FAQ
What is a pledge?
Pledge is the amount of ADA the pool operator has staked in the pool (the skin in the game so to speak). As per Cardano governance consensus the higher the pledge amount, the higher the overall reward the pool receives.
What is stake pool saturation?
When a stake pool is saturated, this means that the amount being staked on that pool is over the parameter set by the Cardano governance. This results in diminishing ROA to the delegators staking on the pool. Saturation level at the moment is at 63.6m ADA.
When will I start receiving my reward?
This depends exactly when you staked, but you will typically see your reward within 20-25 days and then every 5 days after that once your pool is producing blocks.
Day 1 (Epoch 1) - Delegation Snapshot Phase - You start delegating to ALFA pool.
Day 6-11 (Epoch 2) - Participation Snapshot - A snapshot is taken containing your delegation.
Day 11-16 (Epoch 3) - Create Rewards Phase - Your stake produces blocks with ALFA pool.
Day 16-20 (Epoch 4) - Rewards Calculation Phase - Your share of rewards for previous epoch are calculated by the ADA protocol.
Day 21 (Epoch 5) - Rewards Payout Phase - You're paid automatically for all blocks produced by ALFA pool in epoch 3!!!
When I receive my reward, do I need to stake again?
No, your reward is automatically staked to the same pool your wallet is currently staking. This also applies to any additional ADA the you receive in the wallet after staking.
Why does my reward fluctuate so much?
It is part of the Cardano protocol design to include the natural element of luck, it is the same for all pools. However, in the long run the rewards should be similar assuming of course the comparative pools are online 100% of the time.
What are the risks in staking on ALFA pool?
There are no risks to your ADA when staking on the Caradano network. Staking is built-in to the protocol design, your ADA stays in your wallet under your own control, you can still send and receive as usual.
Why should I stake with ALFA pool?
Professionally operated high performance Baremetal Node with cloud Relays. 99,99% uptime which will provide our delegators the optimum probability to maximize the ROA. You need more reasons? :)
How do I stake with ALFA pool?
You can use Daedalus or Yoroi wallet to stake your ADA. Once you have setup your wallet you can start staking. Please use the wallets delegation feature, and search for ALFA.
Can I delegate to more than one pool?
No, at the moment the Cardano network does not allow this. However, this feature is in the Cardano development roadmap and should be released in the future.
Why should I stake my ADA?
By staking your ADA you are helping to support the network and for doing so you earn rewards
Does Cardano staking lock your coins?
No unlike some other staking cryptocurrencies Cardano staking doesn’t lock up your ADA so you are free to move it at any time that you want
Is there a minimum amount I need to stake?
You can stake any amount over 10 ADA.
Where can I view Stake Pool Stats
A few very good websites to track how pools are performing are pooltool.io adapools.org pool.pm and cardanoscan.io
All sites give you up to date stats on all pools. When you are looking at smaller pools sometimes stats dont give the full picture as smaller pools can miss some epochs but generally get bigger rewards when they do get blocks which helps them even out over the long term with returns.
How much do I earn with Cardano Staking?
The return rate will vary depending on the pool you are in but in general most pools will average out between 5% – 6% APY over the year. With some smaller pools they might not get rewards in every epoch but when they do they generally get bigger rewards while bigger pools will get consistent rewards every epoch. Below are some calculators to track down you rewards
https://cardano.org/calculator/
Why do rewards not increase immediately after adding to an existing staked address?
When you add new funds to a wallet you will have to wait about 15 days to get your first rewards on the extra ADA and then it will be every 5 days. While you are waiting you will still be getting rewards on your original balance.
Do I have to claim my rewards every time?
Daedalus automatically claims your rewards but if you are using another wallet like Yoroi you have the option to manually claim them. As they are auto re-staked for you, the only time you really need to claim them is when you want to move them out of the wallet, every time you claim you pay a transaction fee and even though it is very small there is no need paying it if you don’t need to.
Are there any fees for staking?
When staking you pay a transaction fee (roughly 0.17 ADA) to create and sign your stake key. There is also a 2 ADA deposit which you get back when you stop staking
What are the staking pool fixed fee of 340 ADA and variable fee?
You don’t directly pay the fixed fee or the variable fee when staking. These 2 fees are taken out of the overall pool rewards in an epoch and the rest is then distributed between all delegators.
Fixed Fee: The protocol has this set as a minimum 340 ADA
Variable fee: This is set by the stake pool operator and is generally 0% – 5%.
Is Staking Secure, can the pool steal my funds?
When you are staking you are still the only person that has access to move the funds so the security of your ADA is still 100% in your hands. By staking you are just signing a transaction (staking key) to say which pool you are choosing, so even if that pool gets hacked or disappears your funds are safe and you can redelegate to another pool.
Can I lose my ADA when I am staking?
No Cardano doesn’t have a slashing system which some other staking platforms do so the ADA you stake to the network can never be impacted, you only get rewards for staking.
Are Yoroi and Daedalus safe wallets or do I need a hardware wallet?
Yoroi and Daedalus are both very good wallets and they are as secure as you are with your seed phrase. Once you keep your seed phrase safe then your wallet should be secure. When running any wallets it is also good to have anti virus software to make sure your laptop stays clean.
You can use a hardware wallet for which can be accessed through Daedalus and Yoroi for an extra layer of security that a hardware wallet provides.