Best online casino payment methods
Want to manage your money well when playing? Here we present some common casino banking options and illustrate their pros and cons.
Getting started
You need to deposit real money into an online casino to have funds for playing casino games. You’ll then want to withdraw your well-earned cash in little to no time whenever you have winnings to collect. These money transfers can be made in different ways, depending on your personal banking preferences.
You'll find no shortage of choice for money transfer methods to power your gameplay. Picking the right one for the right context is key.
- If you’re completely new to the scene, try out different online casino banking methods until you find the one that best fits your preferences. To save yourself time and energy, you can rely on our reviews to learn about different casino payment options.
- You need to pass the regular security and ID checks to withdraw winnings from your player account and enjoy access to the full cycle of the online casino experience.
- Online casinos normally request that you provide a photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. Most likely, you’ll have to verify your current address by supplying bank statements, utility bills etc. that should generally be no older than three months.
- The casino will check your details to ensure that everything is above board. Lo and behold, you can then start using these online casino payment methods without restriction.
Benefits and drawbacks at a glance
We’ve summarised the key points you should know about various online casino banking options here. We compare and contrast each method, highlighting its strengths and emphasising the important bits you care about: transaction fees, deposit times and withdrawal times.
Familiarise yourself with these options so you can play and pay in the safest, fastest and most convenient ways out there.
CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD PAYMENTS
Paying for online transactions by card will come naturally to you, so it’s no surprise that card payments are widely available and highly popular with the majority of casino players. Credit and debit cards are widespread on a global level and their ease of use and functionality – both in the online and offline worlds – make them the perfect candidate for top online casino payment methods.
Basics
- Card payments can be made using either credit or debit cards.
- The heavyweight credit cards Visa and MasterCard are accepted by all the major online casinos, and the debit card Maestro is also widely accepted. You can also use American Express, Diners Club International and others at select casinos which accept these cards.
- When you’re ready to make a deposit, you’ll need to enter your credit card number, cardholder name, expiry date and CVV code at the online casino platform to complete the transaction.
- The deposit fees for card payments will generally be around 2% to 3% of the value of the deposit.
- Deposits are generally instant and withdrawals take anywhere between 1 to 4 working days to be processed.
- Being a debit card, Maestro does not support withdrawals from an online casino.
Insights
- Making an online casino payment by card is a very quick and simple process favoured by many players who want to stick to the traditional banking methods they use beyond the realm of online casinos.
- Card payments eliminate the need for creating extra accounts and introducing a third party payment service to your casino transactions.
- While transaction fees will be present and withdrawal times can be slower than other money transfer methods, cards are here to stay. Use them if you’re after a hassle-free, time-tested payment option that is as secure and reliable as they come, and produces quick results.
MOBILE PAYMENTS
With mobile casinos steadily on the rise and gaining traction amongst avid casino fans, mobile payments are here to facilitate the experience.
Basics
- You can still use other online casino payment options like e-wallets on your phone – these will be accessible on mobile devices as well as desktops.
- Some banking methods also offer downloadable apps that go a step further in streamlining the payment experience for you.
Insights
- If you’re limited to or would like to use your phone only, there are payment providers that offer the convenience of a method that works seamlessly on mobile from start to finish.
PAY BY PHONE
Boku is the leading mobile payment provider in the UK, along with the native mobile billing service Payforit. Mobile casinos allow you to make mobile payments so you never have to use anything other than your phone to gain full access to the experience. The pay by phone process is carried out via text messages (SMS).
Basics
- When you want to deposit money in a mobile casino using Boku, all you have to do is select the mobile payment option and the casino will load the Boku page.
- You’ll be asked to enter your mobile phone number and the postcode attached to the number, if applicable, and agree to the terms and conditions.
- You’ll then receive a text message with the PIN required for the next step, plus the details of the transaction.
- After you input the PIN in the field provided, your purchase will be complete and a confirmation message from Boku will appear onscreen. The transaction amount is either invoiced as part of your regular phone bill or debited from your phone’s credit.
- Payforit works in the same way, but has the added advantage of having been designed specifically for use in mobile casinos. This makes it super easy to use and an ideal solution if you’re a player who prefers to make mobile payments for all online transactions.
- Payforit introduces an extra layer of security by sending you an SMS to confirm you want to make the payment when you’re making a deposit.
- Deposits made with Boku and Payforit are always instant and never reveal your sensitive financial information to the online casino. This bolsters your security and makes transferring funds really easy.
- Deposits made with Boku and Payforit are free. If you fail to pay your bills on time, however, you risk facing substantial extra charges.
- Another downside to mobile payment providers like Boku and Payforit is that you won’t be able to use them to withdraw funds from casinos. This could change in the near future, so keep checking our reviews to keep up to speed with new features.
Insights
- Mobile payments are the natural choice for mobile casino players who prize convenience above everything else and are willing to fork out a couple of extra quid for it.
Deposit and play using just your phone in these casinos:
E-WALLETS
For online casino enthusiasts and long-time players, e-wallets provide a solid, multi-feature solution that's highly rated across the board. E-wallets offer a digital place to store your available funds for when you need to make an online transaction. They also keep your funds and financial information separate from the casino at every stage. PayPal is the most well-known and popular e-wallet in the world, and also a favourite money transfer method for British online casinos. Other e-wallets include Skrill and NETELLER, which have been purpose-built to support online casino players in making their essential payments.
Basics
- With e-wallets, you’ll be able to link your bank account as a source of funds.
- The registration process is lengthier than most, and will require more details from you to create an account and get it verified.
- After that’s done, you’ll need to sign in to the e-wallet to complete transactions every time you need to transfer money.
