How Can I Get Free Cryptocurrency From an Airdrop?

In the cryptocurrency space, already prone to extreme levels of interest by digital money enthusiasts, some of the most-hyped events are airdrops. An airdrop is an event in which a cryptocurrency developer issues free coins or tokens to a user base, sometimes as a result of a hard fork and sometimes as part of a promotion or other change in network design. The key for most investors is becoming aware of the airdrop phenomenon before it takes place. If you find out too late, you've missed out on your chance for free tokens or coins. Fortunately, a report by decentralpost.com provides cryptocurrency investors with tools to gain more advanced notice about these special promotions and giveaways.

Airdrops That Take Place Alongside Hard Forks

One of the most common scenarios in which an airdrop is likely to take place is a hard fork of a major cryptocurrency. More than 20 bitcoin hard forks have taken place in the past year, for instance, and some of these resulted in investors who previously held bitcoin receiving new tokens for simply maintaining their investments. EtherZero, LitecoinCash, and MoneroV were projects that caused a similar level of investor sensation in recent months. In each of these cases, though, time showed that the forked coin was far less important than the original, and the new altcoin eventually lost interest and value.

Staying Apprised

How should an investor go about monitoring upcoming airdrops to make sure that he or she has access to the latest altcoin information? One of the first and most important tools is Twitter. This social media platform has become a hotbed for cryptocurrency investors, and it's common for a digital currency developer to provide information about an upcoming airdrop via a tweet. Investors may even regularly search for the phrase "airdrop" on Twitter, although this can provide a deluge of information that is difficult to sift through. For this reason, dedicated Twitter accounts like Crypto Airdrops and AirdropAlert can be useful.

Besides Twitter accounts dedicated to upcoming airdrops, information about these events can be found at a number of different websites. Of course, there is no guarantee that any information found on Twitter or on one of the sites above will be genuine, or that a newly issued digital currency will not be fraudulent, so investor caution is paramount.

Investing in cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings ("ICOs") is highly risky and speculative, and this article is not a recommendation by Investopedia or the writer to invest in cryptocurrencies or ICOs. Since each individual's situation is unique, a qualified professional should always be consulted before making any financial decisions. Investopedia makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or timeliness of the information contained herein. As of the date this article was written, the author owns bitcoin and ripple.