Online Bingo Payment Methods

Playing online bingo is a great way to have fun, make friends, pass the time and, with a bit of luck, make a whole load of money. Whilst many sites offer no deposit bingo bonuses and free bingo, where you can win real cash prizes without having to pay anything for your tickets, on the whole, playing online bingo necessitates adding funds to your account. The best sites, such as Gala Bingo and Bet365 Bingo, usually offer the full range of payment methods whilst some smaller sites may have a more limited choice.

Here we take a look at the main ways you can add funds to your online bingo account and the advantages and disadvantages of each so read on and find out more about the different bingo payment methods available.

Debit Cards

Debit cards are one of, if not the, most popular way to fund an online bingo account and these days almost everyone has a debit card of some description (and the best bingo sites accept a wide range of cards).

They are very easy to use, especially if you have ever bought anything online before, the money is added to your account instantly and withdrawals, which are quickly processed, are permitted without hassle. The only real disadvantages concern the management of your own account (in case you inadvertently go overdrawn and face charges from your bank) but assuming you have the funds in your bank then debit cards are a very cost effective (there are no fees) and easy payment method.

Skrill/Moneybookers

Skrill, formerly Moneybookers, is one of the biggest, oldest and most respected e-wallets around and top level security and encryption make it a safe and secure payment method. They are well regulated and because you don’t enter your financial details each time you make a withdrawal or deposit you can minimise the risk of fraud.

There are no fees to add funds to Skrill (by bank transfer) nor to send money to a bingo site and deposits are instant, with withdrawals also handled very speedily. In addition you will sometimes get improved offers for depositing with Skrill whilst there is also a Skrill VIP scheme for regular users. On the downside is the fact that you have to join in the first place and you have an extra procedural layer to complete whilst you will also be charged a fee when you withdraw funds from Skrill.

Neteller

Neteller is another of the very widely available and very well known e-wallets that has been around a long time, has excellent security and encryption and is a viable alternative to a debit card. As with Skrill you must join first and the account opening and verification is quite a lengthy process (for reasons of safety) but once you are set up depositing and withdrawing are quick and easy and again, as with Skrill, you do not need to enter your own card details every time you add funds to a bingo account.

Sites don’t generally charge fees to deposit via Neteller and there are a number of free ways to add funds to your Neteller account in the first place. However, as with Skrill, withdrawing funds will attract fees (unless you transfer to another Neteller user or pay for other goods or services), although this is partly offset by the Neteller Rewards scheme and other promotions occasionally offered by bingo sites for Neteller deposits.

PayPal

PayPal is ultimately owned by e-Bay adding further to the trust and good reputation of a long established e-commerce organisation. It is a huge company that handles billions of pounds of transactions safely and securely every year and is a good payment option for playing online bingo. Deposits are instant and withdrawals are also processed very quickly (subject to the handling time of the bingo site itself) and given there are no fees to deposit to PayPal or to send money from there to your favourite bingo site, PayPal is deservedly popular. PayPal has no real disadvantages, the only issue being opening and verifying your account in the first place.

Ukash

Ukash is a UK-based innovative payment method that is relatively new but allows great flexibility. Trusted by many of the biggest bingo sites around it is secure, well regulated and allows people who don’t have a debit or credit card to make payments to online institutions. Ukash works by effectively swapping cash (payments can also be made by card and via ATMs) for a 19-digit code which serves as your voucher. The voucher code is entered into your preferred bingo site and away you go.

Deposits (once you have the code) are instant but not many sites permit withdrawals back to Ukash and whilst security is good, there is always the risk you may lose or misplace your code. In addition, deposit and withdrawal limits are low compared to most other methods.

Cash

Some bingo sites that have high street outlets (mainly ones that were originally offshoots of high traditional bookmakers) allow customers to fund their accounts in cash in the shops themselves, ideal for people who like to keep things simple. If you like using cash and don’t trust the internet this is a great way for you to still be able to enjoy the benefits and bonuses of playing online bingo.

Just pop into a shop and deposits to your online account – and withdrawals – are processed instantly. Of course, many will find having to physically go somewhere highly inconvenient, whilst there is a risk inherent involved in walking around your huge wads of winnings! That said, this is a useful option to be aware of – just remember to take photo ID (check individual sites for specific requirements).