Bonus Buy: is it worth buying a bonus?
With the bonus buy, you can purchase your way directly into the bonus game of a slot instead of waiting for the feature to activate in the base game. See below how bonus buy games work and why they are worth taking advantage of.
Bonus Buy Games: What Are They About?
Bonus buy games (in English, Bonus Buy or Feature Buy) offer players the opportunity to buy their way directly into the bonus game of a slot. In traditional games, players must collect scatters, wait for bonus symbols, or activate the bonus game in some other way - whereas in bonus buy games, you can throw money on the table and skip the boring wait in the base game.
The bonus buy feature is already available in several slot games. However, it does not affect the functioning of the slot itself at all. So if the concept doesn’t interest you, you don’t have to worry about the bonus buy at all. If you want to try the feature, you can buy, for example, a certain number of free spins.
The price of bonus buys usually ranges from 50x to 500x the stake. However, the most common amount hovers around 70x. This means that if you play with a €1 stake, activating the bonus buy feature will cost €70. The higher the stake you play with, the more expensive the bonus buy will be. Of course, the winnings are also significantly larger in this case.
Feature Buy is a bit like a casino bonus that is hidden within the game.
How to Play Bonus Buy Games
Next, let’s take a closer look at how bonus buy games work. We took Pragmatic Play's Sweet Bonanza slot as an example, as it is one of the most popular bonus buy games.
- Open the game.
- Adjust the stake you want to play with - we chose a €2 stake for our test.
- Click the "buy feature" button on the left (100x the stake).
- When a confirmation message appears saying "Are you sure you want to buy 10 free spins for €200?", click the green yes button.
- Play the spins.
During our test, we won €258.80 during the ten free spins. Thus, the bonus buy feature generated a profit of €58.80. NOTE! Since bonus games are also based purely on chance, winnings are never guaranteed.
Bonus buy slots are therefore very simple. In fact, it can be difficult to even identify in advance which slots have bonus buys. It is not a mechanism like Megaways games that changes the structure of the game. Practically, any slot with some kind of bonus game can include a feature buy.
When is the Bonus Buy Feature Worth It?
Bonus buy games are very popular, but is the bonus buy really worth it? Like all games, these slots have their pros and cons.
If you play particularly high volatility games, the bonus buy can be a worthwhile option. With natural methods, it may take a small eternity before the bonus game starts in these slots. So if you can’t wait endlessly and want to dive into the bonus game that offers larger wins, the bonus buy might be a good option.
If the base game is boring and does not offer decent wins, the bonus buy is a potential alternative. There are numerous slots where literally nothing happens in the base game, while the bonus game or free spins can be full of action and wins.
In some bonus buy games, the return percentage is slightly better when the feature is active. This does not apply to all games, but it is not uncommon for bonus buy players to be treated to a slightly better RTP.
However, we want to remind you that using the feature bonus function consumes your bankroll faster. For example, if you play with a €1 stake and buy €100 worth of free spins, this is equivalent to a hundred normally played spins. It is important that you are aware of the costs involved in these games.
TOP 5 Bonus Buy Games
Jammin Jars is one of Push Gaming's most popular games. The slot has also added a bonus buy, priced at 84x the stake. The purchase triggers free spins during which jars containing permanent multipliers appear on the reels.
White Rabbit Megaways combines expanding reels familiar from megaways games with the bonus buy feature. Triggering free spins requires a stake of 100x. NOTE! The game's return percentage is an incredible 97.7%.
El Paso Gunfight is a red-hot game from No Limit City. You can adjust the volatility between high and very high. And when heading for bonus buys, you have as many as six different options: Gunfight Spins, Deputy Gunfight Spins, Marshal Gunfight Spins, Drunken Gundfiguthr Spins, Respin Wild, or a random option. The price of the bonus buy varies between 80x and 300x depending on the game.
Money Train 2 is the sequel to Relax Gaming's classic game, taking you on a journey with wild west bandits. The bonus buy costs 104x the stake, but it is possible to collect unlimited additional free spins during the bonus game.
Big Bass Splash offers a completely different vibe, as Pragmatic Play takes players fishing! The Feature Buy feature is activated with a stake of 100x, but there is indeed an incredible amount of action. Right from the start, you can fish for additional features like extra hooks and extra spins. During the game itself, it is also possible to grab up to 36 extra spins!