en
What is an airdrop, how do you participate, and what risks should you watch out for?
An airdrop is when a blockchain project or protocol distributes free tokens to users. It's typically done to reward early adopters, broaden token distribution, build community, or draw attention to a new product.
Uniswap's 2020 airdrop - distributing 400 UNI (worth approximately $1,200 at the time) to everyone who had previously used the protocol - became one of crypto history's most celebrated airdrops. Arbitrum, Optimism, and other major protocols have done similar ones.
Retroactive airdrop: Rewards for people who used a protocol in the past. The most valuable airdrops typically fall in this category.
Task-based airdrop: Tokens given in exchange for social media follows, retweets, community participation, or specific actions.
Hold-to-earn: New tokens distributed to holders of a specific existing token.
The strategic approach to catching the best airdrops: use early-stage protocols actively. This can include interacting with DeFi protocols (swapping, providing liquidity), participating in testnets, voting in DAO governance, and minting NFTs.
With a self-custody wallet like KriptoK, you can connect directly to these protocols via WalletConnect.
Airdrop scams: Most “get free tokens” links are fake. Don’t click links that ask for your seed phrase, ask you to connect your wallet to a suspicious site, or redirect you to an unofficial page.
Dust airdrops: Some bad actors send tiny token amounts to your wallet to try to get you to interact with them. Don’t interact with tokens you don’t recognize.
Tax: In some countries, airdrop income may be taxable. Check your local regulations.
As a self-custody wallet, KriptoK is ideal for participating in airdrops. Connect to protocols via WalletConnect, interact, and come back. When an airdrop arrives, it goes directly to your wallet address.