One airdrop has been asking me to cash out the tokens using my TON wallet, but when I try to, the prompt I receive is that I do not have TON to complete the transaction. Must I have TON to receive Telegram-based airdrops?
The cost is on the receiver. Imagine, on one airdrop alone, claimants numbering from hundreds of thousands to millions. I'm talking about one popular airdrop. The project cannot keep up with the costs of paying the fees, so they oblige you to connect your wallet and carry the fees.
So, if you're active on airdrops, be sure you have Ton. A friend who is very active on airdrops calculated the fees on Ton, and they amount to at least 3 tons.