How to Maximize Free Spins Offers on Slots
Free spins are among the most exciting and popular bonus features for video slots or slot machines at online and land-based casinos. Earning free spins means you can spin the reels on your favorite slot machines or video poker games without paying the money! Online players can earn free spins following a deposit bonus or winning a casino tournament. Still, many players don’t fully take advantage of these free spins, leaving potential winnings on the table.
Our goal with this free spins guide is to show how to maximize free spins offers, improve your chances of winning, and make the most of these promotions. We’ll discuss the importance of timing—you must use your free spins and cash out at the right time if you want to make headway with these offers. Our guide will also address the common pitfalls you’ll want to avoid when playing real money casino games and earning free spins.
Understand How Free Spins Work
There are several kinds of free spins offered with online and land-based casinos. The number of free spins you get and how you attain them will vary from one slot machine/video poker game to another. It’s best to check out the slots’ paytable to understand the specifics before playing the game.
Definition of Free Spins
Let’s begin by explaining free spins for those who enjoy video poker games and slot machines. These are promotional tools by online or land-based casinos that let players spin the reels on slot or video poker machines without using their own money. They’re a way of attracting new players who don’t want to put up too much money on their first deposit, and they’re an excellent way to keep existing players loyally engaged with the online casino.
Free spins can be offered as a part of the welcome bonuses for newcomers. This incentive is designed around a specific promo or event or as a reward for existing customers and players. We’ll address these critical differences in the next section, discussing the types of free spins you’ll find at real-money online casinos.
Types of Free Spins Offers
Let’s break down the different kinds of free spin offers in online gambling. These different iterations apply to other types of customers. Some can be taken advantage of only once, while some are only available at certain times of the year. We’ll dive into these key differences to give you an idea of what’s out there and how to leverage it to your advantage.
- Welcome Bonuses: These are free spins offered to new players as a part of a welcome bonus. In many cases, new gamblers must deposit a certain amount of money with the online casino and get a match up to a certain amount, plus free spins on select slot or video poker machines. You have to put some money up, but you get rewarded with bonus funds and spins you don’t have to pay for!
- No-Deposit Free Spins: These aren’t as common as free spins gained through welcome bonuses, but these allow new gamblers to earn free spins by creating a new online casino account. No deposit is required! These promos are a good way for casino apps to attract new customers and give them a taste of the game library, hoping they’ll make a deposit and join as new members.
No deposit spins are typically limited to a certain amount, which will differ between casinos. Players can access anywhere from a few tens or rounds to a few hundreds of rounds.
- Loyalty Rewards: Loyal casino app customers can receive free spins through the rewards program or a promo like an account reload bonus. These incentives from the online casino keep existing customers thoroughly engaged with the games and reward them for their loyalty to the platform.
VIP and loyalty programs’ free spins offers are usually more valuable than regular free spins a player might earn through welcome bonuses, reload bonuses, deposit bonuses, or no-deposit bonuses. It’s because these promos are tailored better to each individual player and their individual gambling habits.
- Deposit Bonuses: Mentioned in the last type of free spin offer, deposit bonuses or account reloads are a few other promos offered by online casinos where players have the potential to earn some free spins. These are extended to regular, loyal customers who take the time to make additional deposits into their accounts. It’s a way for the online casino to ensure its players stay actively engaged with the platform, and those players are often rewarded with free spins and additional bonus funds for their trouble.
- Seasonal Promos: Many online casinos offer players free spins as a prize for various competitions or campaigns they hold throughout the year. These include special events like holidays or tournaments and weekly or seasonal offers. Players can qualify for free spins when participating in the promotion or contest!
Wagering Requirements
Free spins are subject to wagering requirements, ultimately affecting potential winnings. Wagering requirements (also known as rollover or playthrough requirements) are a multiplier that indicates the number of times you must play through bonus funds before you can withdraw the winnings.
Since free spins don’t come with a cash amount, the multiplier only applies to winnings you get due to the free spins. While the free spins cost the customer nothing, they cost the customer to use them. This is where wagering requirements on the bonus or promotion come in. To enjoy the free spins, gamblers must hit the wagering requirement due.
