Table of Contents
- What Is a Bingo Bonus?
- The Most Common Bingo Bonuses
- Wagering requirements and Other Terms and Conditions for Bingo Bonuses
- How We Recommend Bingo Bonuses
- Bingo Offers for Regular Players
- Steps for Using Bingo Bonuses
- No Deposit Bingo Bonuses and How They Work
- Are There Bingo Bonus Codes?
- Paying for Tickets with a Bingo Bonus
- Tips for Winning with Bingo Bonuses
- Free Bingo vs Bingo Bonus
- Bingo Bonus FAQs
What Is a Bingo Bonus?
A bingo bonus is a special deal that offers you free bingo credits up to a certain value to play at the site. It can be on-site money or free chances to bet.
These bonuses may require some financial consideration on your part before you receive them. Or, they will be given at no cost to you. There may sometimes be a promo code that you must enter to activate the bonus, or it may be automatically available as soon as you join the site.
The Most Common Bingo Bonuses
There are lots of bonuses offered at online bingo sites. The biggest offers are usually available for new players since this is the operator’s most effective way of growing their customer base.
Deposit Bonus
This bingo bonus activates when you make your first deposit. The bonus reward may be a fixed prize. Other times, it’s a percentage match based on your deposit, e.g. a 100% deposit match. Note that this will have an upper cap, such as a 100% deposit match up to £200.
Free Bingo Tickets
Free bingo tickets are like free spins on slots. They allow you to play bingo games for free up to a certain number of times. For instance, £50 worth of free bingo tickets at £1 per entry means you get to go 50 rounds on bingo. Just like slot free spins, these bonus tickets may be restricted to specific rooms and specific kinds of games.
Bet & Get
Many bingo operators are opting for this style of bonus deal nowadays. Here you have to deposit and spend a certain amount, after which you receive a fixed reward. For example, ‘Bet £10 and Get £50 on Bingo.’
Mobile Bingo Bonus
This exclusive bonus is common with operators that have a dedicated mobile app. However, it can also be given when you register at mobile bingo sites using your mobile phone number or when you opt-in for SMS marketing.
Bonus Wheel
This bonus starts off with you depositing and spending a certain amount. Afterwards, you’ll unlock a spin on a prize wheel where you can win anything from cash prizes to bingo tickets or even slot free spins.
Free Spins
The best bingo sites offer more than just bingo. You’ll usually find a hefty collection of online slots as well. As such, free spins bonuses are often available to claim. They may be offered alongside a bingo bonus as a welcome pack. A typical example is ‘Bet £10 and Get £50 on Bingo plus 50 Free Spins.’
Wagering requirements and Other Terms and Conditions for Bingo Bonuses
The first thing you should know about a bingo bonus is that you can’t withdraw it right away. It does not constitute part of your real money balance but is considered a bonus balance. You have to use the bonus to play bingo games before you are able to withdraw it. This is what is referred to as a wagering requirement – the number of times you must wager your bonus before getting a payout.
Fortunately, bingo bonuses tend to have much more generous wagering requirements than slot or casino offers, especially when playing at low wagering bingo sites. You can find bingo wagering requirements as low as 5x or 2x. Some sites like PlayOjo and Double Bubble Bingo have ‘no wagering‘ offers. Here, you only need to use the bonus tickets or cash to play games once, and whatever you win is yours to keep.
Other terms and conditions to look out for are:
- Bonus expiry – the time limit for which the bonus remains valid
- Minimum deposit/spend – the least amount you have to deposit or spend to trigger the bonus. Most sites provide £10 deposit bonuses, but you can also find some £5 deposit bingo offers.
- Win limit/max conversion – the highest amount of bonus winnings that will be transferable to your real balance for you to withdraw. If you make a huge win, you may not be able to withdraw all of it, only up to the max win limit allowed on the site.
- Selected games – free bingo tickets and free spins often have a few eligible games that you must use them on. These bonuses are not valid elsewhere.
- Cash first or bonus first – the order in which you can use your casino balance. Where the play order is ‘cash first,’ any bets will be taken from the cash balance first before your bonus balance is considered.
How We Recommend Bingo Bonuses
Reviewing the bonus terms and conditions is the primary way we identify the best bonuses. You can usually tell the value of the bonus from how achievable the wagering requirement is, how much you can win from it and if you can use it on a wide range of games. In addition, we also consider the factors below:
High Percentage Bonus
For a match deposit, the bonus percentage is a key factor. The higher the percentage, the bigger the bonus you’ll receive. For instance, a 50% match on £100 will give you a £50 bonus, whereas a 100% match will give you a £100 bonus – twice as much. It’s not uncommon to find bingo bonuses with percentages of up to 500%.
High Bonus Upper Limit
The higher the upper limit of the bonus, the larger the bonus amount you can claim. E.g., 200% up to £300 is better than 500% up to £100. However, you must be willing to make a larger deposit to take advantage of the max benefits.
Additional Promotions
What happens when you’ve cleared the welcome bonus? Is that all you can get from the site, or can you look forward to more freebies? The best bingo bonus sites we recommend are not only about the new player bonuses. We also like to ensure that several other promotions are available for existing players at the site. So as long as you play on the platform, there should be bonuses to look forward to.
Bingo Offers for Regular Players
Exclusive and networked jackpots
Bingo sites have two kinds of game rooms, exclusive and networked rooms. The ongoing bingo promotions and jackpots available are also separated into exclusive and network jackpots. Exclusive jackpots are often only available on a specific site or a small group of sites. In contrast, network jackpots are powered by major software providers like Dragonfish and Pragmatic Play Bingo, who operate these network games.
Network jackpots are much larger since there are many more players wagering on these games, but your chances of winning are also slimmer. The opposite is the case for exclusive jackpots.
Guaranteed Jackpots
Most bingo jackpots are progressive, meaning that the potential prize depends on the number of players that buy tickets to the game. As such, these can arrive at life-changing sums or can be meagre prizes if not many players participate.
The idea of guaranteed jackpots is that the grand prize is a fixed amount and is not influenced by the number of people that play. A guaranteed jackpot will be indicated as such, and the prize will also be displayed for you to see before joining.
BOGOF – Buy One Get One Free
Here’s one of the best value bonuses you can find at a bingo site. Buy One Get One Free deals are often available on selected games at specific times of the day. You’ll have to keep your eye out for them as they are time-limited offers. Subscribing to email marketing is a good way to ensure to don’t miss out. BOGOF games will usually offer various cash prizes.
Loyalty Program
A loyalty program is probably the biggest reason to keep playing at a bingo site. These reward schemes often have membership tiers with prizes of varying kinds and values. Advancing in levels may also allow you access to special deals or bingo events with limited entry. And all you have to do to pick up all these rewards and benefits is to keep playing your favourite games.
Cash Draws
Another popular bonus you can find at bingo sites is cash draws. Daily, weekly, and monthly draws are available, and you can gain entry when you wager a certain amount. For instance, every £20 spent may award you one entry, and you can acquire as many entries as possible to increase your chances of winning the prize draw.
Social Media Bonuses
Bingo sites with an active Facebook or Twitter presence may provide special offers and deals you won’t find on the official site. This is especially so for those platforms with a strong social community. Following these social media pages will not only allow you to stay ahead of these special offers. It will also enable you to immerse yourself wholly in the bingo experience.
Steps for Using Bingo Bonuses
If you’ve used a slot bonus before, it’s the same as using a bingo bonus. If you haven’t, the process is simple nonetheless. Follow the easy steps below:
- Register on your preferred bingo site
- Head to the cashier section
- Make a deposit using any of the payment methods provided
- For ‘deposit & spend’ offers, wager on any bingo or slot games on the site
- Receive the bonus in your account
- Start playing with the bonus amount
- Complete any wagering requirements
- Withdraw the bonus and its winnings as you see fit.
