US Poker Payment Methods Review
George | March 9, 2010
If you live in the United States and love playing online poker, but you are done with free poker, you know the challenges. Only a few online poker sites still accept players from the US.
This situation is due to restrictions placed in 2006. These restrictions also affect many online payment processors that once provided alternatives for deposits to poker sites. However, some US poker payment options are still available for US-friendly poker sites.
Here, we present some of the most important payment methods you can use to deposit into your online poker site account.
Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, and American Express
Almost any online poker site accepts deposits via credit cards. If you are in the US, the main issue with credit cards is that US banks often restrict transactions to online poker sites. This results in your credit cards being rejected when you try to make a deposit.
One way to successfully deposit with a credit card is to buy a prepaid Visa credit card. These cards have a higher success rate and are available at most gas stations or convenience stores.
The fees for using such payment methods are very small. One significant benefit is that the money is deposited into your online poker account instantly, allowing you to start playing in seconds.
On the Poker For Free website, we feature a poker site that accepts US players and deposits with an American Express (AMEX) credit card. This is rare. The poker site is OnlyPoker. Be sure to check out our OnlyPoker review for all the details.
E-wallets Poker Payments: eWalletXpress, QuickTender, and UseMyWallet
E-wallets are another important payment method for deposits to poker sites. These companies act as intermediaries between your bank and the online poker sites. You transfer money to an e-wallet payment processor, and from there, to your favorite online poker site, like Full Tilt Poker. This way, the bank will not know where the money is going, so they have no reason to block it.
To fund your online poker account, follow these steps:
- Sign up and open an account with your chosen payment processor.
- Verify your e-wallet account, if required by the site.
- Load money into your e-wallet account using your credit card or via a bank wire transfer.
- Use the money in your e-wallet account to fund your online poker site account.
The process is simple. E-wallet companies are among the best ways to deposit at online poker sites. The fees are usually small, less than 5% of the total sum, and payments are made instantly.
Cash Transfers: Western Union
Western Union is another way to make deposits or withdrawals to your online poker account. Like e-wallets, Western Union acts as an intermediary between you and the online poker sites.
Western Union dealers are widespread in the United States, making transfers convenient.
The only downside to Western Union is that the fees are higher compared to other payment options reviewed so far. However, they are a reliable and fast payment processor.
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