A Guide to Reload Bonuses and How They Work

What is a Reload Bonus

A reload bonus is an existing customer casino offer you can claim during promotional periods. To trigger it, you need to have an account with the casino and top it up by making a qualifying deposit during the promotional period of the offer. It is important to note that only deposits made during the promo period, say Saturday and Sunday, will activate the bonus.

Casino reload bonuses are really popular with players as they allow them to continue to benefit from deposit bonuses even after they have used up the welcome bonus. That means existing customers can get a helping hand in the form of bonus funds and free spins when they top up during promo periods.

Even though casinos usually don’t give 100% matched reload deposit bonuses, as the 100% deposit match is reserved for welcome bonuses, you will still likely get at least a 50% deposit match, which is pretty great too. The fact that you will get similar reloads whenever the casino has a promo period makes reload bonuses even more appealing for UK players.

How Does the Reload Bonus Work?

A reload casino bonus is activated when a player makes a deposit during a promotional period. That promotional period will always be stipulated in the terms and conditions of the reload bonus and will often be included in the name of the promo too. So you might be offered a Christmas Reload, a Weekend Reload promo, or a Black Friday Reload bonus.

However, making a deposit during the promo period is only one of the requirements to trigger UK casino reload bonuses. You also need to make that deposit using an accepted payment method, and you almost always need to meet a minimum deposit requirement.

After you have made your qualifying deposit, the online casino will credit the reload bonus funds and free spins to your account, meaning you will be able to use them to play the games stipulated in the promo. Lastly, you will need to meet the wagering requirements, if there are any, to be able to withdraw your reload bonus winnings.

Pros and Cons of Casino Reload Bonuses

The best UK casinos have a wide range of reload deposit bonuses, and experienced gamblers already know what to expect. However, if you are new to gambling online or have never activated a reload bonus, you probably want to learn the advantages and disadvantages of claiming one. Let’s look at the pros and cons of casino reload bonuses to help you with your decision.

Top Casinos with Reload Bonus by Category

Different Types of Casino Reload Bonuses

Most casino reload bonuses are similar in that they can only be triggered during the promotional period. However, there are other nuances to consider before claiming a reload bonus too. So, learning more about the different types of casino reload bonuses can go a long way towards choosing the one that works best for you.

Deposit Match Reload Bonus

The majority of reload bonus deals are of the deposit match type. That means you make a qualifying deposit, and the online casino matches that deposit up to a certain amount but in bonus funds. Please note that most of the time UK casinos won’t match your deposit in full but will go with a 50% or 60% matched deposit.

That’s because 100% deposit match bonuses are usually reserved for new players, as a full match seems more enticing than a partial one and would attract more new customers. However, a reload bonus can be just as good as a welcome promo, if not better. As most seasoned gamblers know, the difference between a top-notch and second-rate bonus is usually in the wagering requirements and not so much in the percentage of the bonus match.

Here’s how a reload bonus offer might look. Let’s say you are triggering a 50% up to £500 reload bonus with a 4x wagering requirement on the deposit and bonus funds. You decide to deposit £800. Because the casino matches 50% of your qualifying deposit, you will get £400 in bonus credits. You will now play with a total of £1200. However, before you can withdraw any winnings obtained from this bonus, you will need to meet the 4x wagering condition and spend £4800.

The great thing about deposit match reloads is that you can use your bonus funds on a wide range of casino games, and not just online slots. That said, you still have to check which games are eligible for the bonus, as sometimes only a select group of casino games will be available for a particular reload promo.

Free Spins Reload Bonus

If you are an online slots enthusiast, you will love free spins reload bonuses. When you claim a free spins reload, the casino gives you bonus spins instead of extra funds to play with. So, a free spins reload bonus may look something like this:

Deposit £150 on Sunday and get 50 free spins on the Book of Dead slot.

As you can see, to get your free spins, you need to deposit a particular amount of money, in this case, £150. Also, chances are that with most free spins reload bonuses, you will be able to use your bonus spins only on particular slots. In our example, that is the classic and popular Book of Dead slot.

Lastly, as with reload bonus funds, check whether your free spins winnings might be subject to wagering requirements. If that’s the case, you will need to meet these playthrough conditions before you can withdraw your free spins windfall.

If you play at online casinos regularly, you might have noticed that reload offers are often a combination of bonus funds and free spins. So, in addition to free spins, you will also get bonus funds when you trigger these types of bonuses.

No Wagering Reload Bonus

Experienced gamblers are constantly on the lookout for the best reload bonuses. No wagering reload promos come as close to that description as possible. As you can probably guess, with these types of casino reload offers, you get bonus funds or free spins but instead of having to meet wagering requirements, you can withdraw your winnings as soon as you get them.

