Bonus buy, also referred to as feature buy option by some providers, is one of the modern-day features introduced in 2017 by Big Time Gaming in the slot White Rabbit. Through bonus buy or feature buy, you would get to cut the chase and save the hassle of going through the standard process of hunting for bonus rounds. This would be achieved by paying a premium to buy your way into the main highlight of the game which was the bonus rounds in this case.
You don’t have to be disappointed that your preferred bonus is not being triggered anymore. The bonus buy option allows you to directly get into your bonus round on the next spin, at a cost. Most of the slots providing the feature will have you paying between 50x-150x your stake to trigger the option. From there, you are granted instant action into the bonus round. This will let you avoid going through the standard process of landing matching symbols to trigger bonuses that you are not interested in. Simply put, the bonus buy option will have you bypassing the base game action and is simply a shortcut to entertainment.
However, some slots go beyond the average standard to demand more while buying the bonus. This means that your bankroll/budget has to be heavy. Serengeti Kings from NetEnt, for example, sets the price at 360x, Deadwood sets the price at 750x, and San Quentin sets its price at 2000x.
Unlike other bonus features that require a player landing on specific combinations on the base game, bonus buy will only be activated at a price. Since this is bypassing the normal procedure laid down on the base game, a player has to spend more than the normal stake to ‘buy the bonus’. As stated earlier, the average in most slots is 50x-150x (stake).
The main benefit associated with the bonus buy or feature buy option is to increase the chances of accumulating winnings. Moreover, the winnings in question are mostly high in value and this explains two main features that the bonus buy option works well with:
The above two are the perfect ingredients for the feature buy option. With high RTP + high volatility on the slot, chances of monster wins are greatly improved. Some slots with the bonus buy option have the potential of paying out a maximum of 50,000x.
The first and the main advantage of bonus buys is that you will improve the chances of winning on a spin. With the combination of high RTP and high volatility in the slots, you stand the chance to win monster wins.
Secondly, bonus buys save time by skipping all the base game basics to directly take you into the real action.
The main disadvantage with bonus buys is that they need a huge budget. To buy the bonus, you will need an average budget of 50x-150x stake and more. Moreover, the chances of depleting your bankroll on the bonus buy option are extremely high. This is mainly the reason the option was banned in the UK. Secondly, bonus buys don’t necessarily mean monster wins. You can rake a small profit that isn’t the measure of the risk taken.
Other top slots with feature buy option include: