Everything you wanted to know about Buy a Bonus Features (but were afraid to ask)

Slots with a Buy a Bonus Feature (aka Buy Free Spins or Feature Drop): the pros and cons

Slots with a Buy a Bonus Feature are making ground. Especially since 2020, many larger providers have released these slots. Now, we’re close to 100 slots, and many more will be released.

Pragmatic Play, Nolimit City or Relax Gaming, to name a few, have started to release slots with this feature.

Coincidence, or not, but these providers are gaining more and more ground at the expense of the traditional big guys like Netent or Play’n GO.

How does the Buy a Bonus Feature (Feature Drop) work?

The Buy a Bonus Feature offers players the possibility to activate the free spins straight away. For a fee.

You don’t need to activate the bonus free spins, for example, by spinning three or more scatters (or bonus symbols) in the main game. Or, for example, by filling up certain meters of clearing a field. No, in this case, you get the “free” spins without waiting.

You may wonder if the word “paid” spins is not more appropriate than “free” spins…

The price is usually around 100x the original bet. For example, if you bet 10 cents per spin in the main game, you can play the free spins for $€10.

The advantage is clear: no need to “struggle” in the main game. You get access straight away.

Different names for the same feature

There are multiple names for this feature.

• The Buy Feature (by Relax Gaming)
• The Feature Drop (by Big Time Gaming)
• The Bonus Feature Buy (by Nolimit City)
• The Buy Free Spins Feature (by Pragmatic Play)
• The Bonus Buy (by Blueprint Gaming)
• The Buy Pass (by Scientific Games).

A whole range of different names, all with the same meaning.

The pros and cons of the Buy a Bonus Feature

Advantages:

• You save time and get to play the free spins straight away.
• The RTP is often more attractive than that of the main game.
• Ideal for high rollers: high stakes are “rewarded” with fireworks.

Disadvantages:

• It’s expensive.
• Buying Bonuses can be addictive. You always want to have “just one more shot.”
• It makes slots more boring. The feeling of “earning” of “winning” the free spins disappears.

Below I discuss the pros and cons in more detail.

Advantage 1: You save time

A significant advantage is that you don’t have to activate the free spins by playing the main game.  Who knows, you are curious to know what the free spins are all about. Then, the Feature Buy is a very interesting option.

With some (high variance slots), you could easily need 300 or even 500 spins to activate the free spins. That takes a long time and can be frustrating at some point, especially if you get close, but not close enough!

Advantage 2: The RTP (the payout percentage) is often more favourable

I see that many of these slots have an RTP for the main game and an RTP for Buy a Bonus Feature.

What is striking is that the RTP for the Buy a Bonus feature is often considerably better. The best way to prove this is to compare the RTP of the base game with the RTP’s offered when you buy the Free spins.

We have selected the slots of Big Time Gaming, Blueprint Gaming (only the Megaways slots listed on their website), Pragmatic Play, Nolimit City and Relax Gaming.

 

Name	RTP base	RTP BB	Cost
Big Time Gaming:
White Rabbit Megaways	97.24%	97.77%	100x
Extra Chilli Megaways	96.41%	96.82%	100x
Book Of Gods	96.35%	96.39%	80x
Blueprint Gaming:
Fishing Frenzy Megaways	96.10%	96.50%	100x
Gods Of Olympus Megaways	96.03%	96.91%	100x
Safari Gold Megaways	96.50%	97.00%	100x
Buffalo Rising Megaways	96.50%	97.01%	100x
Rick And Morty Megaways	96.55%	97.16%	150x
Pragmatic Play:
Sweet Bonanza	96.51%	96.51%	100x
Sweet Bonanza Xmas	96.51%	96.51%	100x
Great Rhino Megaways	96.58%	96.58%	100x
John Hunter & Book of Tut	96.50%	96.50%	100x
Fruit Party	96.47%	96.47%	100x
Nolimit City:
PunkRocker	96.01%	96.44%	80x – 238x
Barbarian Fury	96.06%	96.32%	70x
Harlequin Carnival	96.14%	96.21%	70x
Deadwood	96.03%	96.11%	71x – 750x
Relax Gaming:
Money Train	96.20%	98.00%	80x
Snake Arena	96.25%	96.25%	70x
TNT Tumble	96.11%	96.11%	70x
Hellcatraz	96.46%	96.83%	200x

 

The RTP of many slots, if you go decide to take the Buy a Bonus Feature, is very interesting.

Advantage 3: Suitable for High Rollers

You can bet up to thousands of $€ each time. That’s serious money, and if you’re a high roller, you know that you get “value” for money right away!

Disadvantage 1: It’s an expensive feature

Buy a Bonus features do not come cheap.

Yes, you get access to the free spins and, therefore, an excellent opportunity to grab a nice win. But don’t forget that your stakes are substantial.

The most common bet is around 70x and 100x the original bet, but it’s considerably higher for some slots.

In the case, the minimum bet is 20 cents, and you can buy the free spins for 100x the stake, you’re talking about two tenners when you buy the free spins.

I recommend you only use this feature if you have plenty of cash.

For example, if you have $€100 to spend, you can perhaps play the free spins 10 times. Usually, the wins of the free spins are considerably lower, as money has to be set aside for the few big payouts, for the lucky few.

Disadvantage 2: It’s addictive

And yes, this disadvantage is linked to the first disadvantage. You think you’re going to land a big win. But if you don’t, you’re though in minutes.

With the main game, the pace is much slower, and you have more playing time.

So it’s addictive, and it’s for the reason that this feature is prohibited in some countries (e.g. the UK).

Disadvantage 3: The excitement of “earning” the free spins is no longer there.

What I love of some slots, is the feeling of joy and reward, when you (finally) activate the free spins. You won’t get that great feeling with this feature.

Some slots have beautiful savings mechanisms, where you need to “work hard” to get the big reward (free spins) finally. I’m talking about slots like Monopoly Megaways, Lil’ Devil or Holy Diver, all Big Time Gaming slots.

You’re “struggling” your way through the main game to get the free spins. If you finally land the free spins! That feeling.

Isn’t it ironic that Big Time Gaming introduced this feature in 2017 with White Rabbit?

Frequently asked questions about Buy a Bonus Features

Q1 Which other providers have the Buy a Bonus Feature?

Many other providers have slots with a Buy a Bonus feature, including Nextgen, Scientific Games. Betsoft, Push Gaming and Spinomenal. Montezuma Megaways from WMS and Medusa Megaways from NextGen Gaming are two famous Megaways slots with this feature.

Q2 Do only Megaways slots offer the Buy a Bonus Feature?

No, not at all. But there are relatively many Megaways slots with this feature (about 20 out of about 80 slots).

Q3 Why is the RTP of the Buy a Bonus Feature often higher than in the base game?

Online casinos aim to generate maximum revenue, and with this feature, they hope to attract the high rollers. A higher RTP helps.

Q4 Will we see more slots with the Buy a Bonus feature?

I’ll be very surprised if there aren’t many more of these slots to come. It’s a feature that many players like to play. And that goes for the high rollers as well, which are the bread and butter for online casinos.

Where can you find slots with Buy a Bonus features?

You will find plenty of slots that feature the Buy a Bonus option at these reputable online casinos:

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