What Beginners NEED To Know About Free Spins Bonuses

Players new to free spins are likely to think they’re a scam. 

It’s not the case. Free spins are a legitimate type of casino bonus. However, there are a few things you need to know before you claim them. 

In this article we’re going to tell you the truth about free spins, including: 

  • How you can use them to win real cash. 
  • The different kinds of free spins available, and
  • What you can do to improve your odds of winning.

How Free Spins Work

Free spins are a type of casino bonus that give you a number of chances to turn the reels of a slot machine without risking your own funds. 

So if you claim a casino bonus that gives you 20 free spins, you will be able to spin the reels of an eligible slot 20 times without using your own funds. 

To get them, you will have to either: 

  • Register an account with an online casino. 
  • Deposit real cash into your online casino account. 

As the last two points imply, not all free spins bonuses are entirely “free,” as they require you to make a real money deposit. 
Regardless of the type of free spins bonus you claim, you should be given the chance to win real cash providing you meet a list of terms and conditions.

The Different Kinds Of Free Spins Bonuses

Free spins bonuses come in many different forms. Each form of free spins bonus has slightly different rules regarding how you can use them. 

In this section, we’re going to give you: 

  • Descriptions of each type of free spins bonus.
  • The benefits and drawbacks of each type.

No Deposit Free Spins

As the name suggests, no deposit free spins don’t require you to make a deposit. 

To get them, you just sign up to the casino using an email address and your name. 

When you sign up for an account, you don’t have to make a deposit or share any of your bank/card details. You also don’t have to promise to make a deposit in the future. 

No deposit free spins are completely FREE. You can use them to win real cash, though you will have to satisfy some often stringent T&Cs. 

It’s likely you’ll receive around 10 to 50 free spins with no deposit bonuses.

Pros

  • Completely FREE – As we have said already, you get these free spins without having to make a deposit.
  • Withdraw Winnings – You can withdraw a portion of your free spins winnings as real cash once you meet the T&Cs.
  • Enjoy Slot Games – Play on some of the world’s best slot games with no deposit free spins!

Cons

  • Few Free Spins – Compared to other free spins bonuses, you won’t get as many free spins.
  • Bonus Rules – There are a handful of rules you have to follow while using your free spins.

Free Spins That Require A Deposit

Players willing to make a real money deposit can get a deposit free spins bonus. 

The advantage of doing this is that you will get more free spins and better bonus terms.

Pros

  • Withdraw Winnings – Once you meet the T&Cs you will be able to withdraw your free spins winnings as real cash.
  • Better T&Cs – Casinos will improve the T&Cs of their deposit bonuses, giving you a better chance of winning.
  • Lots Of Free Spins – You will receive between 50 and 200 free spins with deposit bonuses.
  • No Withdrawal Limits – The amount you can withdraw as real cash is not capped with deposit bonuses.
  • Enjoy Slot Games – You will be able to enjoy some of the world’s favorite slot games.

Cons

  • Mandatory Deposit – You cannot claim a deposit free spins bonus without making an initial qualifying deposit.
  • Bonus Rules – There are a handful of rules you have to follow while using your free spins.

Deposit Match Bonuses With Free Spins

With some bonuses, you can get a match bonus and a deposit free spins bonus in one. 

Therefore, your initial deposit will be matched by a certain percentage and you will receive a number of free spins on top of it. 

Clearly, these are very generous bonuses.

Let’s go into detail how it works:

Example

Let’s say you come across a bonus willing to match your deposit by 100% up to $300 and give you 150 extra free spins.

Out of this description you get the following variables:

  1. Your deposit will be matched by: 100%.
  2. The match percentage applies to deposits up to: $300.
  3. You will receive, on top of your bonus credits: 150 free spins.

If we break this down, it means that whatever you deposit, up to the value of $300, will be matched by the casino with an equivalent value in bonus credits.

Thus if you deposit the full $300, you will get $300 in bonus credits.

This bonus will also come with a minimum deposit.
So long as you make a deposit equal to or above the minimum deposit, you will have it doubled, and you will receive 150 free spins.

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These bonuses will match you by percentages that can easily increase your bankroll by 100%, 200% and sometimes 300%.

The pros and cons are as follows: 

Pros

  • Withdraw Winnings – What you win using this type of bonus can be withdrawn upon fulfilling the bonus rules.
  • Massive Bonus Value – You can significantly increase the value of your bankroll with even a small deposit.
  • 2-For-1 Bonus – You will get both bonus credits and free spins with the same deposit.
  • No Withdrawal Limits – No matter the amount you win with your bonus, you can cash out all of it as real money once you’ve met the T&Cs.
  • Eligible Games – With bonus credits and free spins you get a long list of eligible games you can choose from.

