Best Bonus Buy Slots: How Bonus Buys Work, RTP, and Bankroll Tips

A bonus buy at an online casino is a feature that skips the base-game spins and takes you straight into the bonus round. Free spins and other bonus rounds are the highlight of most slots, and because a bonus buy lets you start one without waiting to trigger it, the feature has become one of the most popular options in online slots.

What You Will Learn

• How bonus buys at online casinos work, and their pros and cons, including the larger swings in your results
• Our ranking of recommended bonus buy slots, and slots that let you lower the buy price

This article takes about 8 minutes to read.

What Is a Bonus Buy at an Online Casino? How It Works and How It Affects RTP

At an online casino, a bonus buy lets you skip the wait for the bonus round to trigger in the base game. Instead, you pay a fixed price, usually tens to thousands of times your spin bet, and go straight into the bonus round.

For players with limited time, it is one way to cut out the waiting.

A bonus buy is more than a time-saver, though. It also changes the volatility (variance) of the game considerably. Understanding how it works and using it in a way that fits your bankroll is the first step toward playing sustainably over the long term.

Start Straight from the Bonus Round Without Waiting for a Trigger

In the base game, you have to wait for scatter symbols to land, and it is not unusual for the bonus round to take thousands of spins to trigger. A bonus buy skips this wait and takes you into the bonus round with a single click.

This is especially useful for players with limited time, for example after work, because you can go straight to the game’s main feature.

Because you enter the bonus round immediately, however, you go through your money much faster than in base-game play. The amount you wager per hour is larger, so set a limit on the number of purchases before you start.

A Bonus Buy Costs Tens to Thousands of Times Your Bet

The price of a bonus round varies widely by slot and by the type of buy, ranging from tens to thousands of times the bet, and many slots price it at around 100x. For example, a 100x buy on a $1 bet costs $100.

Many slots offer several buy options, and the more expensive the option, the more money each purchase puts at stake. Specific guidelines on how much to spend per purchase relative to your total bankroll are covered in the bankroll management section below.

RTP in the Base Game vs. Bonus Buys

Depending on the slot, the return to player (RTP) of the bonus buy may differ slightly from the RTP in the base game. Some slots have a higher RTP for the bonus buy and others a lower one, so buying is not automatically the better deal. Check the actual figures in the game’s info screen or pay table.

A high RTP also does not mean you are guaranteed to win. A bonus buy skips the steady stream of small wins you get in the base game, so its volatility is very high.

Because more of the return comes from large wins, a run of poor bonus rounds drains your bankroll quickly. Do not judge a slot by its RTP figure alone, and keep in mind that a bonus buy means much larger swings in your results.

Our Ranking of Recommended Slots for Bonus Buys at Online Casinos

When you use bonus buys at an online casino, the slot you choose has a large effect on how much your results swing. Below are three notable slots, selected for the size of their maximum win, how well their bonus rounds are designed, and how many of the casinos we have checked offer them.

These criteria differ from those of our overall ranking (our 15 recommended online slots), so the order is different as well.

Look at the features of each slot and choose the one that suits your bankroll and playing style.

No. 1: San Quentin xWays, a High-Volatility Slot with a 150,000x Max Win

San Quentin xWays by Nolimit City is a prison-themed, high-volatility slot. Its listed maximum win is 150,000x the bet.

Buying the bonus takes you straight into the Lockdown Spins feature, where expanding reels and wild multipliers work together.

No. 2: Money Train 4, with Varied Special Symbols That Build Multipliers

Money Train 4 by Relax Gaming is the latest installment in a popular series and includes a bonus buy option.

Its maximum win is 150,000x, which the provider says is the highest in the series. The main feature is the Money Cart Bonus, in which more than 20 different special symbols (such as Payers and Collectors) interact, setting off chain reactions that keep building the multipliers.

No. 3: Sweet Bonanza, Popular for Its Cascading Wins and Ease of Play

Sweet Bonanza by Pragmatic Play is a popular grid-based (scatter pays) slot with a bright fruit-and-candy theme.

Buying the bonus takes you straight to free spins in which bomb multipliers of up to 100x can drop, and its cascades (winning symbols are removed and new ones fall into place) produce fairly frequent wins.

