The Dummies’ Guide to Using No Deposit Bonuses
One of the most sought-after bonuses at online and mobile casinos is the no deposit bonus. All you need to do is open a real money account with a casino – ensure that it is properly licensed, preferably from a reputed licensing authority – and the bonus is instantly available for you to use!
This bonus is popular because it ensures everyone wins – you as the player get to play your favorite games without spending your own money and the casino gets frequent new sign-ups. Let us see what this amazing bonus is, how it works and the benefits that it offers.
What is a No Deposit Bonus?
A no deposit bonus is exactly what the term says – it is a bonus that you get without having to deposit funds into your new casino account. You can use the credits or free spins that the casino offers you in the form of this bonus to play your favorite game by placing real money bets. And the biggest incentive: you get to keep a portion of what you win, too!
Types of No Deposit Bonuses
There are 3 types of no deposit bonuses that casinos offer:
- No deposit free credits
- No deposit free spins
- No deposit free credits with time
The first 2 types are the most commonly available ones. Let us briefly see what each of them is.
No Deposit Free Credits
This bonus gives you a specific amount of credits free that you can use for real money play. The amount available as bonus is usually nominal – between $5 and $30, though there are a few casinos that offer higher values.
The no deposit free credits bonus usually covers most of the games available. There are specific games, however, that you cannot play using this bonus; this information is usually stated in the terms and conditions of the bonus. Ensure you read that section carefully to
avoid the bonus being canceled and your winnings from it annulled.
No Deposit Free Spins
This bonus is applicable only to slots. You get a specific number of free spins that you can use to play the slot or slots that the bonus covers. Casinos usually offer this bonus on a specific slot, though some casinos do allow you to use it on multiple slots that it lists out.
The number of free spins you get usually ranges between 5 and 50. But there are casinos nowadays that offer more free spins; at some casinos you may get as many as 450 free spins, spread across multiple days from the day you sign up.
No Deposit Free Play with Time
The free play with time bonus is very much like the no deposit free credits bonus – you get a specific amount of casino credits for free – but with 2 major differences:
- There is a timeframe within which you have to use up the bonus
- The number of casino credits offered is huge compared to what you get in the no deposit free credits bonus.
Essentially, this bonus gives you a specific amount of casino credits that you have to use up within a particular time period. The bonus money available usually ranges from $100 to $2500, though there are casinos that offer much higher values, up to $3500, for instance.
You need to spend the bonus money within a specific timeframe, usually 60 minutes. Any bonus money that is left over after the expiry of the given time period becomes unusable. Some casinos offer a workaround to this by allowing you to reset the timeframe and starting the bonus again. There is a catch to that, however: any winnings you may have picked up till the point you decide to reset the clock gets canceled; you effectively start afresh.
How to Claim No Deposit Bonuses
You can claim a no deposit bonus in a few easy steps. The first step, of course, is to zero in on the casino that you want to play in and which offers this bonus. Searching out a good casino on your own can, at the very least, be time-consuming; sites like NoDepositHero make it easy for you to find the right casino by listing the best around. Once you have found your casino, this is what you do:
- Start the sign-up process by clicking the Register/Sign Up/Join Now button.
- Provide all the required personal details on the form that pops up.
- Choose a username and password for your account. At some casinos, the e-mail id you provide becomes your username.
- Opt in to claim the no deposit bonus.
- Complete the registration process.
- Visit the cashier section to claim the bonus. You may need to use a bonus code in some casinos; you can enter it in the field provided on that page, though at some casinos you will need to enter it while signing up.
The Importance of the Bonus Code
There are two ways to claim a no deposit bonus – directly by clicking the link available or by entering a bonus code. The bonus code is a unique numeric or alphanumeric string that you have to enter in order to claim the no deposit bonus. You will get it either at the casino’s website or at an affiliate site. Sometimes you get it through live chat with the casino’s support team before you sign up with the casino, along with promotional content about the no deposit bonus being offered.
The bonus code has a specific purpose in the grand scheme of things of casino bonuses. It enables the casino to:
- Track the details of players using the no deposit bonus.
- Locate the point from where a player picks up a no deposit bonus.
- Track a no deposit bonus’ validity period.
There are 4 ways of using a no deposit bonus code:
- Enter it in the appropriate field while signing up.
- Visit the cashier – you will find a list of bonuses and the bonus code against each of them – and claim it by clicking the button against it.
- Provide it to the casino’s customer support team through live chat.
- E-mail it to the casino’s support team.
Benefits of Using the No Deposit Bonus
The no deposit bonus offers multiple cool benefits. It allows you to:
- Boost your bankroll at no cost.
- Test the real money environment for free.
- Get a feel of how a game plays and possibly win some money as well without spending your own.
- Keep a portion of your winnings.
No Deposit Bonus Terms and Conditions
You find the no deposit bonus at quite a few casinos powered by reputed casino software vendors. Casinos usually attach terms and conditions to this bonus to prevent the possibility of fraud and bonus abuse and also to ensure the casinos do not run into loss by offering it to players.
The following are some important conditions:
- Wagering requirements: You must wager the winnings from your bonus or the bonus amount – depending on whether you are using a no deposit free spins bonus or a no deposit free credits bonus – a specific number of times to be able to withdraw winnings from it.
- Max cap on winnings: Casinos usually place a cap on the maximum amount you can withdraw out of the total winnings from a no deposit bonus. Any winnings above the capped amount is lost to the player.
- Minimum qualifying deposit: You will have to make a minimum qualifying deposit into your account to be able to withdraw winnings earned with a no deposit bonus. In that sense, this bonus is not completely free.
- Eligible games: You can use the no deposit bonus only to play the games covered by it. Playing a game that is not covered by the bonus will result in your winnings being canceled and the bonus will be suspended.
Now that you know all there is to know about no deposit bonuses, be sure to hunt them out on your next online gambling adventure.