Cons

  • Mandatory Deposit – The whole structure of this bonus is predicated on you making a real money deposit.
  • Bonus Rules – There are a handful of rules you have to follow while using a match deposit bonus.

Zero Wager Free Spins

A bonus that comes without wagering requirements is the closest you’ll get to being handed free cash. 

All you need to do to actually win real money is use your free spins. Anything you win can be withdrawn right away. 

This is why free spins without wagering requirements are so popular with players. 

However, because the casino is bound to make a loss offering this type of free spins bonus, they rarely offer them. 

If you want to see if any are currently available, please go to our Free Spins No Deposit No Wager page. 

We can summarize the pros and cons as follows:

Pros

  • No Wagering Requirements – What distinguishes this bonus from other free spins bonuses is that you don’t have to fulfill any wagering requirements. You therefore can withdraw everything you win right away.
  • Unrivaled Value – You are almost guaranteed a profit.

Cons

  • Mandatory Deposit – Casinos will lose money by giving out this kind of bonus, so they request a small deposit in return.
  • Few Free Spins – You won’t get more than 10–20 free spins.
  • Rarely Offered – Casinos are going to make a loss and therefore do not like to offer these bonuses.

Free Spins Terms & Conditions

To effectively use your free spins, and be within a chance of winning real cash, you have to abide by a number of rules. 

In this section we’ll go over the most important ones:

Wagering Requirements

Your free spins winnings can only be withdrawn once you have met the wagering requirements.

The wagering requirements are indicated by a multiplier, such as 10x.

What this multiplier indicates is how many times you have to wager the value of your bonus.

The value of your free spins bonus is equal to your “free spins winnings,” which, in other words, means “the amount you win using your free spins.”

Let’s illustrate how it works:

Example

Suppose you claim a no deposit bonus worth 25 free spins.

These free spins have wagering requirements of 10x.

If you win $15 with your free spins, you have to wager ($15 x 10) $150 before you can withdraw your winnings as real cash.

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We should also mention here that free spins bonuses that require a deposit may apply the wagering requirements a bit differently.

Rather than applying the wagering requirements solely to your free spins winnings, casinos may apply them to your free spins winnings and the amount you deposit.

In these cases it can be a lot harder to fulfill the wagering requirements.

If you want to get a bonus for making a deposit, you should also pay attention to how the wagering requirements work.

Some deposit bonuses will add the value of your free spins winnings to the value of your deposit as part of the wagering requirements. This will make it much harder to win.

Expiry Date

Bonuses expire after a predetermined length of time.

Free spins bonuses may only be valid for 2 to 7 days, which means you may only have 2 to 7 days to satisfy the wagering requirements.

Please use your free spins immediately to avoid disappointment.

Maximum Bet Value

While the free spins you use have a predetermined value, you may be able to change the bet size of your free spins winnings.

If you are, you may have to comply with a maximum bet size, and ensure all of your bets are equal to or under the maximum bet size.

The valid bet size may range between $0.1-$5.

Game Restrictions

Free spins are only eligible on slots. The slot you can play with your free spins will be determined by the casino in the eligible games list.

The majority of the time you have to stick to these slots even while you’re fulfilling the wagering requirements.

Withdrawal Limits

With this rule, you can only win so much real money.

This rule mostly applies to bonuses that don’t require you to make a deposit, since deposit bonuses should let you cash out all your winnings, so long as you meet the remaining bonus rules.

With free spins that don’t require a deposit, the most you can win is usually between $50 and $200.

Beginner’s Guide To Finding The Best Free Spins Bonus

With so many free spins bonuses available, it can seem impossible to find the best one. 

We have come up with 4 rules that should make your job a lot easier:

1. Make Sure The Wagering Requirements Are Low

Free spins that have wagering requirements between 10x and 40x give you a decent chance of winning real cash.

So when you’re looking for your next free spins bonus, keep an eye on the wagering requirements.

The lower they are, the better your chances.

2. Make Sure The Withdrawal Limits Are High

Once you find a bonus with low wagering requirements, see how high the withdrawal limit is.

The withdrawal limit indicates the maximum you will be able to win in real cash with your bonus.

The best no deposit free spins bonuses will let you keep between $100 and $200 of your winnings.

Deposit bonuses do not have a withdrawal limit.

Also make sure to pay particular attention to whether or not the bonus actually lets you win real money, for your free spins will either be:

  1. Cashable – You can win real cash so long as you meet the T&Cs.
  2. Non Cashable – You are essentially playing in demo mode as you can’t withdraw any of your winnings.

Here at NoDeposit.Guide we only feature cashable bonuses.

3. Eligible On Favorable Slot Machines

If your free spins are eligible on a favorable slot machine your chances of winning are also increased.

Here’s what you need to check for:

A High Return To Player (RTP)

The RTP of a slot establishes a slot’s odds.