Because its rules are easy to follow, it is also a popular first choice for players trying bonus buys.

Slots That Let You Lower the Buy Price

High-volatility slots, whose returns are concentrated in large wins, tend to drain your bankroll quickly. If your bankroll is tight, the basic rule is to avoid bonus buys altogether. If you still want to use them, slots with lower-cost buy options are a better fit.

Below are two examples of slots with features that let you adjust the cost of a purchase.

Extra Chilli Megaways, with a Gamble Feature That Adds Free Spins

Extra Chilli Megaways by Big Time Gaming is a Megaways slot with a chili pepper theme. What sets it apart is the gamble option offered before the free spins begin.

You can stake the free spins you have won for a chance at more spins, but if the gamble fails, you lose the free spins altogether. Because the gamble can go either way, it does not raise the RTP. What it does is let you choose how large the swings in your results will be.

White Rabbit Megaways, with a Feature Drop That Lowers the Buy Price

White Rabbit Megaways, also by Big Time Gaming, is a well-known slot based on Alice in Wonderland.

Its distinctive feature is the Feature Drop: collecting Feature Drop symbols during the base game lowers the price of the bonus round step by step.

Bringing the price down costs you the base-game spins needed to get there, so the total amount you pay does not necessarily go down. For players who want to keep the cost of each purchase down, however, it is a convenient option.

Bankroll Management and How to Use Bonus Buys to Limit Losses

A bonus buy lets you aim for large wins in a short time, but it also drains your bankroll quickly. However appealing a slot may be, buying one bonus after another on impulse will only make your losses grow.

To avoid unnecessary losses, you need to set bankroll management rules in advance. The guidelines below help reduce the risk of running out of money.

Choose Slots Where a Buy Costs No More Than 20% of Your Bankroll

The key with bonus buys is to keep the cost of each purchase at no more than 20% of your total bankroll. With a bankroll of $100, for example, you would choose slots where a buy costs $20 at most.

If you choose a buy option that is too expensive, just a few purchases in a row without a win can wipe out your bankroll. To cover losing streaks, divide your bankroll so that you can afford at least five purchases in a row. For base-game spins, a common guideline is 0.5% of your bankroll per spin (a bankroll of 200 times your bet), so keep in mind that each bonus buy puts a much larger share of your money at stake.

Set Specific Stopping Points Before You Start

Losses from bonus buys tend to grow when you are on a losing streak and your judgment slips as you start chasing your losses. Before you start playing, set a daily loss limit and a profit target in concrete numbers, and stop when you reach either one.

Even when results are not going your way, end the day’s session once you reach the stopping point you set in advance. If you also decide not to make additional deposits, your losses for the day will stay within the amount you have already deposited.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bonus Buys at Online Casinos

Do bonus buys help you win? Is their expected value higher?

Bonus buys do not guarantee a win. On some slots, the RTP when you buy the bonus differs slightly from the RTP in the base game, but the difference is small, and the house edge does not disappear. As with base-game spins, the expected value (the theoretical result over time) is negative. Buying the bonus only increases the swings in your results.

Why is there no bonus buy button?

The button usually does not appear for one of two reasons: the slot you are playing does not offer a bonus buy at all, or the feature is restricted by national or regional regulations (in some markets, such as the UK, the regulator has banned bonus buy features). Less often, your account’s currency setting or a change made by the casino is the cause.

Can I try bonus buys in demo mode?

At many online casinos, and in the free demo modes offered by providers, you can try the bonus buy feature just as you would with real money. Depending on the casino or the slot, however, the buy feature may be restricted in demo play. Before you wager real money, it is a good idea to use the demo to see how the bonus round plays out and how often wins come in.

Summary: Bonus Buys Do Not Change the RTP Much, So Set a Purchase Limit and Stopping Point First

A bonus buy at an online casino lets you skip base-game spins and go straight for large wins. It does not significantly raise the RTP, however; it only increases the swings in your results. Use it once you understand how it works and what the RTP and volatility figures mean.

Use the ranking and the lower-cost options above as a starting point, and stick to two rules: spend no more than 20% of your bankroll on any single purchase, and always stop when you reach your stopping point.