To better explain how wagering requirements affect a bonus with free spins, let’s look at an example of a no-deposit bonus with a 35x wagering requirement. If you get rewarded with 50 free spins and they’re valued at 10 cents a piece, the total value is $5. Take the $5 value of the free spins and multiply that by the 35x wagering requirement, meaning you must wager a minimum of $175 to play these spins.
Eligibility
Before claiming free spin promos, it’s best to get familiar with the terms and conditions of the offer before diving in. For example, you might have to deposit money into your account before claiming free spins on your favorite slot machines. For new players, welcome and no-deposit bonuses for newcomers can typically only be claimed once by a new player who has just created a new account or made their first deposit on the platform.
Free spins might only be available on specific slot machines or video poker games. You must check the terms and conditions before believing you can use them on any game in the library. Often, there are limitations, so it’s best to get familiar with how the free spin offers are set up and structured.
Choose the Right Casino and Slot Games for Free Spins
Before getting rewarded with free spins, you must choose the right online casino that offers these promotions and play slot games where you can use them. In this net section, we’ll discuss selecting a legit, trusted online casino and finding the best slot games to use your free spins on.
1- Reputation of the Casino
It’s best to choose a regulated online casino, which means it has the proper licenses, certifications, and permits to be used in your area. Once you’ve selected a reputable casino app, you’ll want to choose one that offers fair, free spins promotions. Check the welcome bonuses and the evergreen deals or rewards program for existing customers to find these promotions.
2- Check Slot Game RTP (Return to Player)
Another critical consideration is looking at slot machines or video poker games where you can use the free spins. Look into each machine’s return to player (RTP) rate to discover the likelihood of winning with each spin of the reels. Slots with higher RTP percentages will improve your chances of maximizing winnings from free spins.
3- Popular Slot Games for Free Spins
Look at some of the most popular slots offering free spins. The common trend between each of these is the favorable RTP rates, which usually range from 94% to 97%.
| Slot Name | RTP Rate (%) |
|---|---|
Starburst | 96.1 |
Book of Dead | 96.6 |
Cleopatra | 95.7 |
Wheel of Fortune | 96.1 |
Extra Chili | 96.8 |
Bonanza | 96.0 |
Lobstermania | 96.5 |
Mighty Wins | 96.7 |
Immortal Romance | 96.9 |
King Kong Cash | 95.8 |
The key takeaway in choosing the right platforms and games for free spins is to use an online casino licensed and regulated where you live and select games that offer free spin promos and have eligible slots with reasonable return-to-player rates. Making sure you’ve ticked these boxes will increase your overall chances of increased profitability from using free spins on your favorite video poker games or slot machines.
Take Advantage of Welcome Bonuses and Promotions
When looking over the right welcome bonuses or evergreen promotions for the best free spin deals, seeking good value is essential. This all begins by getting familiar with the terms of each promotion and understanding what you might have to give up in exchange for a free slot or video poker spins. We’ll walk you through the best way to take advantage of welcome bonuses or ongoing promos to get the best in free spins for the best possible value.
Sign-up Bonuses with Free Spins
If you’re brand new to an online casino and planning on making your first deposit following sign-up, it’s one of the best times to capitalize on free spins. Many online casinos will include these as a perk of the welcome package, and they’re easy to qualify for if you’re already planning on loading your new account with funds. In many cases, you’ll only have one choice for a welcome bonus, but there’s a chance you might have a choice. In that case, we’d recommend a bonus with lower wagering requirements or one that offers the most bonus funds. No matter which you choose, make sure you can get those free spins.
Ongoing Promotions
Another way to find free spins at an online casino is by looking through the platform’s ongoing promotions, such as reload bonuses, free spin tournaments, or loyalty programs that reward consistent play. Depending on which casino app you’re using, you’ll have varied success with how frequently you’ll find these deals. Still, these tend to be a standard offering to regular, existing customers to keep them interested in the slot machines or video poker games available in the app’s library.
Compare Promotions
It’s vital to compare various bonuses and promotions regarding free spins to determine which ones you can get the most value out of. For instance, no-deposit bonuses are arguably the best promos because the gambler doesn’t have to deposit their own money to take advantage of the offer. However, these deals come with some of the steepest wagering requirements that gamblers must fulfill to use the free spins.
Another example would be balancing the value of how many free spins you’re getting with how much you’ll need to satisfy the playthrough requirements. It is preferable to take fewer free spins and a lower rollover instead of more free spins and a higher rollover rate. This is why reading the terms beforehand is essential to make the best decision based on the value you see.
Make the Most of Wagering Requirements
In addition to making the most of welcome bonuses and other promotions, gamblers will want to use wagering requirements to their advantage when claiming their free spins. Gamblers must know the free spins offered by their casino app’s bonuses and promotions. There are traditional free spins and wagering free spins. Once you see the difference, you can learn how to maximize both scenarios.
Understanding Wagering Requirements Fully
While most casino app bonuses and promos come with wagering requirements on the bonus money that players can earn for a first-time deposit or an account reload, a lot of free spins don’t have wagering requirements (unless you’re dealing with wagering spins) because they don’t come with an official cash amount. With traditional free spins promos, wagering requirements only apply to winnings using free spins. We’ll get into how this works in the next section.
Look for Low-Wagering or No-Wagering Spins
To better understand how free spins and wagering requirements can combine to affect your winnings and eventual payouts ultimately, it’s important to learn the difference between wagering free spins and traditional free spins (no-wagering spins) and how they differ in what happens after you win at playing slots or video poker games. Ultimately, we encourage readers to prioritize free spin offers with low or no wagering requirements, as these give better chances to withdraw winnings.
- With traditional free spins, your winnings are yours to keep and immediately credited to your account. You can use them at any time. These are advantageous because you get your money immediately, and they aren’t subject to any rollover requirements.
- With wagering free spins, your winnings aren’t immediately credited to your account, but they are converted to bonus funds with a specific wagering requirement. If you want to withdraw the converted bonus funds as real cash, you must wager them a certain amount of time. The draw of wagering free spins is that these promos offer many more free spins than regular bonuses, giving you the power to extend your gaming session and increase your chances of winning.
Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress on how much of the wagering requirement is fulfilled helps avoid any surprises when withdrawing winnings. In some cases, slot apps will give its members an option to view their active promotions in the promotions lobby and see the wagering target, which outlines any progress you’ve made in claiming a bonus or promo.
Knowing where you stand in fulfilling your wagering requirements can help you allot the proper money to meet the goal. It can also give gamblers a clear picture of when they can make their subsequent withdrawals.
Play Strategically to Maximize Free Spins
Gamblers should consider the casino app they’re using and which promotions they use to earn free spins, but it’s equally important to be strategic in the kinds of slots or video poker games they play. Knowing which machines and games deliver the best returns over time and which are the most even-keel regarding game volatility is crucial if you’re looking to maximize your free spins.
Play Higher-RTP Slots First
Check out slots or video poker games with higher return-to-player (RTP) rates. Ideally, you’ll want to shoot for titles with 94-97% rates, as they statistically offer the best returns over time. For example, if a machine has an RTP of 95%, this means that you’re guaranteed to earn back at least 95% of the money you put into the machine with the opportunity to win enough where you break even or make a profit. Because you’re not paying for the free spins, they can be elemental in helping you rake in a significant return for no money spent!
Volatility Matters
There are high- and low-volatility slot machines, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Volatility is key to choosing the right machine to use your free spins on.
- High-Volatility Slots: These machines have a lower payout frequency than medium- or low-volatility machines, but the average payout is much more prominent on these machines when it does hit. So, you’ll basically win less, but your payout will be much more significant when you do win.
- Low-Volatility Slots: The opposite of high-volatility slot machines, low-volatility slots have a higher payout frequency but a much lower average payout value than high-volatility machines. Gamblers can rely on low-volatility slots to deliver much steadier returns.
Gamblers used to play high-volatility slots will go through much longer dry spells between wins, but they have the potential to rake in larger sums of money. Using your free spins on a high-volatility machine might be a good idea because you need a larger bankroll to succeed with these machines. While free spins don’t give you more money, they can extend your playtime, and the free spins let gamblers with limited resources have a fair shake at trying a high-volatility machine in the pursuit of a larger payout.
