Key Takeaways
- Staking POL, the token that replaced MATIC in September 2024, lets you earn rewards, like interest, for helping secure the network.
- Polygon uses a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus system, where validators are chosen based on the number of POL tokens staked. The more POL tokens staked, the higher the chance of being chosen.
- There are different ways to stake POL, including delegating to validators, using exchanges, or running your own validator node (requires more technical knowledge).
Polygon’s token is now POL, which replaced MATIC on September 4, 2024 as part of Polygon 2.0. Polygon Labs also set July 1, 2026 as the sunset date for its zkEVM Mainnet Beta, to focus on Polygon PoS and Agglayer. But what can you do right now to maximize your returns on your POL tokens?
In this article, we will delve into Polygon (POL) staking, exploring how you can earn free Polygon tokens through staking rewards.
A Few Reminders
First and foremost, we need to understand a few key concepts about the differences between custodial and non-custodial staking and the significance of POL tokens within the Polygon ecosystem.
Custodial staking means that you are handing over your crypto to someone else to stake it for you. This could be okay if you trust the entity to whom you are handing over your hard-earned crypto. However, the whole point of crypto is not to rely on or trust third parties. If the entity you are trusting goes out of business, gets hacked, or the owners decide to rug pull, then you could be left with nothing, so remember, not your keys, not your crypto.
With that said, some of the biggest platforms that offer custodial staking include Coinbase, Bitstamp, Binance, KuCoin, OKX, and several others, depending on your jurisdiction.
About Polygon (POL)
POL started with a supply of 10 billion tokens, one for every MATIC. Staking rewards come from new POL: since mid-2025, emissions have been 2% a year, with 1% going to validator rewards and 1% to the community treasury. The rate you earn changes at every checkpoint, because it depends on how much POL is staked in total and on your validator’s commission.
If you are new to crypto, one other important thing to note is that POL and Polygon are not interchangeable terms.
When someone uses the term “POL tokens” (or the older “MATIC tokens”), they colloquially refer to Polygon tokens. The distinction may initially seem confusing, but these two terms are linked within the Polygon network.
Polygon used to be called the “Matic Network” before they rebranded to “Polygon.” On September 4, 2024, POL replaced MATIC as the gas and staking token of Polygon PoS at a 1:1 ratio. MATIC held on Polygon PoS, and all staked MATIC, were upgraded to POL automatically. If you still hold MATIC on Ethereum, you can upgrade it on the Polygon Portal.
About Polygon Staking
You can stake Polygon from various wallets, including hardware wallets like Ledger or Trezor. You can also use other hot wallets like MetaMask.
It is really up to you how you want to self-custody your tokens, but the point is that there are many choices, so figure out which one is right for you.
Anyone who wants to stake their POL tokens has to delegate to a validator. Delegators earn rewards for their staked tokens relative to the amount of Polygon tokens staked and the length of time you are required to stake, which can vary depending on which validator you decide to delegate your tokens to.
The network does not set a minimum requirement, but validators can choose to set a minimum to delegate and stake on their node. Validators can and usually do charge fees for their services as well.
Staked POL has an unbonding period of 80 checkpoints. A checkpoint takes about 30 minutes, so this is roughly 40 hours, or longer when congestion on Ethereum delays checkpoints. Rewards you withdraw arrive right away, but you need at least 2 POL in rewards to withdraw or restake them.
Polygon Staking Tutorial
As I said earlier, you can choose different kinds of wallets to stake, but for this tutorial, let’s follow a step-by-step guide to staking your POL tokens via MetaMask.
Install The MetaMask Extension To Your Browser
Head over to the MetaMask website to set it up as a browser extension and create a new wallet if you don’t already have one.
Set Your Wallet To The Ethereum Blockchain
Once you log into your wallet, connect your MetaMask to the Ethereum Mainnet.
Transfer POL And ETH Tokens To Your MetaMask
To stake POL tokens, you must have some in your MetaMask wallet. Copy the receiving address from your MetaMask wallet and paste it as the destination address when transferring POL tokens from another wallet.
You will also need a bit of ETH for gas fee transactions.
Make sure that the POL and ETH tokens you are sending are on the Ethereum Mainnet. If your POL is on the Polygon PoS network, bridge it to Ethereum first on the Polygon Portal.
Visit The Polygon Staking Dashboard
Open Polygon Staking, the official staking dashboard, and log in with MetaMask while it is still set to the Ethereum Mainnet. Staking runs on Ethereum, so for this step you don’t need to switch to the Polygon network or use the official Polygon Wallet site.
Choosing A Validator
It is usually a good idea to check out a validator node before you start staking to ensure that you feel safe trusting them with your funds.
Polygon keeps an open list of all validators on the network for anyone to review. Here, you can find information like the total POL staked in each node, the commission they are charging, the number of checkpoints the node is assigned, and its current health status.
Time To Stake Your POL Tokens!
On the Polygon Staking dashboard, click “Become a Delegator,” or scroll to the validator you chose and click “Delegate.”
Choose POL from the drop-down list, input how many tokens you want to stake, and click “Continue.” Then approve the transaction in MetaMask and click “Delegate.” You can still delegate MATIC, but rewards are paid in POL.
Earning Rewards on Your Staked POL
You have successfully staked your MATIC tokens and are now on your way to earning those free tokens! However, do note that there are quite a few staking options available, and this guide shows the MetaMask route.
If you liked this article, you may also interested in the following: What Is Polygon (MATIC)? All You Need To Know
