How to Claim a Binance Alpha Airdrop: Two-Phase Thresholds, Point Deductions & Why You Missed Out

An Alpha airdrop goes live, you tap in, and you're 10 points short. You rush in a buy to make up the gap, and you still can't claim, because eligibility is based on your points at the moment the event started. Earning points is covered in how Binance Alpha Points are calculated and farmed; this quest picks up where that one leaves off: where to go in, the two-phase thresholds, when points get deducted, and how to work out why you missed out.

Where to find it: you have to confirm participation first

The Alpha Points FAQ in the Binance help centre (the English page shows it was updated on 9 July 2026) gives two ways to find events:

• Search for Alpha event on the Binance homepage to see the latest events.
• Open the latest version of the Binance app, tap the account icon in the top-left corner of the home screen, go into More, then search for Alpha event. If searching every time gets old, use Edit on the shortcuts in More and tap + on Alpha events to pin it to your home screen.

The step that matters happens on the event page itself: you confirm participation there and spend Alpha Points to do it. That goes for airdrops and exclusive TGEs alike.

Two-phase distribution: a high threshold first, then a lower one, first come, first served

Since 19 June 2025, Binance Alpha airdrops have been handed out in two phases:

• Phase 1: the points threshold is X, and users with X points or more get priority claiming within a set time window.
• Phase 2: once Phase 1 ends, the threshold drops to Y (Y is lower than X), and users with Y points or more claim first come, first served until the reward pool runs out or the event ends.

The FAQ's example: for one token airdrop, the Phase 1 threshold is 100 points, and anyone on 100 or more claims first; after Phase 1 ends, the threshold drops to 60, and anyone on 60 or more claims first come, first served. The 100 and 60 are only the official example; the real threshold for each event is in that event's announcement.

Right under that section are three notes that decide how you should plan your time:

• Each person can claim each airdrop only once, and both phases pay out the same amount; you can't claim twice. If you claimed in Phase 1, Phase 2 won't hand you a second share; if you missed Phase 1, what you get in Phase 2 isn't any smaller.
• Thresholds, event times and rules are whatever the official Binance Alpha announcement says, and they can differ from one event to the next; the disclaimer also says Binance reserves the right to change how eligibility is determined and how points are calculated at any time.
• An airdrop can run for more than 24 hours in total, and eligibility is based on your points when the event starts. The next section is all about this one.

If your points clear the Phase 1 threshold, claim during the Phase 1 window rather than leaving it until the phase closes. If you only clear the Phase 2 threshold, remember Phase 2 is first come, first served and ends when the pool runs dry, so go and claim as soon as it opens.

Eligibility is based on your points the moment the event starts

The FAQ states that eligibility is based on your points when the event starts, and that changes to your points during the event don't affect eligibility.

That's why the rushed buy from the intro can't close the gap: points earned after the event starts won't get you over the line for that round. It works the other way too: if your points drop during the event, the eligibility you already had isn't taken away.

Then factor in when the snapshot is taken: Binance Alpha Points are calculated from an account snapshot taken every day at 07:59:59 (UTC+8), which is 23:59:59 UTC on the previous calendar day, so each points day effectively runs on the UTC calendar. The official example is a trade completed at 02:00 (UTC+8) on 23 April, which is 18:00 UTC on 22 April, counting toward the 22 April points cycle. If your time zone is ahead of UTC, anything you trade between your local midnight and midnight UTC lands in the previous day's cycle; if you're behind UTC, a late-evening trade can land in the next day's. Count from local midnight and you'll be a day out.

When points get deducted, and why your balance only changes the next day

Point consumption was formally introduced on 13 May 2025. The rule comes down to two lines:

• When you confirm participation in an Alpha event (such as an Alpha airdrop or a TGE), the points are consumed immediately.
• Consumed points are only reflected in your total the next day.

On top of that, points already run on a rolling 15-day window: each point expires automatically 15 days after its snapshot date. Put the two together and you get the "nothing changed today, big drop tomorrow" effect. Here's the example from the official FAQ, broken down:

Should you claim this one?

Per the official FAQ, taking part in any event is optional, and it's up to you whether to spend your Alpha Points. Before you confirm, think through two things:

• Will the points this one costs leave you short for the next event you actually want? Once deducted they're gone, and eligibility is based on your points when an event starts.
• If you don't claim, those points still expire. Points roll off after 15 days; holding them back doesn't let them stack up forever.

Run the numbers against the next event you want to join (its announcement gives the threshold): the points you'll have when it starts equal your current points, minus what this claim costs, minus the points that expire before that day (the days whose snapshots will have hit 15 days by then), plus whatever you earn in between. If you still clear the threshold after paying for this one, go ahead and claim it. If you only clear it by skipping this one, you'll have to pick one of the two. And if you wouldn't clear it even without spending anything, holding on to these points won't get you into that event anyway.

Don't ramp up your buying just to scrape over the threshold for one event: volume points cost real money to earn, and what the airdropped token turns out to be worth is anything but certain. If you're short on points, head back to the Alpha Points quest and catch up there.

Missed it, or not eligible? Check these

Putting together the eligibility rules scattered through the FAQ, here's the order to work through when an airdrop didn't come your way:

• Did you have enough points when the event started? Points added afterwards don't count.
• Was it already Phase 2, with the pool used up? Phase 2 is first come, first served and stops once the pool is gone or the event ends.
• Have you already claimed this one? One claim per person per airdrop, and no claiming in both phases.
• Was your trading volume actually counted? Only trades made through Binance Wallet (Keyless) and the Binance centralised exchange qualify. Once a wallet has been imported or exported, its trades stop counting as Alpha volume, and a re-imported wallet no longer counts as a Keyless wallet.
• Did you pay for the buy with a token that's listed on Binance Spot? The FAQ states that only trades paid that way count toward volume points; trades paid for with other tokens don't.
• Were your balance points 0 on those days? The FAQ states that on any day your balance points are 0, that day's volume points and task points are also recorded as 0.
• Did the trade land in a different day? The snapshot runs every day at 07:59:59 (UTC+8), which is 23:59:59 UTC, so the cycle follows the UTC date: ahead of UTC, a trade after your local midnight but before midnight UTC counts toward the day before; behind UTC, a late-evening trade counts toward the next day.
• Are the points sitting on a sub-account? Only the main account earns Alpha Points; sub-account balances are merged into the main account and don't score separately.
• Where you are. The FAQ's disclaimer notes that the products and services it describes may not be available in your region.

If you're eligible and you did confirm the claim, but the tokens still haven't shown up, that's a different kind of problem: go through the 7 reasons an airdrop hasn't arrived, one delivery step at a time.

After you claim: Alpha tokens can't be withdrawn, and a Spot listing isn't guaranteed

What you receive are Alpha tokens, and a few points in the FAQ and its disclaimer bear directly on what you do with them next:

• Alpha assets can't be withdrawn from the Binance platform; they can only be accessed through your Alpha account.
• Some tokens on Binance Alpha may get the chance to list on Binance Spot later, but that isn't guaranteed; being included in Alpha doesn't mean a listing will follow.
• Once an Alpha token starts trading on Spot, trades made after the listing no longer count toward Alpha volume.
• Buying and selling Alpha assets can involve price slippage and blockchain fees, and you could lose some or all of your principal.

Whether to sell your airdropped tokens once you have them, and how to go about selling them, is covered in how to cash out your airdrop tokens.

Frequently asked questions

Missed Phase 1 — can I still claim the Alpha airdrop?

Possibly. According to the Binance help centre, once Phase 1 ends the threshold drops to a lower number of points, and users who meet the new threshold claim first come, first served until the reward pool runs out or the event ends; both phases pay out the same amount. The exact threshold and how long each phase lasts are set out in each event's official announcement.

If I buy tokens to build points after the event starts, can I still reach the threshold?

Not under the rules in the official FAQ. Eligibility is based on your points when the event starts, and changes to your points during the event don't affect it. If you want in on a particular event, you need enough points before it begins.

Why doesn't my balance change on the day I spend points on an airdrop?

Points are consumed the moment you confirm participation, but consumed points only show up in your total the next day. The official example: your balance is 100 and you spend 5, so it still shows 100 that day; the deduction lands the next day, and the oldest day's points in your window also expire that same day, so the drop you see can be bigger than what you actually spent.

If I don't want to claim this one, will my points be deducted automatically?

The official FAQ says taking part in any event is optional and it's your choice whether to spend points; they're only consumed when you confirm participation. The flip side: points expire on a rolling 15-day basis, so points you don't use lapse anyway.