Let’s say an online casino gives you a 25% reload bonus up to £50 that has no wagering. So, you make a qualifying deposit, meet the minimum deposit amount and get your bonus funds. For instance, you deposit £200 and get the maximum bonus amount of £50. After you get your bonus funds you can use them to play eligible games. Because there are no wagering requirements to meet, any winnings you obtain will be available for withdrawal instantly.

How to Claim Reload Bonuses?

Have used up all your welcome bonus funds but still want to continue playing with bonus money? You are not alone. The great thing about being a UK casino player is that you can do exactly that by triggering reload bonuses. Read our four-step guide to learn how to do it.

Find Generous Online Casinos

Start by shortlisting generous casino sites that offer a wide range of promos. If a casino has a lucrative welcome bonus, daily free spins and an attractive loyalty program, chances are it will offer reload bonuses too. Shortlist a few of these casinos.

Locate Enticing Reload Bonuses

After you have found several bonus-rich casinos, zero in on the ones with the most enticing reload bonuses. In other words, it is usually better to claim a 50% up to £200 bonus than a 20% up to £100 bonus. However, before you do that, check out our next step.

Read Reload Bonus Terms

The difference between bonus reload offers you want to claim and promos you want to avoid is in the fine print of their terms and conditions. So, when choosing a reload promotion, focus on the bonus amount and percentage, but pay even more attention to finding bonuses with low wagering.

Check What Other Players Say

The best way to see if a reload bonus will give you what you are looking for is to see what fellow gamblers are saying about it. Therefore, before activating a reload offer, visit our Fruity Slots forum and check how our community feels about a particular promo.

Understanding Reload Bonus Terms and Conditions

The key to finding casino reload offers that give you the best value is to read the terms and conditions of a particular bonus. Online casinos like to promote their bonuses aggressively. And while that doesn’t mean they stretch the truth, casinos often decide to put unfavourable bonus conditions in the small print. Fortunately, by reading and understanding those fine print particulars, you will always know what you are getting into.

• Promotional Period: You can only activate a reload offer during its promotional period. So, it is absolutely paramount that you know when to make that qualifying deposit. If you don’t, you will miss out on the promo. For instance, a Sunday reload promo will only be activated by a deposit made on Sunday.
• Wagering Requirements: When triggering reload bonuses, you often need to meet wagering requirements before you can get your winnings. For example, if a casino gives you £50 in bonus funds after you have deposited £100, the total bonus and deposit amount you will need to wager will be £150. If the wagering condition is 8x, you will be required to spend £1200 (8x£150) before you can withdraw your bonus profits.
• Minimum Deposit: The minimum deposit requirement tells you what is the lowest deposit amount that you need to top up your account with for the bonus to be activated. If a casino reload offer has a £10 minimum deposit requirement, only deposits of £10 or more that are made during the promotional period will activate the bonus.
• Excluded Payment Methods: Some payment systems, such as e-wallets, are sometimes excluded from casino reload bonuses. This is particularly true if you are depositing using Skrill and Neteller. Both of these digital wallets are great for gambling, but not so great when it comes to activating bonuses. So, always have an alternative deposit option at hand, such as a debit or prepaid card, when you want to get a reload bonus.
• Bonus Validity: When you activate a reload bonus, try to use it as soon as possible. Promos expire after some time, and you don’t want your reload bonus funds to be cancelled just because you failed to check the bonus validity dates before claiming the promotion. As a rule of thumb, most reload bonuses will last at least 24 hours and stay active for a few days. But verify that by reading the terms first, of course.
• Maximum Bet: It is not uncommon for a casino reload bonus to cap the maximum bet you can place while playing with bonus funds or free spins. For example, if a reload bonus says that the maximum bet you can make is £5, you will only be able to stake that much per spin, round or hand.
• Available Games: Not all games will be at your disposal when playing with casino reload bonuses. While some reload promos will have no limitations on which games you can play with your bonus funds, unfortunately, some will. So, it is always worth checking if you fancy the games included in a promo. If not, it might be better to go for a different casino bonus.
• Withdrawal Limitations: Sometimes a casino might say that you can only withdraw the winnings from your reload bonus funds, but not the extra funds themselves. This is a withdrawal restriction. Even though it might seem unfair, it is a small price to pay to play with complimentary bonus funds in addition to your own. A withdrawal limit may also refer to the maximum amount you can withdraw from a reload bonus.

Difference Between Reload Bonus and Welcome Bonus

Welcome bonuses and reload promos are two of the most popular offers in the gambling industry. The best UK casinos have them and they are usually pretty straightforward to claim and activate. But which one is better? Let’s put reload and welcome bonuses side by side and see how they compare to each other.

Benefits of Casino Reload Bonuses

Skill and luck are important when playing at online casinos but so are lucrative bonuses and promos. And nothing beats top UK casino reload bonuses that you can claim with something as simple as topping up your account. The benefits below illustrate how casino reload bonuses boost your online gambling experience and how you can profit from them.

