Say Goodbye to Welcome Bonus Woes: How to Avoid Costly Mistakes

Read any online casino strategy guide or review, and welcome bonuses get top billing. There’s a good reason for that: they’re the biggest single bonus you’ll get during your time online.

When you factor in the issue of variance pushing results in positive and negative directions, welcome bonuses are essential. As part of our commitment to giving you reliable information, top tips, and the best advice, here are the five things you need to look for when you’re sizing up welcome bonuses:

1. Deposit Terms

All deposit-based bonuses have minimum and maximum limits. The latter tells you the amount you can deposit to get the maximum bonus. You don’t get penalised for depositing more, but you won’t get more than the maximum bonus.

The minimum deposit limit is the most important because it’s the smallest amount required to trigger the bonus. If your first deposit is lower than the minimum deposit, you’ll miss out on a sizeable bonus.

As a general rule, the average minimum deposit for welcome bonuses is between £5 and £30. Any offer within that range can be classed as a generous welcome bonus. Our top tip is to use reputable payment methods such as Visa, MasterCard and PayPal.

2. Wagering Conditions

You will almost always need to wager a certain amount of money to convert bonus credits to withdrawable cash. The only time this isn’t the case is if you have a no-wagering bonus that rewards you with cash.

The amount you need to wager is known as a playthrough target, and it’s a multiple of your bonus. For example, 10x means you need to wager 10x the value of your bonus to convert it to cash.

People often assume that wagering conditions refer to a loss amount. That’s not the case. Wager is the sum of all your bets, irrespective of wins and losses. In fact, it’s entirely possible to hit a playthrough target during a winning session.

3. Contribution Weightings and Game Restrictions

Closely linked to wagering conditions are contribution weights and game restrictions. The former refers to how much of your bets contribute to your playthrough target. For example, a 100% weighting means every penny goes towards your target. Conversely, a 50% weighting means half of anything you bet on that game goes towards your target.

It’s also worth noting that bets on certain games won’t contribute to your playthrough target. For example, PlayStar has 800 games you can play via any device. You’re free to enjoy all of these games whenever you want. However, if you’re trying to clear the casino’s welcome bonus, only bets on slots, slingo, instant tap games and roulette count towards your playthrough target, whilst any bets you make on blackjack, video poker and baccarat won’t count. This bonus rule applies to desktop and mobile casino play, so don’t think you can avoid restrictions by switching devices.

4. Time Limits

The final hurdle to clear when it comes to welcome bonuses is time limits. Like life, nothing lasts forever in the casino world, so you’ll need to satisfy an offer’s terms and conditions before it expires.

Time limits apply before and after you’ve claimed an offer. If it’s a first deposit bonus, you’ll need to make a qualifying deposit within a certain amount of time after creating an account. After that, you’ll need to hit your playthrough target within a certain amount of time.

In general, the best bonus offers give you up to 30 days to hit your target. Whatever amount of time you’ve got, our tip is to play slots. These games have the best contribution weightings, so pick a bet amount you can afford, spin, and start claiming welcome bonuses.