FAQ - Acala Wiki

Most Asked Questions
Is the reward ratio the same across contribution methods?
Yes. The base ACA reward is the same regardless of how you participate.
What is the minimum amount to participate? 
The minimum contribution depends on how you participate: 
Liquid Crowdloan Contribution: 2.1 DOT balance (1 DOT minimum contribution)
Direct Polkadot Contribution: 6.1 DOT balance (5 DOT minimum contribution)
Partner Wallets: 6.1 DOT balance (5 DOT minimum contribution)
Exchange: Check with your exchange’s requirements
How long will my DOT be locked? 
Your DOT will be locked for the full duration of Acala's parachain lease, which is 96 weeks. However, contributors have the option to participate through Liquid Crowdloan which gives them access to the liquidity in their DOT contribution shortly after Acala’s launch. 
When will I receive my ACA tokens? 
You will receive your ACA after Acala wins a parachain slot, launches the network (expected December 17th, 2021), and enables token transfers.
What wallets can I use to participate? Can I use Ledger? 
A list of supported wallets can be found here. Ledger does not support Crowdloans in Polkadot.
How do I check my crowdloan contribution?
The easiest way to track your rewards is by logging onto the Acala website and entering the DOT address you used to make a contribution.
Contributors that used the polkadot.js browser extension wallet to participate and selected the Direct contribution method, can also connect their wallet to polkadot.js.org and go to Network->Parachains->Crowdloan and see My contributions in the raised column. Note that participants that elected the 
If a contributor elected the the Contribute & Stay Liquid method, those contributions will not show up in polkadot.js.org. It's best to check those contributions on the Acala website.
I made a contribution but it seems like I lost an extra ~1 DOT - what happened?
Polkadot requires that all non-zero balances be 1 DOT or greater. If the account balance falls below this amount, the 0.X DOT are automatically taken from the user by the Polkadot platform and cannot be returned. Because of this, it's important that users leave at least a 1.1 DOT balance after they make their crowdloan contribution.
I meant to make a Liquid contribution but made a Direct contribution by mistake - can I change it?
No.
How to Participate
Can I participate in the Crowdloan through an exchange? 
Perhaps. Contact your exchange to learn if they are supporting the Polkadot parachain auctions. 
I'm currently staking my DOT - what do I need to do? 
If you are staking on an exchange, contact your exchange to learn if they are supporting the Polkadot parachain auctions and for instructions on how to participate. If you stake directly in Polkadot, you must go through the 28 day unbonding period before you can make your Crowdloan contribution. Learn how to unstake your DOT here.
Will my DOT be returned after the parachain lease ends? 
Liquid Crowdloan Contributors can redeem any lcDOT they hold at Acala's parachain lease expiration for the equivalent amount of DOT (the ratio of lcDOT to DOT is 1:1). All other contributors will have their full DOT contribution returned to them at lease expiration.
Can I participate using Ledger? 
No. Ledger does not support Polkadot crowdloans. 
Can I withdraw my DOT from the crowdloan? 
No. All submissions to the crowdloan module are final and cannot be withdrawn. 
What if Acala doesn’t win the first parachain auction, what happens to my DOT? 
If Acala does not win the initial auction, it will continue to bid in the subsequent auctions. There are 5 auctions total in the first batch of parachain slots. 
Do I need to sign up for the waitlist in order to participate? 
No. Signing up for the waitlist has no impact on your ability to participate. However, participating in the waitlist can entitle you for additional bonuses.
Can I still sign up for the waitlist?
No. Signup for the waitlist has ended (Oct 12). However, you don't need to sign up for the waitlist to contribute to the crowdloan. Additionally, you can make a contribution to the crowdloan and receive a referral code from Acala. You can use this referral code to refer other users and receive ACA bonuses.
Referral Codes and Bonuses
How do I get a referral code? 
There are two ways to get a referral code. Users on the waitlist (signed up by Oct 12) can complete the first two Acala Quests to receive their referral code via email. Users not on the waitlist can receive a referral code after they make their crowdloan contribution.
Have referral codes been distributed?
Yes. Users on the waitlist that have completed Quests 1 and 2 will receive their referral code via email. Users that are not on the waitlist will get their referral code after they contribute to the Acala crowdloan.
How do I change the DOT address linked to my referral code?
Users on the waitlist are the only users that can change the DOT address linked to their referral code. To change the DOT address, redo Quests 1 and 2 using your waitlist email address and the new DOT address you'd like to use for your referral link. Your new referral link will be emailed to you.
Can the referral codes be used for other crowdloans?
No.
How do I get my 10% referral bonus?
Users that were on the waitlist and have their own referral code can earn a 10% ACA bonus. To get your 10% ACA bonus, enter YOUR referral code to self-refer when you make YOUR crowdloan contribution. You'll receive a 5% ACA bonus as the referrer and 5% ACA bonus as referee for a total of 10% bonus on YOUR DOT contribution. Share YOUR referral code with others and receive a 5% bonus in ACA on THEIR DOT contributions.