Refills

One of the best aspects of reload bonuses is that you don’t have to be a new customer to get bonus funds. You can get your deposit matched as an existing player too. All you need to do is keep your eyes peeled for active or upcoming casino reload bonuses. When a promo is rolled out, you simply top up your account and enjoy some additional reload funds. And there are no limits to how many reload bonuses you activate. The more reload bonuses you claim, the more bonus fund refills for you.

Loyalty Rewards

What better way for an online casino to demonstrate how much it values your loyalty than to allow you to claim reload bonuses on multiple occasions and with multiple deposits? And speaking of loyalty, most top casinos include reload bonuses in their loyalty program rewards. So, if you level up in a casino’s loyalty scheme, you can expect to get better cashback percentages, more free spins and maybe weekly or monthly bonus reload offers.

Reducing Losses

When players have suffered losses, reload bonuses can serve as a safety net by offering extra funds to keep playing without requiring additional deposits. This can lessen the negative effects of losses and give players an opportunity to bounce back and potentially improve their fortunes.

The Best Casino Reload Bonus Payment Options

Casino reload bonuses are easy to activate. However, not all payment methods will trigger them. So, it is smart to check if a banking option is eligible for a reload bonus before opting in for the promo. Let’s look at popular casino payment methods you should use to claim reload bonuses and deposit systems you should avoid:

• Credit/Debit cards: Credit and debit cards like Visa and Mastercard are your safest bets if you want to claim reload bonuses each and every time. They are quite convenient, as most online casinos accept them and facilitate instant deposits and secure withdrawals too. Sure, you will need to share your banking info when depositing, but that’s something that’s always true when paying with credit/debit cards.
• E-wallets: Skrill and Neteller are two excellent e-wallets to use at online casinos. They allow you to deposit and withdraw instantly while sharing minimal banking and personal information. However, they are not ideal if you want to claim bonuses. Most welcome bonuses and some reload offers cannot be triggered when depositing with Skrill or Neteller. So, it is always smart to read the terms and conditions of the bonus if you are already using these e-wallets at online casinos or to see if other e-wallets like MuchBetter or PayPal may be accepted.
• Prepaid cards: Prepaid cards like AstroPay, paysafecard, and CashtoCode are quite popular among casino players. The great thing about prepaid cards is that they facilitate instant and anonymous deposits. They also trigger reload casino bonuses, as they are almost never excluded from these promos. However, the problem with prepaid cards is that you cannot use them to withdraw your winnings. Therefore, if you are thinking about using prepaid cards to gamble online, make sure that you have an alternative payout option.
• Pay By Phone: If you deposit at UK online casinos using Pay By Phone payment methods, you will benefit from fast and secure deposits that will also unlock reload offers. However, because there are usually limits to how much you can deposit, Pay By Phone may not be an ideal method if you are a high roller. Another downside is that you cannot withdraw your winnings and will need to set up an alternative withdrawal option.

UK Online Casino Games with Reload Bonuses

Since most reload bonuses are credited as bonus funds, you can play both online slots and table games with them. However, the available games will depend on what the casino has stipulated in the bonus terms and conditions. If the casino doesn’t say anything about game restrictions, you can use your bonus funds to play any slot or table game you fancy. These are some of the casino games you can choose from:

• Online Slots: Spinning the reels and hoping to hit the right combination of matching symbols is much more fun when you do it with reload bonus funds courtesy of the casino. Factor in the in-game bonuses and special features and you instantly see why many players choose to spend their reload funds on slot games.
• Blackjack: Allowing you to turn the tables on the casino and almost completely eliminate the house edge, blackjack is a great game to play with reload bonuses. And if you beat the dealer’s hand without busting and exceeding 21, reload bonus funds will quickly become winnings you can withdraw.
• Roulette: With a myriad of betting options and easy-to-understand rules, roulette is another player-favourite casino classic you can play with your reload bonus funds. To benefit from roulette’s attractive payouts and relatively small house edge, you only need to get a little lucky and predict the pocket where the ball will land.
• Baccarat: Whether playing RNG or live dealer baccarat, you can use reload bonus funds to boost your bets. Baccarat rules are as simple and straightforward as you like them to be, meaning both new and experienced players can use reload bonus funds to predict whether the Bank or the Player gets the highest total.

Conclusion

There’s nothing quite like playing with bonus reload funds courtesy of the casino. By claiming reload offers, you get additional bonus money as an existing player, allowing you to bet more, play longer and eventually win more if you get lucky.

However, to benefit from casino reload bonus funds, you need to keep your eyes peeled and trigger these bonuses while the promo period is still active. Even more importantly, you need to join top UK casinos that have the best reload bonus offers, meaning Fruity Slots is a great place to start your search, as we feature reputable UK casinos and share valuable expert and player insights about them.