However, we recommend using free spins on low-volatility slots because they offer more frequent, if smaller, payouts. Free spins can extend your game time and give you multiple opportunities to spin the reels and capture more wins during your session.
Set Limits and Goals
We encourage you to set clear goals for your free spin sessions—these are the prime methods for playing smarter and maximizing your winning potential.
- Win and Loss Limits: The brutal reality of gambling is that your results will deteriorate with time, so it’s best to cut and run when you’re ahead or if you’re experiencing a string of losses. Setting limits on wins and losses can play a key role in your success. For instance, you could set up a limit for yourself where you’ll terminate your session if you either win $150 or lose $50, whichever comes first.
- Budget Limits: Set aside an amount of money for each slot gambling session. It’s an allotment that you can afford to lose. Sticking to this amount for gambling and not going over is essential. Staying with a strict budget that doesn’t cause problems in other areas of your finances can help gamblers minimize potential losses.
- Time Limits: Set up time limits on your gambling sessions, too, so you’re not allowing online gambling to consume your life. Limiting your time also helps to minimize potential losses because (as we mentioned two points earlier) your results typically get worse with time spent playing slots or video poker.
Timing Is Key—Know When to Use Your Free Spins
Knowing when the right time is to use your free spins is another critical component of making the most of free spin bonuses or promos. Plan the timing of your spins wisely by coinciding them with other promos, and keep a close eye on free spin expiration dates to avoid
Expiration Dates
Read the terms of the free spins bonus or promotion to find out when the spins expire. With this knowledge, you can start creating a plan for how to use it before losing the opportunity. Think of it the way you would about your refrigerator and ensure that food gets eaten by a specific time so things don’t go to waste.If you’re brand new to an online casino and planning on making your first deposit following sign-up, it’s one of the best times to capitalize on free spins. Many online casinos will include these as a perk of the welcome package, and they’re easy to qualify for if you’re already planning on loading your new account with funds. In many cases, you’ll only have one choice for a welcome bonus, but there’s a chance you might have a choice. In that case, we’d recommend a bonus with lower wagering requirements or one that offers the most bonus funds. No matter which you choose, make sure you can get those free spins.
Plan Your Spins Wisely
We highly recommend using your free spins at strategic moments instead of using them all in a single shot. Yes, you want to play slot machines with high RTP rates, and you’ll generally want to lean toward slots with low volatility, but timing is critical to maximizing their potential. Consider using your free spins during promotional periods or slot tournaments that offer extra rewards or multipliers. By joining the force of free spins with other additional perks and promotions, you can increase your potential profits and get the most value out of your time and resources.
Maximize Reload Offers
Slot and video poker players can stretch their budget further by using their free spins in combination with reload bonuses. All gamblers must reload their accounts with new funds at some point, so why not earn some perks for the trouble? If your casino apps offer this as a consistent promo, you can earn free spins on select slots whenever you replenish your account with new funds. You can turn around and use these spins to generate a profit beyond the money used for your gambling budget.
Cash Out at the Right Time
Once you’ve mastered the timing of when to use your free spins, you’ll want to consider when to cash out your winnings. Two key considerations are knowing when to terminate your gambling appropriately and properly understanding the terms of withdrawal.
Know When to Stop
As we mentioned before, when discussing setting win and loss limits, gambling delivers poorer results the longer you play. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of walking away following a big win when playing slots or when you’ve finally satisfied the wagering requirements. Don’t dedicate any more time to the session—you’d only be pushing your luck. Use this as an opportunity to stop your session, collect your winnings, and enjoy your victory.
Withdrawals and Terms
As much as you can, you’ll want to withdraw your winnings as quickly as possible and perform the fewest transactions in the process to make it happen. It can’t always be done this way, but it’s a goal you should shoot for as best you can. One of the last things you’ll want to do is forfeit the winnings you worked so hard to attain. Gamblers will do well to understand the conditions tied to withdrawing winnings from free spins, such as withdrawal limits or document verification.
