Binance is stealing all of our airdrops.

Swapping Alpha tokens now outperforms being active on-chain participants. But should you drop everything and start pumping volume here instead?

Here’s a breakdown of how it works and my full strategy for winning this meta:

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The undiluted alpha (if you were early)

Binance launched the new Alpha 2.0 back in March without much hype. The main purpose was for Binance CEX users to purchase tokens only available on DEXes (and not listed on Binance yet).

Not many used this platform, and this led to lucrative airdrops if you were early (even without doing much):

• 490 PROMPT

• 403 GM

• 3,500 EPT

• 4,276 ZORA

All we needed to do was hit this criteria: Purchased tokens on Binance Alpha using Spot/Funding on Binance Exchange.

But the competition has increased, and Binance now requires two key criteria to qualify:

• Holdings on Exchange + Keyless Wallet

• Volume traded on Alpha tokens (both Exchange + Keyless Wallet)

With the launch of the SIGN airdrop, Binance converted the requirements into a new points system:

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Alpha Points explained

Alpha points are the new indicator to qualify for future airdrops and IDOs. This involves:

• Balance Points

• Volume Points

Here are the key mechanics:

Balance points only count for Alpha/Spot tokens.

Holding tokens in the Keyless Wallet or depositing into DeFi protocols doesn’t count. Only tokens listed on Binance do. There are promotions for Simple Earn (USDC/USDT/FDUSD), so I plan to max those while contributing to my points.

Volume points are only awarded for Alpha token purchases.

You can find Alpha tokens in two places:

1. Binance Exchange → Markets → Alpha

2. Keyless Wallet → Home → Alpha

Only swaps into Alpha tokens count. No penalty for swapping back.

E.g. Swapping 32 USDC into an Alpha token and back nets 5 points.

Volume points are calculated per day.

Each day’s swap volume is scored separately and resets at the snapshot.

E.g. Swap $32 on Day 1 and $64 on Day 2 → you get 5 + 6 = 11 points.

Points are on a 15-day rolling basis.

Big trades only matter within the 15-day window. Consistency matters more than size.

Binance clearly wants you swapping daily to build habits.

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Fees are the main killer

You can swap into Alpha tokens in two ways, each with different fees:

• Exchange: Slippage + Trading Fee + Priority

• Keyless Wallet: Slippage + Trading Fee + Gas Fee

Binance currently has a 0.5% trading fee promo on the Keyless Wallet until 17 Sept 2025 — so that’s where I’m swapping.

There are 4 networks to buy Alpha tokens:

• Ethereum (high gas)

• BSC (high gas)

• Base (high slippage)

• Solana

Gas fees: Ethereum ($0.20), BSC ($0.43).

Base has lower gas, but high slippage.

Solana is the sweet spot for me.

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Better rates for Solana Alpha tokens

For example, swapping 520 USDC to ai16z shows minimal slippage difference between platforms. While fees are slightly higher on the Keyless Wallet, I’m generating volume on Jupiter, which could count toward its upcoming airdrop.

Gas fees per swap:

• Phantom: 0.00014 SOL ($0.02)

• Keyless Wallet: 0.0003 SOL ($0.04)

If you swap frequently, those fees add up. But Solana still offers the best cost-performance tradeoff across networks.

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Analysing past rounds

Recent airdrops/IDOs required 80–82 points.

With a 15-day cycle, that’s ~5.5 points/day.

If you hold ≥ $100 on Binance, you’ll need to swap ≥ $32/day. That’s doable.

But as hype builds, I’m assuming the target will rise — I’m aiming for ≥10 points/day.

Based on that, here are my daily volume targets:

• Hold $100 → swap $512 (9 points + 1 holding point)

• Hold $1,000 → swap $256 (8 points + 2 holding points)

Swapping more than $2,048 daily for 1 extra point doesn’t seem worth it due to slippage.

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My strategy

I expect many to drop out once this gets too PvP — which could lower future point thresholds.

Until then, Solana gives me low slippage, solid rates, and builds my on-chain footprint (vs. CEX swaps, which don’t help long-term). I’m also betting this helps with Jupiter airdrop eligibility.

So here’s the plan:

Target 10 points/day via either route:

• Hold $100 + Swap $512

• Hold $1,000 + Swap $256

This may change if Binance tightens requirements.

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Bonus: Track everything

I’m compiling all Binance Alpha airdrop/IDO requirements in this tracker: