A bonus buy feature on an online slot allows you to skip spinning the reels to trigger free spins, re-spins, or any other bonus game by buying your way in.
That means there’s no waiting around; you are instantly triggering a highly volatile bonus game. Typically, you can buy your way into a bonus for around 50x to 150x the base bet you’ve set. However, some slots offer super bonus buy options that can cost up to 500x your bet.
Most players use the bonus buy feature because it provides direct access to the highest-paying and most exciting part of the slot. The idea for most bonus buy players is to land big wins quickly. That said, it doesn’t mean you’ll be profitable on every bonus round, and it also means you can burn through your bankroll much faster than if you spin the reels and wait to trigger the feature.
Typically, the bonus games you can trigger are as follows:
- Free Spins: The most common feature with bonus buy options
- Re-spins: Often come with the chance to win fixed jackpots
- Pick-me/Interactive Bonus Games: Less common, but some slots allow buy options for these features
Many bonus buy slots also come with an additional feature that allows you to stake a small % on top of your base bet to increase your chances of triggering the bonus round. This is often a much more cost-effective way to trigger the bonus compared to using the bonus buy.
As for the return to player (RTP) on bonus buy rounds, this is often slightly different from the main game’s RTP. The trick is to use low bets so you don’t burn through your bankroll too quickly, and so you can play several bonus rounds to balance variance. Typically, the RTP is around 97%, giving the house roughly a 3% edge.
Want to learn more about how payouts work during bonus rounds? Check our guide on bonus round volatility. If you want to try them yourself, you can find slots with buy feature at mBitcasino.
