Bridging Just Became Free: $5 Refunds for Astar Degens Are Live—With Weekly Top-Ups and Full Coverage Ahead

If you bridged your Astar Degens NFT from Astar to Soneium on or before June 17, 2025, you can now claim a refund for your $5 bridging fee. And if you bridged after that date? Don’t worry—your refund is guaranteed, too.

This initiative is a collaboration between NFT Bridges and the Astar Degens DAO, structured around long-term sustainability and community-first incentives.

💡Why We’re Doing This

The Astar Degens collection is one of the most iconic NFT communities on the Astar network. When we introduced support for bridging the Astar Degens NFTs from Astar to Soneium, we knew the migration would only succeed if we made the process accessible, affordable, and community-aligned.

From day one, the Astar Degens DAO committed to covering bridging costs for its holders, not through direct payments, but through a smart mechanism that rewards users while preserving the DAO treasury’s flexibility.

Here’s how it works.

🔁 The Funding Mechanism: DAO + Staking Synergy

To fund the refund system:

The Astar Degens DAO staked treasury funds on behalf of NFT Bridges via the Astar dApp staking initiative.
In return, NFT Bridges committed to using 50% of the staking rewards to reimburse Degens holders who bridge to Soneium.

This way:

The DAO doesn’t have to pay the refund amount upfront
The refund contract is fueled over time
NFT Bridges earns its share while supporting the community
Every user who bridges gets refunded

And if the deposited staking rewards run out?

The Astar Degens DAO has committed to topping up the refund contract with additional ASTR tokens to ensure everyone gets reimbursed—no matter when they bridged.

🧾 How to Claim Your Refund

The refund process is fully automated and live at:

👉 https://nftbridges.xyz/rewards

If you bridged before June 17, you can claim immediately:

Connect your wallet
Check eligibility
Click Claim
Receive your refund in ASTR

Need step-by-step help? Here’s the full guide:
📘 https://docs.nftbridges.xyz/how-to/claim-rewards

🗓️ Bridged After June 17? Your Refund Is Coming

We’re not limiting this refund to early users. Every month, as long as we continue to receive the dApp staking rewards, we will add more tokens to the smart contract. The Astar Degens DAO is committed to replenishing the refund tokens when the dApp staking runs out.

If you bridged after June 17, your refund will become available as soon as the next top-up hits the contract. All bridgers are being tracked, and every wallet will be eligible as long as it meets the criteria.

🤝 A Model for Protocol + DAO Collaboration

This initiative isn’t just a refund campaign—it’s a template for how protocols and DAOs can collaborate.

By staking DAO treasury funds on behalf of NFT Bridges, the Astar Degens DAO helped fund refunds without needing to liquidate treasury assets. Meanwhile, NFT Bridges shares its staking revenue with the community by directly reimbursing users.

It’s win–win–win:

The DAO protects its reserves
NFT Bridges drives adoption
Users bridge NFTs for free

🧭 What’s Next?

This isn’t a one-time giveaway. It’s part of a broader strategy to make NFT Bridges a community-first platform.

Here’s what’s on the way:

Refunds for additional NFT collections
Teleport token (TLPT) rewards for bridgers
Raffle entries and commemorative NFTs
DAO voting perks for active participants

We’re building a bridge network powered by real user incentives, and your feedback is helping shape it.

🚀 TL;DR: Bridge Now, Claim Now or Soon

✅ If you already bridged and are eligible—claim now
⏳ If you bridged later—your turn is coming
📅 If you haven’t bridged—get started today, and your refund will be waiting soon