Editorial note: this is an independent, general guide for information only. Game availability, features and RTP can vary between operators and game versions, so always check the in-game information panel before you spin. Slots are games of chance — nothing here is a prediction of results, and no strategy changes the odds.
What is a bonus buy?
A bonus buy — or feature buy — is the option some slots offer to purchase the bonus round directly, typically for somewhere between 50x and 100x stake, skipping the base-game wait entirely. It reshaped slot economics worldwide — and if you play in Britain, you will notice it is simply not there.
How bonus buys work
Where offered, the buy menu prices each feature — a standard free-spins round at perhaps 100x stake, premium modes higher — and pressing purchase triggers it immediately. The maths is rebalanced for the route: bought bonuses carry their own certified RTP, sometimes slightly above the base game’s, sometimes below, stated in the rules. Big Time Gaming’s Feature Drop added the elegant twist of a purchase price that falls as qualifying symbols land naturally.
Why UK players do not see them
Feature buys are not offered on UK-licensed sites: Gambling Commission game-design rules introduced in 2021 — the same package that removed autoplay and turbo play — ended the practice for British players, on the logic that purchasing concentrated gambling moments at 100x stake sits poorly with safer-gambling design. The games themselves remain; the buy button is simply absent from GB builds.
What players should know
For UK players the practical note is recognising the gap: international streamers and review sites discuss buys constantly, and the versions they show differ from the GB builds in lobbies here. The bonus rounds are reachable the traditional way, the maths of the GB build is stated in the information panel, and the absence of the button is regulation, not a missing feature.
Frequently asked questions
What does a bonus buy cost?
Typically 50x–100x stake for a standard free-spins round where offered, with premium modes priced higher.
Why can’t UK players buy bonuses?
Gambling Commission game-design rules introduced in 2021 ended feature buys on GB-licensed sites, alongside autoplay and turbo play.
Do bought bonuses have different RTP?
Often — the buy route carries its own certified figure, stated in the game rules, sometimes above or below base play.
What is Feature Drop?
Big Time Gaming’s variant — a bonus purchase whose price falls as qualifying symbols land naturally. Also unavailable in GB builds.
Related guides
18+ only. Gambling should be fun, never a way to make money. Please play responsibly and only with money you can afford to lose. If gambling is affecting you or someone you know, free, confidential support is available 24/7 from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, run by GamCare. You can also visit BeGambleAware (begambleaware.org) or self-exclude from UK-licensed online operators through GAMSTOP (gamstop.co.uk).