Depositing at Online Casinos Using Prepaid Credit Cards
Prepaid credit cards are one of the easiest ways to get your money on board at online casinos. These can be used to get around the banking restrictions imposed on US banks for their transactions with offshore casino sites. There are many brands of prepaid credit card, and it is important to select one which works with international purchases. This article explains why and how you should use prepaid cards to make your next deposits.
There are 3 parts to this guide. First of all, I have explained how the offshore casinos operate, and their relationship with the US payment processing infrastructure. Next you will find a step-by-step guide to making that prepaid credit card purchase. After that some important information on comparing bonus offers, which will help you make sure you do not get stuck with a bonus with bad news in the ‘small print’.
Overview of Prepaid Credit Card Casino Deposits
For many people, their first choice of deposit method at offshore casinos is their regular credit card. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are all accepted by different casinos. There are a number of reasons why a prepaid card might be a better option. One situation is where you would prefer that gambling transactions were kept off of your bank statement. You might also find that your bank declines the transactions on your regular cards, leaving prepaid as the best alternative option.
The casinos which accept US players are located offshore. Some are in Central America, while others can be found out in the Caribbean. These casinos are fully licensed and regulated in jurisdictions such as the Netherlands Antilles, Panama or Antigua. They are able to accept players from the US and around the world under International freedom of trade laws. The Federal authorities do not agree with this freedom, and have cracked down on the banking transactions between Americans and these casinos. Note that there are no Federal laws criminalizing individual players, only the banks and payment systems are targeted.
To get around the Federal banking restrictions, offshore casinos use international credit card purchase codes. This means that your card needs to work for international purchases to get your money on board. Most prepaid cards are domestic-only. There are international brands, including Green Dot. The exact brands change all the time, so it is worthwhile speaking to your casino’s support staff before you purchase one to make sure you know which brands to buy.
The process for buying one is simple enough, there is a markup at the shop and you’ll get a single use card with a certain amount on it. For example, you might choose a $100 card, and pay $105 for it at the counter. You can buy them from most gas stations or convenience stores around the country. Worldwide, there are ‘virtual pre-paid’ options, though these are not currently available to the US.
How to make your Prepaid Credit Card Casino Deposit
The process below is generic, and follows the standard process used by most casinos to get your money deposited. I have assumed that you already checked for which brand works, and then purchased your prepaid credit card at the start of this process. Remember to compare the bonus offer at your casino with the others available. Some terms and conditions mean bonuses which look good on the surface are actually very hard to ‘clear’.
- The first stage is to create a player account, you’ll normally verify your e-mail address as part of this process. This can be done either through the downloadable software, or via your casinos website. Remember to use accurate address information, as you’ll normally be asked for your documents when it comes time to withdraw your winnings.
- Next you navigate to the cashier section, no casino makes this part hard! Locate the Visa deposit option and click on that link.
- You now fill in the information from your pre-paid card, this includes the security number, expiration date and the long number from the front.
- Now you hit ‘Submit’ and you should be ready to hit the tables.
If your deposit does get declined, then speak with support right away. This could be a temporary issue, and they may be able to help you find alternative methods.
Check the Bonus Terms before you Deposit
I recommend that you do some checks before you go ahead and deposit. While every casino will offer you a bonus, there are some big differences in the terms and conditions of the different offers. Instead of just looking for the percentage match and the amount, the play-through requirement is the key factor to compare. This is the number of times you’ll need to wager your deposit and bonus amount before you can withdraw your bonus. There are huge differences between the best and the worst casinos in this respect. Look for offers which are closer to 25x your deposit, those which are 50x and above should be declined.