A bonus buy, also called a feature buy, lets you pay a fixed price to start a slot's bonus round straight away instead of waiting for the scatter symbols to land. The price is a multiple of your stake, often around 100 times it, and is set by each game. It does not make the slot more generous: you get the same kind of bonus round, just sooner and at a much higher cost per click. Here is how it works, what it costs, and how it interacts with the Skroll welcome bonus.
How buying the feature works
- Choose your stake first. The buy price is calculated from the stake you have selected for normal spins.
- Tap the buy button. It is usually labelled Buy bonus, Buy feature or Buy free spins, next to the reels.
- Read the price and confirm. The game shows the cost, for example "100× = $100.00" at a $1 stake, and asks you to confirm.
- The bonus round plays. You get the free spins or feature as if you had triggered it naturally, and the result is added to your balance at the end.
Some games offer more than one option: a standard bonus and a more expensive "super" version with stronger features, for example. Others have a separate ante bet or "bonus chance" setting, where each spin costs more (often around 25% extra) in exchange for a higher chance of triggering the bonus naturally. That is a different mechanism: you still spin, just at a higher price per spin.
The price is set per game
There is no standard price. Each provider sets the multiple for each title, and it is shown in the game before you confirm. Common ranges look like this:
| Example buy price | At a $0.20 stake | At a $0.50 stake | At a $1 stake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75× stake | $15 | $37.50 | $75 |
| 100× stake | $20 | $50 | $100 |
| 200× stake | $40 | $100 | $200 |
| 500× stake (premium options) | $100 | $250 | $500 |
On Skroll, slots that offer a feature buy are marked with a BUY BONUS badge in the slots lobby, so you can tell them apart before you open one.
The RTP of the buy can differ from the base game
The buy price is calculated so that, on average, the bonus round returns a set percentage of what you paid. That percentage is the RTP of the feature buy, and it is not always the same as the base game's RTP. Depending on the title, it can be slightly higher, the same or lower.
Many games state it separately in the info panel, in a line such as "RTP when buying the feature". Check it before you buy. Remember too that the same slot can run in several RTP versions, so a figure from a review site may not match the version in front of you; our guide to slot RTP and volatility shows where to find it.
A worked example: $100 per buy
Take a slot at a $1 stake with a buy price of 100× ($100) and a buy RTP of 96%.
- Average return per buy: $96. Average cost per buy: $4.
- What actually happens: results are spread very widely around that average. A large share of bought bonus rounds pay back less than the $100 price, some pay back much less, and the average is held up by occasional rounds that pay several hundred times the stake.
The percentage cost per dollar is similar to spinning. What changes is how fast you stake. One tap puts $100 at risk; at $1 a spin, the same $100 would take about 100 spins. Here is what a $200 budget covers:
| Stake | Buy price (100×) | Buys from $200 | Same $200 as normal spins |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.20 | $20 | 10 | 1,000 spins |
| $0.50 | $50 | 4 | 400 spins |
| $1 | $100 | 2 | 200 spins |
| $2 | $200 | 1 | 100 spins |
Risk and variance
Bonus buys are a high-volatility way to play. Instead of many small results spread across a session, you get a few large ones, each of which can swing your balance by many times the stake. That has three practical consequences:
- Budgets run out quickly. A run of three or four buys below the price is common, and it can use up a whole session's money in minutes.
- Higher stake, higher price. Doubling your stake doubles the buy price. Lower the stake before buying if you want more than one or two attempts.
- It is easy to chase. After a disappointing round the next buy is one tap away. Decide before you start how many buys you will make, and stop there.
If you enjoy the bonus rounds but not the swings, playing normal spins at a lower stake reaches the same feature eventually, at a slower, steadier pace.
Bonus buys and the welcome bonus
The Skroll welcome bonus is a 100% match on your first deposit up to $500, with a bonus code entered in the Have a bonus code? box on the Deposit page before the deposit completes. It unlocks after you wager 30 times the bonus amount. Here is how feature buys fit in:
- The buy price counts in full. When you buy a feature, the game charges the price as a bet, and our system adds every real-money bet to your wagering progress at its full stake. A $100 buy counts as $100 wagered.
- No game weighting. Slot spins, feature buys and live-table bets all count the same, at 100% of the stake. The welcome bonus does not exclude feature buys or set a maximum bet. If a promotion shows its own terms, those take priority.
- Fewer clicks, not lower cost. On a $500 bonus you need $15,000 of bets. At $100 per buy that is 150 buys, and the average cost of wagering stays the same percentage as spinning; your balance is simply more likely to run out before you finish.
- Withdrawing early forfeits the locked bonus. If a bought round pays well and you withdraw before the 30x is complete, you can take out your balance minus the locked bonus, and the locked bonus is removed. The withdrawal page asks you to confirm first.
Our wagering requirements guide works through the 30x numbers in detail, and the full offer is on the welcome bonus page.
Before you buy: checklist
- Check the buy price on the confirmation screen, at the stake you have selected.
- Check the feature-buy RTP in the info panel, if the game lists it.
- Decide the number of buys you will make and the loss at which you stop.
- If a bonus is locked, remember that withdrawing before finishing the wagering forfeits it.
- If you notice yourself buying again to win back the last round, take a break. You can self-exclude for 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days at Account → Self Exclusion, and our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bonus buy slot?
A slot that lets you pay a fixed price, usually a multiple of your stake such as 100×, to start its bonus round immediately instead of waiting to trigger it with scatter symbols.
Is buying the bonus worth it?
It does not improve your average result: the buy is priced so that it returns, on average, a set RTP, which can be higher, equal or lower than the base game. It concentrates your stake into fewer, larger results, so it is a higher-risk way to play.
Do bonus buys count toward the welcome bonus wagering?
Yes. The buy price is charged as a bet, and every real-money bet counts toward the 30x wagering at its full stake. A $100 buy counts as $100 wagered.
How do I find slots with a bonus buy on Skroll?
Slots that offer a feature buy carry a BUY BONUS badge in the slots lobby. The price and options are shown inside each game.