fixed amount or a proportion of the threshold, depends on that round's rules. So once you've claimed, your total drops a notch, and claiming the next one means building back up. That's why each claim deserves its own maths — it isn't "the points are just sitting there, may as well claim."
- The threshold can move. In some events the bar isn't a fixed number start to finish — factors like how many people join and how much allocation is left can push the threshold down as the event runs (or not). So watching the live threshold in the official announcement beats clinging to an old number. Every specific figure follows the round's announcement; we don't hard-code it.
In practice, what you're weighing is: do you hold your points for an airdrop you expect to be worth more, or claim the one in front of you now? Because points decay on the rolling window, "hoarding without using" carries its own loss — which loops back to the sliding-window picture from the last section.
05How to grind at the lowest cost
"Zero cost" belongs in big quotes for Alpha. Grinding volume has a cost, mainly two parts: trading fees, and the time you spend watching and placing orders. Grinding cheaply comes down to one line — stack the volume score to the threshold on the smallest fees you can.
Where the cost actually goes
- Fees. The volume score builds by buying, and every trade incurs a fee. The more volume you grind, the more fees pile up. The actual rate depends on Binance's current schedule, the eligible product and your account status; use the official fee page and what your account shows.
- The spread. Some Alpha tokens are thinly traded, so there's a gap (slippage) between buy and sell; a round trip shaves a little off your principal even before fees. Picking a more liquid token cuts this hidden drag.
- Time. This part has no invoice but is very real. How long you spend each day watching and how many orders you place, multiplied by what your time is worth, is the full cost.
The most common way to lose is being just short of the threshold, and — because of the curve — forcing that last stretch takes a disproportionate amount of volume and fees. Before you start, estimate "roughly how much volume the threshold needs and how much that costs in fees," then set it against what the airdrop is expected to be worth. A tool makes this clearest: the Alpha points calculator lets you drop in your assets, target score and fee rate for a quick look; for concrete money-saving tactics, how to grind for a few dollars a day breaks the numbers down further.
06Is it worth it: a way to run the numbers
After all that mechanics, it comes down to the one question that matters: is this round actually worth grinding? Here's a framework that promises no return but helps you decide. Do this subtraction:
| Item | How to estimate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Expected airdrop value | New tokens you'd claim × a conservative opening price | Price is uncertain — estimate low, don't use the rosiest number |
| minus − | Grinding fees | Volume needed to reach the threshold × the fee rate, including the spread |
| minus − | Time cost | Time per day × days in the cycle × what your time is worth |
| = rough net | Subtract the above | Clearly negative, don't grind; barely positive, ask whether it's worth the hassle |
A few reminders when using this framework:
- Estimate the airdrop value on the low side. A new token can open down, and a "net profit" figured at the rosiest price flips easily. When you run the numbers, underestimate the return and overestimate the cost.
- Fold in the claim burn and the rolling deduction too. Each claim burns a chunk of points, and hoarding without claiming still loses points — both are hidden costs.
- A small balance isn't necessarily a loser, but needs sharper maths. For people with a smaller stake, Alpha is actually the friendlier of the four (it doesn't hinge on holdings the way HODLer does), but precisely because the margins are thin, unchecked fees can tip it from positive to negative. On a small balance, start with which one pays best on a small stake.
Put your numbers into the Alpha points calculator and let it run the subtraction for you — far more reliable than guessing. Remember: it's an estimating framework, not a promise of returns.
07Risks and the traps
Finally, the traps that catch people grinding Alpha, all in one place:
1. The rules change often, so old guides go stale
The point maths, thresholds and deduction cycle get adjusted frequently. The numbers you memorized three months ago may already be wrong. Before each round, check the current Alpha rules against the Binance help center — don't grind blind off an old post.
2. Overgrinding: fees eat the airdrop
Because the volume score builds on a curve, the closer to the threshold, the pricier the push. Plenty of people come unstuck on "so close, can't quit now," and the fees on that forced last stretch end up costing more than the airdrop itself. Set a stop line: if the extra you'd pay to clear the bar tops your expected return, stop — walking away from a round is fine.
3. Don't take "how much I make a month" posts at face value
There's plenty of "made X thousand a month on Alpha" content online — it either skips fees and time, is a one-off from a hot market, or is just bait to reel you in. The reality is some people make a little, some break even, and some end up down because they didn't control costs. Read those posts for the vibe, not as your expected return.
Grinding Alpha points is a costly, risky activity, not steady income. The fees and time you spend are certain; the value of the token you get is not, and it can open below listing price or go to zero. This article covers mechanics and how to run the numbers — it is not investment advice. Whether to join and how much to grind is your call and your risk, and follows Binance's announcement for the round.