Paysafecard Bingo Sites
Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher payment system and after taking over Ukash it is the ONLY voucher payment system that is widely accepted at online bingo sites.
What is a voucher payment system?
With a voucher payment system, you prepay by visiting a registered outlet (these tend to be convenience stores, newsagents and petrol stations) and buying a voucher code. The funds can then be released at a later time for use online. This is completely different to an e-wallet such as Neteller or Paypal because the funds are tied to a physical voucher and unless the Payout service has been enabled (see below) it is not possible to withdraw money from it, only spend it. You CAN get cash out of a Paysafe account by using a Paysafe prepaid Mastercard at an ATM but there’s a charge for this (and indeed for having the card at all).
How to use
Paysafecard vouchers are available in denominations of £10, £25, £40, £50, £75 and £100 and can be ordered online (but you still need to visit an outlet to hand over the cash). Each voucher has its own 16 digit PIN and normally when you pay online, you would enter the code into the Paysafe window on the cashier screen. If you only use part of the credit on a voucher the PIN on the remainder stays the same (this was not the case with Ukash).
At most and possibly all online bingo sites (we haven’t found one where it isn’t the case) the procedure is a bit different; when the Paysafe window opens you will see that there’s nowhere to enter the PIN and instead you are invited to login with an email address and password. This is because most iGaming sites require you to have a myPaysafe online account in order to deposit with paysafecard.
There are other advantages to opening an online account. You can manage all of your vouchers online, which means that you only have to enter the voucher code once, when you upload them. There’s also a smartphone app for both iOS and Android and if you order vouchers by generating a barcode there to be scanned at the outlet when you hand over the cash, you don’t need to bother with the voucher code at all.
Paysafecard is quite flexible, as you do not need to spend all the funds on a voucher at once and amounts from different vouchers can be combined into one payment. One thing to watch out for, however, is that it is best to use all the credit on a voucher within one month of purchase as after that you will have to pay a monthly service charge – unless you open a myPaysafe online account and upload your voucher codes there. With an online account, you only start to pay the monthly fee if you haven’t made any payments from it for a year.
Another thing to be aware of is that there are two types of paysafecard voucher and in order to be able to use your voucher at a bingo site or any other 18+ only site you MUST have the Classic version, not the Junior version.
Paysafecard used to have the major disadvantage that it could not be used to withdraw funds, only deposit them, and therefore players had to use an alternate method to withdraw winnings (and verify it, usually by making a deposit). In September 2015 Paysafe announced their new Payout service which was developed specifically for gaming operators, allowing winnings to be remitted to a player’s mypaysafecard account where they can either be used to pay for something else, or withdrawn at an ATM using a paysafecard prepaid Mastercard (still a bit of a palaver and quite expensive because of the fees). Only a few gaming operators offer this service, so if you plan to use paysafecard for your deposits this is something to check up on before you sign up.
Advantages
- You can pay cash for the voucher so no need for a debit card at that stage
- No details of the method used to pay for the voucher are stored on the voucher so remain completely safe from fraud
- Easy to keep track of spending
- It is not possible to run up a debt on it
Disadvantages
- Basically cash, so if you lose the voucher or the code you lose the money
- There may be a transaction fee
- Many bingo and slots sites only accept paysafecard after the player has made a first deposit by some other means
- Cannot be used for withdrawals, unless the operator has signed up for the Payout service – if not, you will need to set up a debit card or bank transfer and/or possibly pay a charge for a cheque to be issued.
- Many bingo and slot sites exclude paysafecard deposits from bonus offers and some have additional rules for Paysafe deposits such as a lower maximum bet when playing with a bonus.
