Seven Free Bet Terms to Check Before You Sign Up

1. Qualifying bet stake and odds

Most sign-up offers are "bet and get": you place a qualifying bet with your own money, and the free bet arrives once it settles. The qualifying bet usually has a minimum stake and minimum odds, and a bet that falls short of either doesn't count.

Odds rules are easy to miss. A minimum of 1/2 means a bet at 2/5 won't qualify, because 2/5 is shorter than 1/2. If fractional odds are confusing, our guide to how betting odds work and the odds converter will help.

2. Stake not returned

This is the term that makes the biggest difference to what a free bet is worth. With most free bets, the stake isn't returned when you win: you get the winnings only.

So a £10 free bet is worth less than £10 in cash. The free bet calculator shows the return at any odds:

3. Bet type restrictions

Free bets often come with rules on how you can use them, for example:

• minimum odds for the free bet itself, not just the qualifying bet;
• certain sports or markets only;
• certain bet types only, such as singles, accumulators or bet builders.

These can change how useful an offer is to you. At the time of writing, the £10 free bets at BetFusion and PlayWins must be used on an acca or Bet Builder with at least two selections at combined odds of 6/4 or bigger, and horse racing, greyhounds and virtual sports are excluded. That suits football acca fans, but not someone who mainly bets on racing.

4. Expiry

Free bets don't last forever. Most expire a set number of days after they're credited, and an unused free bet simply disappears. At SaviBet, LuckCity and BetBlink, the free bet expires after 7 days.

Check the qualifying window too. At BetFusion and PlayWins, both the qualifying bet and the free bet have to be placed within 7 days of your deposit.

5. Payment method exclusions

Some deposit methods don't qualify for welcome offers. E-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller are the most common exclusions, and some offers name the methods that do qualify: at BetFusion and PlayWins, the first deposit has to be made by Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay. If you deposit with an excluded method, you may not receive the free bet at all, so check before your first deposit. Credit cards can't be used for gambling in Great Britain at all.

6. Cash out and void bets

If you cash out your qualifying bet, it may no longer count towards the offer. The same often applies to bets that are voided, for example when a player you backed doesn't take part. Bets placed with free bets are often excluded from cash out as well. Our guide to in-play betting explains how cash out works.

7. One offer per household

Welcome offers are for new customers only, usually one per person, household, device or payment method. BetFusion and PlayWins, for example, limit their sports offer to one per person, household, device and IP address. Brands that share an operator can also share the limit. SaviBet, LuckCity and BetBlink are all run by ProgressPlay, and only one sports welcome offer can be claimed per customer across the three.

Since the new UK bonus rules came in, a sports free bet must also be earned through sports betting. Offers that mix sports and casino are no longer allowed.

Compare current free bet offers

Here are the current welcome offers from our featured bookmakers, with the key terms beside each one:

1. Editor's pick

   Position 1

   BetFusion iOS app

   Code BFUS10 on your first deposit

   Get a £10 Free Bet

   Code BFUS10 Copy

   • Min deposit £10
   • Min odds 6/4 (2.5) combined
   • Max conversion £100 free bet winnings
   • Valid 7 days

   9.7 Our score Read review

   Get bonus Visit site

   18+ New customers only. First deposit of £10+ by Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay using code BFUS10. Place a £10+ qualifying ACCA or Bet Builder (2+ selections, combined odds 6/4 or bigger) to get one £10 Free Bet for an ACCA or Bet Builder on the same terms; free bet stake not returned. Horse racing, greyhounds and virtual sports excluded. Qualifying bet and free bet must be placed within 7 days of the deposit. Max free bet winnings £100. One per person, household, device and IP address. 18+. T&Cs apply.

   Read more Full T&Cs

2. Great offer

   Position 2

   PlayWins iOS app

   Code PWIN10 on your first deposit

   Get a £10 Free Bet

   Code PWIN10 Copy

   • Min deposit £10
   • Min odds 6/4 (2.5) combined
   • Max conversion £100 free bet winnings
   • Valid 7 days

   9.5 Our score Read review

   Get bonus Visit site

   18+ New customers only. First deposit of £10+ by Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay using code PWIN10. Place a £10+ qualifying ACCA or Bet Builder (2+ selections, combined odds 6/4 or bigger) to get one £10 Free Bet for an ACCA or Bet Builder on the same terms; free bet stake not returned. Horse racing, greyhounds and virtual sports excluded. Qualifying bet and free bet must be placed within 7 days of the deposit. Max free bet winnings £100. One per person, household, device and IP address. 18+. T&Cs apply.

   Read more Full T&Cs

3. Position 3 SaviBet

   SaviBet iOS app

   New players: deposit £10 and place £10 in bets

   Deposit £10, Get a £20 Free Bet

   • Min deposit £10
   • Wagering 1x
   • Min odds 1.5 (1/2)
   • Max conversion £200
   • Valid 7 days

   9.3 Our score Read review

   Get bonus Visit site

   18+ New players only. Deposit £10+ via the sports cashier and place £10 in qualifying real-money bets. Get a one-time £20 free bet: min odds 1.5 (1/2), free bet stake not returned. Free bet winnings wagered 1x; max conversion £200. Free bet and bonus valid 7 days. Skrill and Neteller deposits excluded. One sports welcome offer per customer across the ProgressPlay network. Withdrawal requests void active bonuses. 18+. T&Cs apply.

   Read more Full T&Cs

   Only one sports welcome offer can be claimed per customer across the ProgressPlay network (including SaviBet, LuckCity and BetBlink).

For every free bet offer in one place, see our free bets page.