Free spins promotions: do they ever actually pay out anything useful.

every time i get a free spins offer i kinda feel like they're just tossing crumbs so you hang around the slots longer. never really see anyone post about actually cashing out a real win from these things. last time i used a bunch, i just ended up meeting some random playthrough rule and got nothing but chump change.

starting to think maybe i’m missing some angle, cause everyone loves a freebie, but it just feels like empty calories. has anyone actually gotten a decent payout from a free spins promo, or is it always just bonus dust in your account?