The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is nearly here and along with it comes a raft of offers from the best betting sites across the UK.
And Betfair is no different. One of the biggest names in online gambling in the UK, thanks to being home to the nation’s largest betting exchange and a highly-rated fixed-odds betting site, is giving punters £50 in free bets to use on accas and bet builders during Cheltenham.
Below is our guide to the Betfair Cheltenham offer, including information on how to claim the Cheltenham free bets, how this offer compares to rival welcome bonuses and more details on Betfair’s other Cheltenham offers.
What is the Betfair Cheltenham sign up offer?
The Betfair Cheltenham offer provides new users with £50 in free bets when they sign up and make a £10 wager.
This offer is for the Betfair Sportsbook – not the Betfair Exchange – and is only open to new customers who sign up via the links on this page.
To claim the offer, just follow the steps below:
- Step 1: Sign up for a Betfair account using one of our links and opt in to the promotion.
- Step 2: Deposit and stake at least £10 on any sportsbook market with odds of evens (1/1) or greater.
- Step 3: Once your bet is settled, you’ll receive £50 in free bets, in the form of 5x £10 free bet tokens.
Free bet token can only be used on accumulators, bet builders and other types of multiples. To that end, they can not be used on Canadian, Goliath, Heinz, Lucky 15, Lucky 31, Lucky 63, Patent, Super Heinz, Trixie or Yankee bet types.
How does the Betfair offer compare with rival Cheltenham offers?
There are plenty of Cheltenham free bets available in the lead-up to and during the festival. In the table below, we’ve compared some popular Cheltenham offers to see how they stand up against the latest Betfair promo:
| Bookmaker | Offer | Free bet restrictions? | Eligible payment methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betfair Sportsbook | Bet £10, get £50 in free bets | Free bets can only be used on accumulators, bet builders & other multiples. | Bank transfer, debit card & Apple Pay |
| Paddy Power | Bet £5, get £30 in free bets | N/A | Debit card |
| Betfred | Bet £10, get £40 in free bets | 3x £10 free sports bets, 2x £10 free accumulator bets | Debit card, Apple Pay, instant bank transfer |
| BetGoodwin | Bet £10, get £15 in free bets | 1x £5 sports bet, 1x £5 acca bet, 1x £5 sub cover bet | Debit card |
| NetBet | Bet £10, get £20 | £5 football bet builder, £5 football acca, £5 horse racing acca, £5 tennis bet | Debit card, bank transfer, Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal |
Betfair Cheltenham offers & free bets
Betfair will have a range of promos available for existing customers during the Cheltenham Festival. Once signed up, users can expect to find the following Betfair Cheltenham offers:
Extra place races: Betfair will offer extra places on selected races at the Cheltenham Festival, enhancing the chances of a return on each-way bets.
Bet and get: Punters can unlock a Betfair Cheltenham free bet by wagering a specific amount on a certain event or bet type.
Odds boosts: Betfair will boost the price on a range of Cheltenham bets each day of the meeting.
Non-runner no bet (NRNB): Back a horse at Cheltenham in any race and if it doesn’t run, you get your money back in full.
Cheltenham specials: Find a range of specials available for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival that aren’t available anywhere else.
Live streaming: Every race at Cheltenham can be watched via live stream on Betfair, so long as a bet has been placed on that race.
How does the Betfair Exchange work?
Betfair’s Cheltenham offers are all for the Betfair Sportsbook, which is the fixed-odds betting arm of the group. However, some bettors may wish to use the Betfair Exchange, which generally carries bigger prices than the majority of fixed-odds horse racing betting sites.
The Betfair Exchange works by having punters bet against other punters, backing or laying a horse. A win bet is a bet on a horse to win the race, while with a lay bet, punters are backing a horse not to win.
The exchange is a bit like a stock market, but rather than buying and selling shares, bettors are backing or laying outcomes.
Nevertheless, the nature of this type of betting means the exchange is not for inexperienced bettors and requires some research and practice before stepping in.
Responsible Gambling
Bettors should always gamble responsibly, especially during Cheltenham Festival with a number of offers and betting markets widely available.
If you’re planning on claiming the Betfair Cheltenham free bet promo, or will be wagering on Betfair Cheltenham markets, you should remember to always stick to a budget and never exceed it.
Never chase your losses. Always remain in control of your time and budget.
Bettors should use responsible gambling tools provided by gambling sites, such as deposit limits, loss limits and self-exclusion among others.
These safer gambling principles should apply whether you are using online bookmakers, slot sites, casino sites, bingo sites, or any other gambling medium.
In the UK there are a number of gambling addiction charities ready and prepared to help you with counselling, support groups and practical advice on how to help you recover if you do lose control:
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