No Deposit Bingo Bonuses and How They Work
Although most bingo bonuses will require you to deposit or spend some amount to activate it, this is not always the case. You can pick up a no deposit bingo bonus just for signing up. It could be in the form of free tickets or bonus cash. Here, you don’t have to do anything besides creating an account.
No deposit offers are also subject to terms and conditions. There may be selected games, win caps and wagering requirements. After using the bonus, you may also need to make a deposit before withdrawing. Don’t get carried away by the no deposit tag but check the bonus conditions to ensure that you don’t make a mistake while claiming it.
A good no deposit deal will prove very valuable to your gaming experience because it allows you to try out new bingo sites for free and get first-hand experience. If you’re unsatisfied, you can walk away without having used any of your own money.
Are There Bingo Bonus Codes?
Bonus codes are sometimes used to trigger these bingo offers. They are prevalent for no deposit deals, but some operators also apply them to deposit bonuses.
Where a bingo bonus code is necessary, you must enter it in the relevant field when opting in for the bonus. This can be when signing up or when making a qualifying deposit. Failure to use the bonus code where required will make you ineligible for the offer.
Paying for Tickets with a Bingo Bonus
You must pay for tickets with your bingo bonus funds in order to complete the bonus requirements. However, some sites will first draw funds from your cash balance before using your bingo credits. If this is so, then you have to use up your real balance first before taking advantage of the bonus. You’ll want to finish up on the bonus before making any fresh deposits.
Also, some sites may prioritise your bonus winnings over the remaining bonus amount, which can set you back on your efforts. You should bear this in mind and keep track of the bonus expiry. Fortunately, most operators will allow you up to 30 days to use up the bonus and complete the requirements. This is ample time for players who visit the site regularly.
Tips for Winning with Bingo Bonuses
- Don’t try to hoard your bonus. Instead, use it as soon as you can so that it doesn’t expire.
- Maximise the value of deposit match offers by placing larger deposits.
- Always take advantage of no deposit deals; there’s nothing to lose since you can walk away if you’re not pleased.
- Don’t try to abuse the bonus by using it on high-paying ineligible games or, as indicated in the Mecca Bingo bonus terms, “switching games during bonus rounds or placing bets to delay the credit of winnings.” If discovered, operators will void the offer for bonus abusers.
- When you have the liberty to choose your games, make sure you play the bonus on your favourite bingo titles to maximise the fun.
- Ensure that you’ve met the wagering requirements before you request a withdrawal.
Free Bingo vs Bingo Bonus
Free bingo is basically a bingo game or room where you can enter at little or no cost. Playing at these rooms gives you a chance to win free bingo tickets, cash or jackpots. However, these prizes are often very small, not to mention that with so many people looking to get a free bonus, you have statistically low chances of winning.
It’s a good idea to join a free bingo room, but you shouldn’t use this as an alternative for a bingo bonus. Regular bonuses hold much more value, whereas a free bingo room is where you play in the hopes of winning a bingo bonus.
Bingo Bonus FAQs
When should I claim a bingo bonus?
A good bonus deal will add value to your bingo experience, so you should claim one as soon as it becomes available. New players can take advantage of welcome offers right after registration and the first deposit. Existing players can regularly claim recurring promos.
How much do I need to deposit to be eligible for a welcome bonus?
The minimum deposit for the welcome bingo bonus is usually £10. However, there are several other deposit minimum sites available.
What makes a good bingo bonus offer?
Several factors determine how good a bingo deal is. They include the wagering requirement, the upper bonus limit, and the match percentage, among others.
Can I claim a bingo bonus twice?
Most bonuses are available one time per player. So you can’t claim them more than once using the same account, and opening multiple accounts is considered bonus abuse.
What are my chances of winning a bingo jackpot?
Jackpot prize pools are often shared among several players. So multiple people can win at a time. The portion of the prize that you receive will depend on whether you win with a full house or some other acceptable winning pattern.
How much can I win with a bingo bonus?
There’s no stipulated amount you can win with a bingo bonus. Many sites will implement a max win limit, but the exact value differs among different operators. You’ll be able to see the max win under the terms and conditions for any bonus you wish to claim.