Getting Only a Few Tokens From a TGE Is Pro-Rata Allocation at Work

How much you get depends on how much everyone put into that round. Binance Wallet TGEs use an over-subscription model: during the subscription period each wallet can put in up to a cap, and when it ends the tokens are split according to your share of everyone's total deposit, with the part of your funds that wasn't used refunded. You claim the allocated tokens yourself once the subscription ends.

Over-subscription is pro rata: what you put in isn't what you buy

The rules come from Binance Academy's Binance Alpha Events. To join a TGE you first have to qualify: enough Alpha Points, plus enough of the required token, typically BNB, in a backed-up Binance Wallet (Keyless). During the subscription period you subscribe with that token, up to a cap per wallet, and tokens are allocated in proportion to all participants' total deposits. When you enter the event, you also confirm how many Alpha Points this one will spend.

How the proportion plays out for you can be worked out from the pro-rata rule. Say a round sells tokens at a fixed price worth 200 BNB in total, everyone together deposits 10,000 BNB, and you deposit 2 BNB:

• Your share: 2 ÷ 10,000 = 0.02%.
• BNB used: 200 × 0.02% = 0.04 BNB, swapped for the matching amount of tokens.
• BNB refunded: 2 − 0.04 = 1.96 BNB.

The more you put in, the bigger your share; but when everyone's deposits far exceed the value on sale, each person uses only a small part and the rest comes back. This example uses the fixed price of a standard TGE. Alpha runs three kinds of TGE: a standard TGE sells each token at a fixed price; in a bonding curve TGE the price moves with demand during the event and tokens are allocated on the spot; the BuildKey model has you deposit BNB on Aspecta to receive BuildKeys first. Each works differently, so find out which kind a round is before you join.

How unused BNB from a TGE is refunded

After the subscription ends, first claim your allocated tokens from the wallet's [Assets] tab, then check the BNB that came back: it should equal what you put in minus what was actually used. Unused subscription funds in a Pre-TGE are refunded automatically.

If the numbers don't match, go back to that round's event page and check the claim time and the round's rules, then look in the wallet's [Assets] for tokens you haven't claimed yet. If it still doesn't add up, contact Binance support with the event name, your wallet address and your subscription record.

Why Pre-TGE tokens can't be sold or transferred yet

A Pre-TGE, like a standard TGE, lets you buy early at a fixed price; the difference is the lock-up. Tokens from a Pre-TGE can't be traded, transferred or used until the lock-up period is over. The project decides how long it lasts and may not announce the exact duration in advance. There is no guarantee of when trading and transfers will open, and earlier rounds' lock-ups tell you nothing reliable about the next one. The project team announces when trading is enabled.

The Prime Sale edition of the Pre-TGE is aimed at relatively more mature projects, and its tokens become tradable only after the project announces the official TGE date and time. On that day the tokens are airdropped straight into the Binance Alpha account on the Binance exchange and can be traded right away. Before joining, check the campaign details and contract address through the project's official channels.

Item	Standard TGE	Pre-TGE
Price	Fixed price per token	Fixed price
What you subscribe with	The required token, typically BNB; capped per wallet	The required token, typically BNB; capped per wallet
How tokens are split	Over-subscription, pro rata to everyone's total deposit	Pro rata to all participants' deposits
Unused funds	Refunded	Refunded automatically
How you get the tokens	Claim manually after the subscription ends	Claim from the wallet's [Assets] tab after the subscription ends
When you can sell	As soon as the tokens are distributed	After the lock-up ends; the length is set by the project
Alpha Points	Must meet the threshold; confirm the points spent when joining	Must meet the minimum; joining spends points

Log subscriptions, refunds and claims as separate entries

Over one TGE, BNB goes out, comes back, and a batch of tokens arrives in between. Lump it all into one line and you won't be able to work out your cost later. Record each step by date:

• Subscription day: the BNB sent out, as an expense; the Alpha Points spent go in a column of their own.
• Refund day: the BNB returned, as income.
• Claim day: how many tokens you received; cost = deposit − refunded BNB, with gas recorded separately.
• One more column for a Pre-TGE: when the lock-up ends and where the project announces it. Until it unlocks the tokens can't be sold, so don't book them at the current price as gains already in hand.

Keeping gas, spending and airdrop income in one sheet is covered in Is Your Airdrop Farming Paying Off? Keep a Ledger That Shows It. How Binance Alpha Points build up, broken down into balance and trading volume, has a guide of its own.

Alpha event eligibility and claim keys both live in Binance Wallet

Can the BNB for a TGE subscription stay in my exchange account?

Eligibility requires the required token, typically BNB, to be held in a backed-up Binance Wallet (Keyless), and you need enough Alpha Points as well; each wallet also has its own subscription cap.

What is a Prime Sale Key?

Not every Prime Sale uses a Key; it depends on how that round is designed. When one is used, the Key is stored in your wallet and serves as proof of a successful subscription until the actual tokens are airdropped into the Binance Alpha account; after the subscription period ends, you claim the tokens with the Key. Unused subscription funds are refunded here too.

Does a Booster campaign cost Alpha Points?

No, but you need to meet the points threshold and take part with a backed-up Binance Wallet (Keyless). Booster campaigns are on-chain quests, usually after a Pre-TGE, where you complete tasks week by week for rewards. The rewards have a lock-up too and are released on the project's schedule; after each week's lock-up ends, you claim them manually in Binance Wallet.