How to Choose Between No Deposit Free Spins and No Deposit Bonuses
If you are looking to play for free at online casinos, should you opt for free spins or no deposit bonuses? Our expert team have researched this topic thoroughly and offer some decision making steps.
Consider the following two examples:
- An online casino offers two promo codes. One is a no deposit free spins offer and the other is a no deposit bonus offer. You may choose only one.
- One online casino offers no deposit free spins. Whilst another online casino offers a no deposit bonus. You have to decide which online casino to join.
Here is the confusing answer: There is no right or wrong. However since you want to get the most out of your bank roll and have the most profitable gaming experience, you want to pick the option that offers the best potential returns.
This article covers the following topics to help you make a more educated guess. We:
- explain the structure of no deposit bonuses
- explain the structure of no deposit free spins
- compare the options
- highlight some cautionary points
The Structure of No Deposit Bonuses
The basic structure of a no deposit bonus is typically as follows:
A bonus of $20 with a wagering requirement of 30x and maximum of $100 in withdrawable of winnings.
The numbers have been chosen for example purposes only. The eligible games and the game contributions will also be specified.
The no deposit bonus works as follows:
- When you claim the no deposit bonus, an amount of $20 will be added to your bonus balance.
- You will have to try and wager $600 ($20 x 30x) from the bonus and generated wins (also known as the playthrough requirement).
- If you do not meet these wagering requirements, you cannot cash out any real money.
- If you meet the wagering requirements, then a minimum of $20 and a maximum of $100 will be yours to use as REAL cash.
No Deposit Free Spins
Now let’s take a look at the basic structure of a no deposit free spins offer:
20 free spins on a specified slot game, with a maximum of $20 that can be won using the free spins.
Let’s say that this bonus has a wagering requirement of 30x. The numbers have been chosen for example purposes only.
The no deposit free spins works as follows:
- When you claim the no deposit free spins, 20 free spins will be made available on the specified slot game.
- At the end of the free spins if your cumulative winnings are equal to $20 or less than $50, that amount will be transferred to your bonus balance.
- You will need to try and wager 30x the transferred bonus amount (so at most $1500).
- If you don’t meet this requirement, you cannot cash out anything.
- If you meet this requirement, then the entire final balance will be transferred to your cash balance and your bonus balance will be automatically become zero (Unless the casinos specifies further limits to what can be won from bonus money).
No Deposit Free Spins vs. No Deposit Bonuses – Which Is Best?
Let us now compare the critical aspects of both offers from the above examples:
- The no deposit bonus starts off with a “guaranteed: bonus amount of $20, whereas the no deposit free spins will allow you to “win” bonus money of up to $50.
- With no deposit bonus you can win as much as $100 after meeting the wagering requirements. That is all you can ever cash out from this bonus.
- In the case of the no deposit free spins, once you have wagered thorough the bonus money you won, there is NO limit on how much you can cash out. However, some casinos may impose a maximum you can win using bonus money ful stop.
- The unlimited cash out after wagering requirements in no deposit free spins is a huge advantage. The other issues become insignificant and the no deposit free spins bonus seems like a better option.
Words of Caution
The above examples of the no deposit promos are the types you would actually find at online casinos. But not all offers are the same. So you will need to look for differences and understand their implications.
The no deposit free spins may specify a cashout limit on the winnings after meeting wagering requirements as well.
The offer would then look like this:
20 free spins on a specified slot game with the winnings being treated as bonus, subject to a maximum of $20. This bonus will have a wagering requirement of 30x. The maximum cashout of winnings after wagering requirements are met is $50.
The advantage described in the previous section becomes irrelevant. An evaluation of the other factors tilts the scale in favour of the no deposit bonus. These are explained below.
- The starting bonus in the no deposit bonus is guaranteed. In the case of the no deposit free spins the staring bonus may be very low if your winnings with the free spins are not great.
- The no deposit free spins can be played usually on one specified video slot or at best on a small number of them. The no deposit bonus can usually be wagered across the entire range of slot machines barring progressive jackpots. The eligible games usually include other categories as well though with reduced contributions to wagering requirements.
You also need to look at the numbers offered for bonus amount/ number of free spins, wagering requirements and maximum cashout limits in each offer. In the above examples these were intentionally kept same to facilitate comparison, but that will not always be the case.
Conclusion
Generally the no deposit free spins offer is better than the no deposit bonus offer. But you need to understand and analyse the complete terms and conditions before you make a final decision.