How To Use No Deposit Casino Bonuses – A Five Step Guide For Novices

Online casinos offer various bonuses to acquire new players and keep them engaged. From a player's point of view, no deposit bonuses are among the most alluring of all bonus offers.

No deposit bonuses give you a chance to try out games and assess an online casino without having to risk your own money as it is only your time which you need to invest. A no deposit bonus is a free offer but the word free has been thrown around so often that we think it is important to explain how these 'free' no deposit bonuses work.

How To Use No Deposit Casino Bonuses – A Five Step Guide For Novices

How To Claim a No Deposit Bonus

Normally, you just have to open a new account to qualify for a no deposit bonus. You won't even have to provide any banking information and you seldom need to provide any private details beyond your name, birth date, and email address. Some sites automatically credit your account with the no deposit bonus right after you sign up. Others require you to send an email to the site's customer service reps or enter a bonus code.

Step 1: Understanding The Basics

No deposit bonuses usually come in the form of free spins or free chips although you will sometimes find other types of free bets. You might even come across the occasional no deposit cash bonus. Typically, these bonuses work in much the same way.

With free spins, a participating online casino gives you a certain number of credits that you can use to try out slot games. The thing is, most sites place unreasonable rollover requirements on any winnings derived from those free spins. Also, many sites put a low cap on the amount of money you can actually win. This makes it difficult to turn your no deposit bonus into real money and, when you do, it usually doesn't add up to much.

Example: MFortune Casino (UK and Europe)

mFortune Casino

mFortune Casino will give you up to 50 free spins when you open a new account. The great thing about this no deposit bonus offer is there is a super-low 1X wagering requirement on your winnings. That's almost unheard of. You can also cash out up to £200 which is more than a lot of other sites will allow. This offer is worthwhile because it gives you a realistic shot at winning a nice chunk of change.

mFortune Casino
Claim your bonus
Sign up and receive a £10 No Deposit Bonus

Example: Cool Cat Casino (USA, Australia and Rest of World)

Cool Cat Casino Casino

Similarly, players can get free chips to use on table games. An example of this is found at Cool Cat Casino where they are offering a no deposit bonus of $25 in free chips to play table games or video poker if you use the bonus code COOLEST25 when you sign up. Play through the bonus money 30 times and it's your to keep. While the wagering requirements aren't as generous as mFortune's offer, they certainly aren't outlandish.

CoolCat Casino
Claim your bonus
Sign up and receive a 20 Free Spins on Bonus Wheel Jungle. Use code: 20JUNGLE

The main thing to understand with no deposit bonuses is the fact that you will normally need to wager the bonus amount several times over and there will be a limit to the amount of money to can win. Can it be done? Absolutely. Is it hard to do? In most cases, yes. Are no deposit bonuses worth it? They are as it gives you the option of trying out an online casino and winning money without making an investment of your own.

Step 2: Pick The Right Bonus

Bigger is better. Right? Well, that isn't always true. Especially when it comes to no deposit bonuses. On the surface, 100 free spins looks a lot better than 50 free spins. However, this is where you need to understand rollover requirements and caps on winnings. Maybe your winnings from the 100 free spins are subject to a 70X wagering requirement and the cap on the potential payout is $100. Compare that with mFortune's offer that has a 1X playthrough and a £200 cap on winnings. Not only is the smaller bonus amount far easier to achieve, it also gives you a higher potential payout.

The same thing can be said of free chips, cash bonuses, and other no deposit free bets. You need to know the wagering conditions and maximum payout before you choose the right no deposit bonus. It also helps to play games with higher payout rates.

Step 3: Understand The Rules Before You Start

Aside from the aforementioned wagering requirements and maximum payouts, you need to know of any other rules that are in place. Be sure to take the time to read the terms and conditions that apply to any no deposit bonus you want to claim. The Devil's in the details.

Some no deposit free spins or free chips may only be used to play a limited number of games that the online casinos wishes to promote. A lot of sites make you use your no deposit bonus within a short period of time after you claim it. Don't forget to make sure that residents of your country are eligible to claim the bonus. These rules tend to differ greatly from site to site.

Most important rules to look out for when playing with no deposit bonuses:

  1. Wagering requirements
  2. Permitted games
  3. Bonus expiry
  4. Bet types excluded (e.g. double up)
  5. Bet size limits

Step 4: Monitor Your Wagering Activity/Requirements

Monitoring your wagering activity is a must if you want to know how far you have to go to turn your bonus money into real cash. Fortunately, the majority of online casinos make this easy by automatically tracking your progress.

This information is often found by clicking on the “Active Bonus” or similar link in your player profile. You may also notice that some sites display your real money balance and bonus cash balance separately. You can sometimes check your progress by clicking on your bonus account balance. This allows you to see how many more bets you need to place for the rollover requirements to be met.

Step 5: Manage Your Cash Balance

You may have reached or passed the no deposit bonus' rollover requirements but this doesn't necessarily mean it's time to cash out your bonus. Let's say you claimed the no deposit $25 in free chips at Cool Cat Casino and you have played through the bonus amount 30 times making you eligible to convert it into real money. But, at the same time, your bonus balance is sitting at $12 meaning you are $13 shy of hitting the $25 payout limit.

Sure, you could take the money and run but that will most likely get your account suspended for good. Hence, you should refrain from doing this until you have reached the bonus' full potential. These tips should help you turn your no deposit bonus into real cash in your pocket!

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