Users participating in contract trading on the Gate platform may notice that their contract points in the account don’t continuously increase. Sometimes the point balance drops even when they haven’t joined any new campaigns. This isn’t a system issue. It comes from the core design of the contract points system: a rolling 15-day window mechanism.
Gate contract points are a points system used to evaluate user activity within the contract trading ecosystem. Its purpose is to determine users’ eligibility to participate in contract-related activities and receive rewards. Unlike traditional membership points, contract points don’t have a permanent accumulation feature. Every batch of points you earn has a clearly defined expiration period. Understanding this mechanism is the prerequisite for correctly managing point assets and planning the timing of your airdrop participation.
Three Ways to Earn Gate Contract Points
Earning Gate contract points follows a multidimensional evaluation logic. Each day, the system calculates points from three independent channels based on user behavior on the platform. The next day, it consolidates them into your total point balance.
Balance points reflect how long account assets are retained. Each day, the system takes snapshots of the USDT and BTC balances in the contract account, as well as the USDx balance in your TradFi account. It converts them into a unified USD value using the exchange rate, then issues points. Balance between $100 and $1,000 earns 1 point per day; $1,000 to $10,000 earns 2 points; $10,000 to $100,000 earns 3 points; and $100,000 or more earns 4 points. This channel provides a way for position-holding users to accumulate without relying on trading frequency.
Trading points directly reflect how active you are in contract trading. The rules use a power-based multiplier model: you earn 1 point for every 400 USDT of valid trading volume. When the trading volume doubles, points increase by 1 as well. Both opening and closing trades are included in the calculation range. Starting in February 2026, the trading volume of TradFi products is included as valid contract trading volume based on a fixed 20% conversion ratio.
Invitation points bring expansion behavior into the points framework. For each new user who successfully joins an activity, the inviter earns 1 point, with a daily cap of 3 points. The criterion for a valid invitation is: the invited user must have earned at least 2 points in total. This rule ensures invitation quality and prevents points inflation from ineffective registrations.
How the Rolling 15-Day Window Works
The core feature of Gate contract points is their dynamic nature. The current total points are calculated as: the cumulative points earned over the past 15 days, minus the points consumed during the same period. This formula keeps your point balance in a flowing state rather than a static accumulation.
You can think of the 15-day window as 15 daily containers. New points generated each day go into the newest container. The container from the earliest day is automatically cleared once it moves out of the 15-day window. The system continuously includes newly earned points in the calculation while removing points that have expired or been consumed. Therefore, a decrease in points on a certain day may simply mean that points earned earlier reached the 15-day limit, rather than indicating any account abnormality.
Point expiration follows fixed rules: each batch of points expires automatically on the 15th day starting from its corresponding snapshot date. When the system consumes points, it applies a "first-in, first-out" principle, deducting the earliest earned points first. That means even if you don’t actively use points, old points will still be automatically reclaimed by the system when they slide out of the window.
Common Reasons for Points Declining
A drop in your point balance is usually triggered by the following situations.
Natural expiration is the most common reason. If a user earned a large amount of points 15 days ago but hasn’t maintained the corresponding trading volume or balance level recently, the amount of points removed as the window slides may exceed the amount of new points added, resulting in a net decrease in total points. For example, a user earns 5 points on Day 1 and generates no new points afterward. On Day 16, the Day 1 points expire and are reclaimed, and the point balance becomes zero. This is simply normal rolling behavior, not a system failure.
Activity consumption is another major route. When a user confirms participation in a points-related activity—such as redeeming a position experience voucher or claiming a token airdrop—the system deducts the corresponding points immediately. The current points consumption rules for airdrop activities show that position experience voucher prize pools typically require a minimum of 40 points, consuming 20 points; the points threshold for token airdrop prize pools varies by round, and the consumption amount is generally 15 points. On the points page, users can view ended and ongoing activities. Each activity clearly states its minimum points requirement and the points consumption amount.
Insufficient trading volume can also indirectly cause points to decrease. If, on a given day, your contract trading volume is below 400 USDT, no trading points are generated for that day. Meanwhile, previously earned trading points continue to expire over time. When the rate of new point generation is lower than the rate of old point reclamation, your balance will decline.
In addition, certain account types are not eligible to earn points. Market makers, enterprise users, and institutional accounts are excluded from the contract points system. The trading volume of sub-accounts is not counted, and API trading is also not included in the points calculation. If users trade through the channels above, they won’t be able to earn the corresponding points.
How to View Point Change Details
Gate provides a complete activity tracking function on the contract points page. After logging in, users can go to the dedicated points page to view their current total points and UID information.
In the daily points details section, the system lists fields such as balance, balance points, trading volume, trading points, number of invited new users, invitation points, expired points, and points consumed—organized by date. By comparing data across different days, users can accurately identify what caused the change: whether a day saw an expiration deduction or whether points were consumed by participating in an activity. The system updates the previous day’s points data daily before 12:00 (UTC+8).
This transparency design helps users distinguish "normal expiration" from "abnormal changes," preventing unnecessary concerns caused by point fluctuations. Once users understand how the 15-day window works, point decreases become an expected outcome rather than something to worry about.
Closing Remarks
Gate contract points’ 15-day rolling mechanism isn’t a restriction—it’s a filtering logic. It ensures that what the points reflect is your recent real participation level, not a trace of historical behavior accumulation. Every time points are earned or expire corresponds to specific activity records and clear time boundaries.
For users who frequently participate in contract trading, the rolling mechanism means your point balance is naturally volatile. Understanding the window rules helps you plan when to use points reasonably, complete benefit redemptions before points expire, and avoid wasting resources. The value of contract points isn’t in holding them permanently—it’s in converting them into real benefits during the valid period.
FAQ
Why do contract points automatically decrease?
Points use a 15-day rolling window calculation. Each batch of points automatically expires 15 days after it’s earned. The system removes them when the window slides. If the newly earned points are less than the points reclaimed upon expiration, your total balance will decrease.
What’s the difference between point expiration and point consumption?
Expiration is when the system automatically reclaims points that move past the 15-day window, without any action required from the user. Consumption happens when a user actively participates in an activity (such as redeeming an airdrop or experience voucher), and the system deducts points using a "first-in, first-out" principle. Both reduce the balance, but they are triggered differently.
How can I check points that are about to expire?
On the contract points page’s daily points details, the system lists the points earned each day along with their corresponding expiration dates. Users can use this to determine which points are nearing expiration and prioritize using them.
Why did I trade but don’t get trading points?
To earn 1 point, the day’s valid contract trading volume must reach 400 USDT. If the volume is insufficient, no trading points are generated for that day. In addition, the trading volume from sub-accounts and API trades is not included in the calculation, and market maker and institutional accounts don’t participate in the points system.
Can contract points be transferred or withdrawn?
No. Gate contract points are internal entitlement vouchers for the platform and do not have the attributes of currency or cryptocurrency assets. Points can’t be transferred or withdrawn. They can only be used within the platform to redeem airdrop rewards or related entitlements.
