The Grand National is one of the biggest events on the UK horse racing calendar, attracting millions of people keen to bet on the action. This guide breaks down the best Grand National betting offers, so you know what to look for when the big day comes. We will also advise you on how to avoid common mistakes and highlight popular Grand National betting markets. Equipped with this knowledge, you will be well prepared for the next Grand National on 11th April 2026.
Where to Find the Best Grand National Betting Offers?
Below, you’ll find a regularly updated list featuring the best Grand National betting offers available from popular and trusted UK bookies.
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Which Are the Most Popular Grand National Betting Offers
Bookmakers regularly pull out all the stops for the Grand National, offering a range of betting promotions designed to attract new and existing customers. The best Grand National offers include free bets, enhanced odds and money-back promos. Such deals help either to increase your value or reduce your level of risk when betting on Aintree’s big race. For this reason, they are well worth taking advantage of.
Free Bets
Free bets are some of the most widely used betting offers during the Grand National. They come in several forms to suit different players.
- Matched bets give you a bonus free bet equal to the stake of your qualifying bet. A simple example is when you bet £5 (or more) for a £5 free bet.
- Qualifying free bets require you to place a bet, or a combination of bets, that meets the criteria to unlock a reward. This could be something like a £10 bet to unlock a £5 free bet.
- Risk-free bets allow you to get your stake back if your bet loses, should you meet the right conditions. One example is getting your stake back (£10 max), in free bets, if your horse finishes second in the Grand National.
- No deposit free bets are less common but highly appealing as they don’t require you to put money down first. Bookies tend to reserve such promotions for new customers and keep them fairly low in value due to their completely risk-free nature.
There are also Grand National free bets that bookmakers will gift eligible customers, with no qualifying bet or deposit needed. So, on some sites you may see something like ‘Opt-in to receive a £2 free on the National’.
Enhanced Odds
Enhanced odds boost your potential returns by increasing the bookmaker’s usual odds on selected horses or markets. For example, a bookmaker might offer enhanced odds on one of the favourites, making them 9/1 up from 15/2. This would turn a £10 stake into £90 winni £ngs rather than75. Bookmakers may run price boosts for other markets that cover the entire day of racing at Aintree, rather than just the Grand National itself.
You can get much larger enhanced odds through some new customer promotions. For example, a bookmaker could offer 50/1 odds on the race favourite to win (capped at a £1 stake). This type of offer is less common during the Grand National Festival than it is for other big horse racing meets, such as the Cheltenham Festival.
Antepost Offers
With ante-post bets, you can place wagers on horses ahead of the Grand National, even a matter of months before. The idea behind early bets is that they can lock in value before markets shift closer to race day. Ante-post bets carry more risk, though, as if your horse does not run, you will not get your stake back. This is not the case if making a bet after the final field is confirmed, as here bookmakers will refund any wagers on a non-runner.
Ante-post offers include the likes of enhanced odds and non-runner no bet.
Money Back Offers
This is always an offer to look out for as money-back offers refund a losing stake under certain conditions, making bets safer. For instance, a bookie could refund your stake if your horse falls during the Grand National. Another may offer your money back if your horse finishes second. Betfred featured the latter for the 2025 edition of the race. Money back offers often see losing stakes returned to players as cash, but sometimes a refund will be free bet credits. Also, note that these deals come with an upper refund limit, often £10.
Non-Runner No Bet
Ordinarily, with an ante-post bet, you do not get your money back if your selected horse does not feature in the race. A ‘non-runner no bet’ promotion changes this situation, though. Often abbreviated to NRNB, when active, punters receive a full refund if their chosen horse does not take part.
For bookmakers that run this promotion for the National, they will usually start to roll it out two or three weeks before the big race begins. This makes it the best time to start placing ante-post Grand National wagers.
Bet-Through-the-Card Offers
The Grand National takes place on the final day of the Grand National Festival at Aintree, alongside six other races. To encourage participation in these other events, a bookmaker could choose to run a bet-through-the-card promotion. With this type of deal, players usually have to place a qualifying bet on the first race to unlock bonuses for the remaining events on the card. Given that the National attracts many casual punters who are only interested in the big race, bookmakers rarely publish this kind of offer at this time.
Tote Betting
Tote betting is a pool-based form of wagering available during the Grand National. Instead of fixed odds, all stakes on a particular market go into a central pot, and successful punters share the winnings. You can bet directly via the Tote or use a bookmaker that offers Tote markets.
A popular Tote market on Grand National day is Placepot. For this, punters need to successfully pick a horse to place during the first six races at Aintree (this includes the National itself). To improve your chances, you can bet on more than one horse for each race. This increases the number of betlines, though, making it a more expensive bet.
Grand National Offers for Existing Customers
After you’ve claimed a Grand National welcome offer at a bookmaker, the deals do not stop there. Bookmakers will often roll out a variety of promotions for existing players. Some of these will relate specifically to the National, such as extra places. Through this popular offer, a bookmaker will increase the number of places covered in their each-way terms. Standard each-way terms cover four places for the National, but some bookies will offer five, six or very occasionally seven.
A generous bookmaker could also offer some sort of faller insurance, but the number of falls in the National makes this promotion rather expensive. You are more likely to find a bookie issuing customers with a small Grand National free bet, likely worth £1/£2. Other standard regular promotions, like Best Odds Guarantee, will apply to the Grand National, ensuring players get a fair price if they correctly call a win or each way bet.
Bets on the National can also often contribute to a bookmaker’s loyalty scheme, or you can use loyalty bonuses on the race. The Sky Bet club is one of the top loyalty schemes around as it gives significant rewards for players betting £30 a week.
How to Use Grand National Betting Offers?
When using Grand National offers, it’s very important to read the T&Cs carefully before depositing and betting. For any bonus with a deposit requirement, check to see what the minimum amount is and if any payment methods are ineligible. Payment exclusions do not usually include popular methods like debit card and Apple Pay, but can include other options.
For any promotion requiring a qualifying bet, look out for the minimum bet amount and the minimum odds requirement. You will also want to pay attention to the maximum reward, as there is usually a limit.
If a promotion requires you to opt in or activate, ensure you do this before taking part. Lastly, be aware that cashing out a bet will disqualify it from qualifying for a bonus.
What to Keep in Mind When Using Grand National Betting Offers?
Most bookmakers try to keep the terms of their offers as simple as possible. Despite this, occasionally players still slip up and make a mistake. To ensure this does not happen to you when claiming Grand National offers, keep these four things in mind.
Restrictions on the Bet Type
For a Grand National bonus and/or the qualifying bet, check to see if there are restrictions on the market or bet type. Even if you have a bonus for the Grand National specifically, it does not necessarily mean you can use it on every market. Similarly, if a Grand National bonus gives free spins as an extra reward, they may be limited to a specific game or games.
Expiry Time of the Offer
Any Grand National offer will likely have a strict cut-off point. This could be just before the race begins, or it could be a bit earlier. Either way, ensure you take part before the opportunity goes. If you receive an unrestricted free bet through a Grand National promotion, note that it will likely come with an expiration date. Often, players have seven days to redeem a free bet after it’s been issued. The settlement date is not important, provided players redeem the bet on time.
Wagering Requirement
Wagering requirements are not usually a factor with Grand National betting offers. Sportsbook promotions often have zero wagering, for example, when you receive a cash refund. Other bonuses, like a free bet, have just 1x wagering. All this means is you must spend the bonus in full and cannot withdraw the free bet itself.
Some new customer offers may have larger wagering terms, even though most do not. If a deal has a 10x wagering requirement, this means you must spend the bonus amount 10x over before you can withdraw it. Usually, when wagering, you can bet across sports like football and horse racing.
Is the Free Bet Stake Included in the Returns?
Players can assume that any free bet stake will not form part of a winning bet when used. This is why any promotion offering cash rather than a free bet is preferable. With a regular bet, if you wagered £5 at evens, you would get £10 back (£5 profit + £5 stake). If you use a free bet, though, you would instead get £5 total as the free bet stake does not come back to you.
Grand National Betting Markets
There are plenty of different ways to bet on the Grand National beyond the standard win or each-way markets. Although these are the most popular options, partly as people seek big payouts, there are ways of making lower-odds wagers on the action. Here are some of the most popular Grand National betting markets explained.
Match Bet
In a match bet, you pick which of two horses will finish ahead of the other, regardless of where they finish overall. For example, a bookie might list Horse A vs Horse B — you just need your chosen horse to beat its opponent. With just two outcomes, it is a simple bet that can create fun individual battles. Customers usually have to select from a list of pre-selected battles, though, rather than choosing any combination they like.
Win or Each-Way
This is your classic Grand National bet and one that most people will choose. If you are feeling brave, you can go for a straight win bet. Here, the bet pays out if, and only if, your horse wins the race. With an each-way bet, you split your stake with half going on the horse to win and half on the horse to place. If your horse wins, both parts of the bet are winners. If your horse fails to win but manages to place, the ‘place’ part only will win. What will count as a place finish varies by bookmaker, but it is often the top five or six positions.
Note that half of the bet is paid out at a fraction of the full price, often 1/5.
Winning Distance
If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can back a horse to win while also specifying by what distance. This bet usually works by selecting a horse along with a distance such as ‘to win by 2+ lengths’ or ‘to win by 4+ lengths’. The bigger the distance you select, the bigger the odds become.
Top Finish
If you think a horse will perform well, but probably not quite well enough to win, this is a market to consider. With it, you will back a horse to finish in the top X places, usually two, three or four. The fewer places you pick, the larger the odds will be. It is one of the main alternatives to an each-way bet, but with this, the payout is the same regardless of whether the horse wins, or finishes in a lower, but still qualifying position.
Money Back/Insurance
A money-back or insurance bet provides something of a safety net when betting on the winner of the Grand National. How it works is that you bet on a horse to win and then select how many ‘insurance’ places you want. If you pick three places, you will get your money back if your chosen horse finishes second or third. If it wins, you receive your winnings at the fixed-odds price. The more places the insurance covers, the lower the fixed odds.
Overview of the Grand National Betting Offers?
At Nostrabet, our team of horse racing experts keeps a watchful eye on the best Grand National offers. The search intensifies in the build-up to the big race, as this is when most bookmakers roll out their headline promotions. Be sure to check our site as the big day approaches so you don’t miss any of the top deals. We hope this comprehensive guide helps you make the most of every offer we uncover.
FAQ
How to Bet on the Grand National Festival?
To place a Grand National bet, complete the registration steps at a bookmaker and make a deposit. After this, head to their horse racing page and find the Grand National racecard. Find your desired market, select the odds and enter your stake on the betslip.
How many races does the Grand National Festival include?
The Grand National Festival includes 21 races, equally split over three days of action.
When does the Grand National Festival start?
The Grand National Festival is an annual event that usually takes place in early/mid-April. The Grand National itself, the star of the three-day meeting, takes place on the final day.
Which bookmakers offer the best Grand National betting offers?
In a fight for customers, many UK bookmakers launch big offers for the Grand National. Although it is hard to name an outright best bookie in this area, the likes of William Hill, Betfred, Ladbrokes, Bet365, Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet will usually produce some great deals through their desktop websites and horse racing betting apps.
Are Grand National betting offers withdrawable?
Some Grand National offers, often those paid in cash, are ones players can usually withdraw. Others, like Grand National free bets, need redeeming before users can cash them out.