Bonus Buy Features Explained: Are They Worth the 50x–100x Cost in 2026?
Bonus buy lets you skip to the free spins for 50–100× your bet. But is the maths actually fair? We calculate the expected value of bonus buys vs natural bonus triggering, and explain when (if ever) they make sense.
Bonus buy (also called feature buy or bonus purchase) is a mechanic available in many modern slots that allows players to skip the base game and jump directly to the free spins bonus for a fixed upfront cost — typically 50× to 200× the base bet.
How bonus buys work
In a typical implementation: you set your bet per spin to, say, £1. The bonus buy costs 100× = £100. You receive the free spins directly, skipping the base game. The free spins feature plays out exactly as it would if triggered naturally.
Some games offer tiered bonus buys: a lower-cost option (e.g., 50×) buys a basic bonus, while a higher-cost option (e.g., 200×) buys a "enhanced" or "super" bonus with better starting conditions.
Is the pricing fair?
This is the critical question. Mathematically, a bonus buy is fair if: Cost = Average bonus win / (frequency of bonus in natural play)
Example: If a £1 bet slot pays an average of £85 when the bonus triggers, and the bonus triggers on average every 100 spins (costing £100 total), then a bonus buy priced at £100 is mathematically equivalent to playing 100 spins. Some games price bonus buys slightly above this equivalence (giving the casino a slight edge on the buy option vs base game), while others price them equivalently or even slightly below.
UK legal position
The UKGC has not banned bonus buys but has implemented restrictions: players under 25 cannot access bonus buy features at UKGC-licensed casinos, and the mechanic must be disabled during certain promotional periods. Some operators voluntarily restrict bonus buy access.
When does a bonus buy make sense?
A bonus buy makes the most sense when: your primary goal is to experience the bonus game specifically (streaming, content creation, demonstration). You have a large enough bankroll that losing the cost price is within your session budget. The game's bonus buy is known to be fairly priced (research the slot's published bonus buy RTP vs base RTP).
Bonus buys rarely "save money" compared to playing naturally — they primarily buy convenience and certainty of experiencing the bonus, at a premium price for immediacy.