- In return for the extra steps, however, you’ll get a service with a strong security guarantee and plenty of attractive benefits and promotions, such as PayPal’s user-friendly interface and a refer-a-friend service for NETELLER.
- Deposits made with PayPal, Skrill and NETELLER are all free and instant.
- Withdrawals generally incur a minor fee and might take a couple of hours (or 1 working day in the case of PayPal) to process.
- The deposit and withdrawal procedures with e-wallets are easy to follow and you’ll always find a good selection of e-wallets accepted by the major online casinos.
Insights
- This banking method suits players who are fully invested in playing casino games and spend lots of time in many online casinos.
- The all-in-one e-wallet solution gives you the opportunity to conduct all your online casino activity in one single facility and avoid costly transaction charges.
- E-wallets also typically boast excellent levels of customer support.
DEBIT CARDS ISSUED BY E-WALLETS AND OTHERS
E-wallets can also issue debit cards for use in online casinos. In this way, you can use the card to make transfers that will be debited directly from your e-wallet.
Basics
- Skrill and NETELLER are now offering debit cards (provided by MasterCard) as an alternative option for players who might not be keen on using traditional banking methods and want to set aside a specific amount of money for gameplay.
- While not strictly an e-wallet, Trustly also provides a debit card facility for players who want to withdraw funds and make purchases with a card that is separate from your regular bank cards.
Insights
- If you want to keep your online casino payment options separate from your offline day-to-day accounts, debit cards issued by e-wallets and others are the way to go for you. In this way, you’ll benefit from an online funding source that is cut off from your main bank account, keeping your finances clearly and safely distinct.
ONLINE (INSTANT BANKING)
Online banking options are handy for players who want to make money transfers directly from their bank in a secure way. Also called instant banking, it works by enabling a safe login with your regular online banking access codes without the need for you to register an account. Trustly and Citadel are popular instant banking services that transfer funds instantly to your online casino of choice when you’re all set for gameplay.
Basics
- To deposit or withdraw money from the casino, all you have to do is select the instant banking option.
- Choose your bank from a list and log in as you would to access your online banking platform.
- You can then select the account you’d like your funds deducted from or added to, and input the amount you want to transfer.
- After the payment is approved, you’re ready to go.
- While deposits are processed instantly, withdrawals take longer and will generally be cleared between 1 to 4 working days.
- Withdrawing funds to your bank account via instant banking will carry a fee that varies according to the bank and the casino, and some casinos don’t allow withdrawals via instant banking.
- Neither Trustly nor Citadel require you to download any additional software or apps to use the service in full, so the process is uncomplicated and won’t take up more of your storage space.
Insights
- For players concerned with security, instant banking gives you the same peace of mind that comes from the “protection barrier” filtering the transfer of sensitive financial information between the player and the casino.
- With instant banking, you also benefit from a two-factor authentication process that makes it extremely difficult for external parties to gain access to your account through any means.
- Two-way transaction speed is another plus: instant banking caters for deposits and withdrawals in a matter of a few days, if not hours.
PAY BY INVOICE
You can pay by invoice with certain online casino payment methods.
Basics
- Mobile payments done through Boku and Payforit, for instance, can be billed to you as an invoice if you select that option while making a deposit.
- The invoice will be dated and will present a time window for the payment to be made.
- If your payment is delayed, extra charges may be added to your bill.
- The invoice will contain transaction details and you can store it for your records.
Insights
- Paying by invoice allows you to postpone the online casino payment to a time when you’re most comfortable making it.
- This can be extremely convenient for players who like to keep a close eye on their finances and organise all their payments in bundles.
- However, it’s important to remember that these payments are still timed, even if in the long term, and you’ll need to keep track of your pending payments to avoid lateness fees added on to the final bill.
- Players who prefer greater control over their payments can opt to pay by invoice. The advantage is that you can play now and pay later, and the limits are in your hands.
PREPAID CARD PAYMENTS
Prepaid card payments are useful in a unique way since they are a funding source for online casinos that works completely independently of where your savings are stashed. This makes them one of the safest online casino payment options available, where issues are highly unlikely to arise.
Basics
- Paysafecard is the most popular prepaid card service and the perfect choice for players who give their privacy top importance. It’s also the right choice for players who have neither credit and debit cards nor online banking facilities, and who want to avoid jumping through all kinds of financial hoops when playing in online casinos.
- You can only use Paysafecard for deposits – never withdrawals – and there are fees associated with making deposits.
- Prepaid cards tend to have higher transaction fees than e-wallets or credit cards.
- There’s also a maintenance fee applicable after the first year of use for Paysafecard.
- Another minor drawback is that you can only top up Paysafecard with cash in-store, rather than using any credit or debit cards to boost the funds left in your prepaid card. Paysafecard can be topped up at select retail outlets over the globe in set denominations and its deposits are instant, which still gives it good levels of accessibility.
As an online casino player you have a whole slew of money transfer methods at your disposal. Whether it’s an e-wallet, a mobile payment provider or a credit card, all these options have their advantages and disadvantages – it’s up to you to decide which works best for your needs.
Money transfer methods that have been around for a while – such as wire transfers – lose out on processing efficiency. This makes them less convenient than most other contemporary banking options, which offer instant deposits and withdrawals. Most transactions will be free, but with certain banking options, there are transaction costs to be considered.
When you visit an online casino for the first time, take a good look at the accepted money transfer methods. These will be displayed as a series of icons towards the bottom of the casino homepage. Remember that every casino will have its own series of banking options, so it’s a smart move to check these before you commit to a particular casino.