While RTP is calculated over a very large volume of wagers, it offers a basic guideline when trying to find slots with the best odds.

Basically, the percentage given in a slot’s RTP establishes how much the slot will return to players over an almost infinite number of spins.

So if a slot has an RTP of 98%, it means it will return 98% of all wagers made on the slot.

However, because it is such a long term calculation it bears little on the short period of time you get to meet the T&Cs of a free spins bonus.

A Low Volatility

The volatility rating of a slot tells you how risky it is to bet on that slot.

As an example:

  • High rating for volatility means high risk.
  • Low rating for volatility means low risk.

You could also say that high volatility slots don’t pay out very often, but when they do, they pay out a lot.

Following the same logic, if you play slots with low volatility, you’ll win a lot, but each win will be small.

To Wrap Up

When combined, a high RTP and a low volatility account for the long term and the short term.

This combination will not exhaust your bonus balance, so that you can fulfill the wagering requirements, and give you the best chance of winning real cash in the long term.

4. A Far-Off Expiry Date

This tip basically suggests that you give yourself enough time to fulfill the wagering requirements.

For example, if you claim 20 free spins with 60x wagering requirements, it will take you more than 24 hours to fulfill.

Consider the expiry date and the wagering requirement together and assess whether or not you will be able to meet the T&Cs within this time frame.

How to Get Free Spins in Other Ways!

Do you want to get MORE free spins?

If so, you can get them in the following ways:

  • Referral Programs – Persuading your friends to join the same casino as you can lead to you receiving free spins.
  • Newsletters – Casinos sometimes hide promo codes in their newsletters so that their devoted readers can get free spins.
  • Slot Tournaments – Achieving a place on the leaderboard of a slot tournament will get you a share of the tournament’s prize pool. Free spins are usually a part of the prize pool.
  • VIP Programs – Casinos with VIP programs will let you earn points for playing at the casino that can be redeemed for free spins.
  • Existing Player Promos – After you claim a welcome bonus, you can start to enjoy the regular promotions offered by casinos to regular players. These will include multiple opportunities to claim free spins.
  • Social Media – Your casino may advertise special free spins bonuses and deals through their social media accounts.

A Final Word

But this article suggests that not all free spins bonuses are worth taking advantage of because they don’t give you a fair chance to win. 

Here at NoDeposit.Guide we only list free spins bonuses that give you a fair chance of winning real money. 

In fact, we sometimes negotiate for exclusive free spins bonuses that are unrivaled in terms of:

  • Bonus Quantity – You get more free spins than with equivalent bonuses. 
  • Bonus Rules – You’ll have lower wagering requirements and other improvements to the T&Cs. 
  • Eligible On Top Slots – We’ll arrange for the free spins to be valid on the best slot games at the casino.

FAQ

Yes, as long as your free spins with no deposit are made ‘cashable’ by the casino and you meet the wagering requirements.

Check out our No Deposit Free Spins page for more information.

To figure out how much you have to bet with your free spins, times the amount you win using your free spins by the multiplier given in the T&Cs.

For more information, please see our section on Wagering Requirements.

Only slot games can be played with free spins. Most of the time, only one or a few slots are eligible.

Yes – but please only claim no deposit free spins at online casinos that are licensed and have been evaluated by an industry pro, such as those on our site or a site offering a similar service.

The best free spins bonuses, we believe, are our exclusive free spins bonuses. This is because casinos want to feature on our list, and we can therefore use this leverage to negotiate for especially favorable bonuses.

With our exclusive bonuses, you will receive:

  • Improved T&Cs.
  • More free spins and bonus credits.
  • The chance to play the world’s favorite casino games.

No. As we explain in our article, the term “free” in free spins sometimes refers to how a free spins gives you a chance to turn the reels without using your own funds.

With deposit free spins, you will have to make a deposit to receive your bonus, which means they are not technically free to claim.

No deposit free spins bonuses, however, are 100% free and let you win real cash.

For more information, please see our section on How Free Spins Work.

Only if you enjoy slot games. If you would rather play other games there are more appropriate bonuses, such as regular no deposit bonuses.

No, you can also get regular no deposit bonuses. These bonuses will give you bonus credits rather than free spins, which usually means you can play a wider variety of games!

The concept is similar, except in-game free spins are a bonus feature of a game that you can only get by playing the game.

Free spins bonuses are free spins given by the casino rather than the slot game.

Published on: 2022/12/05

About the Author

Hi, I'm Ian, the Chief Editor at NoDeposit.Guide - With hundreds of reviews and thousands of no deposit bonuses, NoDeposit.Guide is certainly your one-stop destination for free online gambling. Our bonuses are updated daily and we pride ourselves on providing the highest percentage of working bonus, worldwide.