Bonus Buy

Bonus Buy cuts straight to the part most players are waiting for. Instead of spinning through the standard game hoping the feature triggers naturally, you pay a fixed multiple of your stake to launch the bonus round immediately. It’s a design choice that splits opinion, but as a tool for understanding how a game’s headline feature actually plays, it’s hard to argue with the logic.

The cost is set by the developer and displayed in the game’s paytable or rules screen. Most titles price the standard bonus buy between 75x and 100x your bet, though games with tiered options can run from 50x up to 200x or beyond for a guaranteed or enhanced version of the feature. The RTP on a bonus buy is often slightly different from the standard play figure, typically higher, because you’re removing the randomness of the trigger and paying a premium for certainty. That difference is worth checking in the game’s info panel before you commit.

Is the bonus buy worth using in a free play demo?

In demo mode, absolutely. It’s one of the best uses of free credits available. Triggering the bonus organically can take a long time on high-volatility titles, and the bonus buy lets you see the feature multiple times in a single session. That’s genuinely useful if you’re trying to understand how a game behaves before deciding whether it holds your interest.

What is the difference between a standard bonus buy and a feature drop?

A standard bonus buy purchases direct entry into the bonus round at a fixed cost. A feature drop (used by providers like Hacksaw Gaming) works differently. You pay a smaller amount per spin to increase the probability of a natural trigger rather than guaranteeing it outright. Feature drops tend to cost less per activation on average but introduce variance into whether and when the feature fires, whereas a standard bonus buy delivers the round immediately every time.