How do I get my 5% referral bonus?
If you weren't on the waitlist and don't have a referral code, you can earn a 5% ACA bonus. Enter SOMEONE ELSE’S referral code when you make YOUR crowdloan contribution to receive a 5% bonus in ACA on YOUR DOT contribution. After you make YOUR crowdloan contribution, Acala will give you YOUR OWN referral code that you can share with others to receive 5% bonus in ACA on THEIR DOT contributions.
How do I get my 2% Quest bonus?
Complete all 5 Acala Quests to receive a 2% ACA bonus on YOUR DOT contribution. The Quest bonus will be redeemable after the Acala network launches. Importantly, users should note that all Quest bonuses will need to be claimed after the Acala crowdloan. 
How do I get my 2% Karura Crowdloan bonus?
If you contributed to the Karura Crowdloan, you must make your Acala Crowdloan contribution with the same account that you used to make your Karura contribution. If you do this, you will receive a 2% bonus in ACA on YOUR FIRST DOT contribution.
Although your Karura Crowdloan contribution was made from your Kusama address, each account created in the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystems comes with a set of addresses for Polkadot, Kusama and their parachains. All of these addresses are controlled by the same account. You can check to see a complete set of each account's addresses by going here and pasting any of your addresses into Input SS58 Account or Public Key and clicking Transform.
What is the VIP referral bonus?
Users that refer 500 accounts or more and get those accounts to contribute over 3,000 DOT will receive a 10% ACA bonus on all DOT contributed using their referral code. Importantly, a maximum of only 100 u
Can you show how the bonuses can be used together?
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Liquid Crowdloan and lcDOT
How does Liquid Crowdloan Contribution work? 
Select the Liquid Crowdloan option when making your contribution on the Acala website or Polkawallet. After the Acala network launches, you will receive your ACA rewards plus lcDOT. lcDOT will be issued on a 1:1 basis against your DOT contribution and can be redeemed for DOT on a 1:1 basis at Acala's parachain lease expiration. lcDOT allows you to access the liquidity in your crowdloan contribution because lcDOT can be used in Acala’s DeFi primitives (e.g., trade, transfer, collateralize).
It's important to note that the Liquid Crowdloan option is not completely trustless. It requires you to contribute your DOT to the Liquid Crowdoan Vault managed by the Acala Foundation. This vault will be managed by the Acala Foundation until ownership of the vault is transferred to the Acala parachain. If you are looking for a way to trustlessly contribute, make a Direct Polkadot Contribution.
What are the risks of the Liquid Crowdloan Contribution method?
Contributors using this method need to trust the Acala Foundation to manage the Liquid Crowdloan Vault until Vault ownership is transferred to the Acala parachain. 
We do not foresee any technical risk with this approach.
What is lcDOT? 
Liquid Crowdloan DOT (lcDOT) represents the underlying DOT liquidity of an Acala Crowdloan DOT contribution. When a participant contributes DOT via the Liquid Crowdloan option, they will receive lcDOT, a liquid (unlocked) token available for use on Acala’s DeFi hub in addition to ACA rewards. lcDOT can be used to swap, collateralize for a self-serviced loan in aUSD stablecoin, and more. lcDOT is redeemable for DOT on a 1:1 basis at the end of Acala’s parachain lease.
If I sell my lcDOT, will I still be able to receive my DOT contribution at the end of the parachain lease? 
Contributors that made a Liquid Crowdloan Contribution must hold lcDOT at the end of the parachain lease in order to redeem their lcDOT for DOT. If these contributors no longer hold lcDOT, they won’t be able to redeem for DOT.
If I sell my lcDOT, can I still receive ACA rewards?
Yes. If you make a DOT contribution to the Acala Crowdloan, you will receive ACA rewards. Selling your lcDOT has no impact on your ACA rewards.
Does lcDOT vest?
No. Your lcDOT will be distributed with your ACA rewards after the Acala network launches and transfers are enabled. However, a portion of your ACA rewards will vest over the duration of the Acala parachain lease.
Can I make a Liquid Crowdloan Contribution and a Direct Crowdloan Contribution from the same address? 
Yes. 
ACA Tokens 
Who receives ACA tokens? 
Anyone that makes a DOT contribution to the Acala crowdloan and agrees to the T&Cs will receive ACA tokens. 
How many ACA will be distributed in the crowdloan?
17% of the ACA supply (equivalent to 170,000,000 ACA) will be distributed.
What is the vesting schedule?
20% of your ACA rewards will be delivered to you as liquid and transferrable. The remaining 80% will vest/unlock linearly (every block) over the 96 week parachain lease.
What is the total ACA token supply? 
The total ACA supply is 1 billion ACA.
What is the purpose of the ACA token? 
ACA is the utility token that powers the DeFi hub of Polkadot. ACA is used for: 
Transaction Fees 
Proof-of-liveness (incentives for running Acala nodes) 
Foundation of governance (upgrading the network, adjusting Risk Parameters, etc)