- Casino Withdrawal Limits: These are limitations on how much money you can withdraw in a single transaction. Many online casinos have these limits, while others have zero limits, and it’s standard as it’s a way to maintain the stability of their own business. In some cases, these limitations make it harder to withdraw big winnings in the hopes that players will change their minds about taking it all and reinvest some of it back into the games.
- Document Verification: Some platforms will ask to verify your identity when withdrawing your winnings, which can hold up the payout process. Sometimes, the payout will be rejected if you don’t provide the official documentation. While there are some security purposes behind these policies, it’s another way that your winnings could be in jeopardy or potentially held up in red tape.
Use Multiple Casinos for More Free Spins Offers
There are a few other strategies where you can get the most out of our free spin offers, and they involve using multiple casino apps to get the job done! There’s no rule saying you cannot use various casino apps. However, you’ll want to ensure these platforms are licensed and regulated where you live. Some challenges come with balancing your time between platforms, but this approach has some great benefits, specifically for free spin promotions.
Sign Up For Multiple Casinos
By becoming a member of multiple casino apps, gamblers can use various welcome bonuses, deposit reload bonuses, or rewards program bonuses to multiply the number of free spins they can enjoy on slot and video poker games in the app’s libraries. The key is signing up for several trusted online casinos you can legally use, licensed and registered in your state or region.
Track Promotions
Knowing about upcoming promotions with free spins is an excellent way of staying on top of potential bonuses and mapping out a plan to use those bonus funds to your advantage. Get new updates from the casino apps you’re using or sign up for newsletters or email lists to track which casinos offer the best free spins promotions.
Diversify Your Play
One of the best aspects of using more than one online casino is that you can keep things fresh by accessing multiple game libraries with the best slot titles and video poker games. Sticking with a single casino app can become stale, and the experience may not be nearly as fun. This strategy lets you take advantage of various free spin opportunities, and you can keep your gameplay from getting old by exposing yourself to game titles you’re not familiar with.
Avoid Common Pitfalls with Free Spins
Let’s highlight some of the gamblers’ most common mistakes when using free spins. If you can avoid these pitfalls, you’ll be much better prepared when using free spins and other gambling strategies to increase the value of your online bankroll. By side-stepping these mistakes, gamblers can steer clear of unnecessary losses and reach their online gambling goals more effortlessly!
Over-Reliance on Free Spins
The word “free” can be deceptive, and newer players might fall into the trap of thinking that free spins are the best strategy for driving profits from slot machine play. However, relying solely on free spins to ensure wins and ignoring other strategies or responsible gambling practices can be a recipe for disaster. In addition to the free, incorporate responsible gambling strategies into the mix, like budget, time, and win/loss limits, while using other bonuses or promotions to fund your online gambling endeavors.
Reading the Fine Print
We’ve mentioned it a few times, but we’ll mention it again: always read the terms and conditions of any bonus you redeem at an online casino. Getting familiar with the rules of the promo can help gamblers avoid misunderstandings. There’s a good chance that wagering requirements must be fulfilled to use the free spins, and you could run into withdrawal limits. Reading the fine print clears up any confusion that might arise when gamblers don’t take the time to look them over.
Ignoring Game Restrictions
Just as you should read the fine print on free spins to understand concepts like wagering requirements and withdrawal limits, you should also view which games and slots apply to the promo. In many cases, the free spins don’t apply to all titles. Knowing which slots are included can help you avoid using the free spins on the wrong slot and void the offer.
Maximize Winnings with Free Spins
Free spins are some of the best bonuses you can earn at an online casino—you can earn them with welcome bonuses for new gamblers or ongoing promos for existing customers like reload bonuses or rewards program promos. Choose the licensed and regulated online casinos with high-RTP games. Understand how wagering requirements factor into your gameplay and effectively track your progress to know when the rollover is satisfied.
While free spins are a great way to try new games and potentially win, it’s important to play responsibly and within your means—set up a gambling budget along with time limits and win/loss limits to maximize returns and mitigate potential losses. Check out CasinoApps.org for updated free spins offers, reviews of the best casinos, and strategies for responsible gambling.
