Passive earning points: How to achieve "earning without moving" by holding BTC/USDT in your Gate contract account

When the crypto market is sideways or you’re choosing to hold long-term, can your assets in your account generate additional value besides waiting for appreciation? For those holding BTC or USDT on Gate, the answer is yes. Many people don’t realize that even without frequent trading, simply holding positions in your contract account allows you to automatically earn contract points daily through Gate’s balance snapshot mechanism—truly making “passive income” possible.

Core Mechanism: What is a “Balance Snapshot”?

Since launching in October 2025, Gate’s contract points system has become an important way for over 264,000 users to earn airdrops, with a total reward value of about 3.7 million USDT. Among the ways to earn points, “asset holdings” is one of the most stable channels.

The core idea of “earning while lying down” relies on the daily system snapshot. Gate’s system takes a snapshot of your contract account at 07:59:59 (UTC+8) every day, calculating the total USD value of your USDT and BTC assets. As long as your asset balance falls within certain ranges, you will automatically receive points the next day without any action needed.

This means that whether you’re long-term bullish on BTC or using USDT as collateral, as long as your assets are in your contract account, they can serve as your “perpetual motion machine” for daily points.

Quantified Passive Income: How many points is your position worth each day?

According to Gate’s official rules, points are awarded based on asset size tiers, as follows:

• 100 USDT ≤ Balance < 1,000 USDT: 1 point per day
• 1,000 USDT ≤ Balance < 10,000 USDT: 2 points per day
• 10,000 USDT ≤ Balance < 100,000 USDT: 3 points per day
• Balance ≥ 100,000 USDT: 4 points per day

Scenario:

Suppose you’re a long-term BTC holder with $25,000 worth of BTC in your contract account. According to the rules, you can earn a stable 3 points daily. Over a month (30 days), just holding this position alone accumulates 90 points.

Are these 90 points falling from the sky? No, they represent the time value of your assets. If you choose to keep your BTC or USDT in spot accounts without moving them, you won’t earn these points.

Point Value: Turning “sleep income” into real cash

What can you do with accumulated points? That’s the key. While Gate’s contract points can’t be directly withdrawn, they are a highly liquid “rights ticket” that can be exchanged for valuable assets.

Priority exchange strategies:

• Airdrops of popular projects (high-yield strategy): This is the most imaginative use of points. Gate regularly hosts “contract points airdrop” events, where users can exchange points for popular tokens. For example, in the 76th airdrop, users spent 15 points to get 3 GT tokens. Some users have exchanged points for new assets like PUMP, DEEP, earning over $2,400 USDT in total.
• Exchange for stablecoins (indirect cash-out): In the 90th airdrop, users could exchange points for 25 GUSD and 100 USDT position vouchers. Once converted into GUSD or USDT, these assets become withdrawable, completing the jump from “points” to cash.
• Use as trial funds (zero-risk testing): Users wanting to test new strategies can exchange 40 points for a 100 USDT position voucher. Using the voucher to open positions, any profits generated belong to you—effectively using points to seek risk-free gains.

How to ensure daily snapshot isn’t missed?

To achieve stable passive income, just pay attention to these two points:

1. Asset placement: Make sure your BTC or USDT is stored in your contract account. Funds in savings accounts (like Yuebi Bao) or other accounts are not included in the snapshot.
2. Snapshot timing: Remember, the snapshot occurs daily at 07:59:59 (UTC+8). Avoid transferring funds around this time to prevent assets from being temporarily off the account, which could cause the snapshot to miss your assets.

Important reminder: Avoid points “expiring and being cleared”

Points are valuable, but there’s a crucial “survival rule”: they expire after 15 days.

Each set of points is valid for 15 days from issuance and will be automatically invalidated afterward. The system follows a FIFO (first-in, first-out) consumption principle. Therefore, it’s recommended to check and clear about-to-expire points every 5-7 days by opening the Gate app, clicking your avatar in the top left, and viewing the “Contract Points” page. Treat points like “fresh milk” rather than “wine”—consume them before they expire.

Conclusion

In Gate’s points ecosystem, “hoarding” is the least efficient behavior. Moving assets actively—whether through trading or holding positions to earn points and quickly exchange them—is the key to maximizing value.

For those who prefer to keep their assets still, simply place BTC or USDT in your contract account, enjoy the steady flow of daily points from snapshots, and convert them via airdrops or stablecoins into real gains. This is the most elegant “lying down and earning” posture during market calm periods.

Now, check your contract account and start making every BTC work for you.