The following information is intended as a guide to the best method for YOU to fund your online poker account. Once you get going you don't want a little thing like funding to get in your way!

We hope you find this guide useful but please remember, rates charged, terms and conditions and even methods acceptable to poker sites are all subject to change and they do on a regular basis so check out your preferred method for hidden charges and restrictions before depositing.

Compare Poker Site Deposit Methods
	Visa   UK Debit Cards   Neteller 1.   epassporte   Click2Pay 2.   Moneybookers 3.   Bank Wire   NuCharge   Click&Buy 4.   PayPal   Cheque by Mail   Ukash   UseMyBank 5.   paysafecard 6.   Firepay 4.   ecocard   ewallet express   PINdebit   Direct Teller   MoneyGram

Note 1. No USA, Canada or Turkey	Note 4. No USA
Note 2. German, Swiss Or Austrian only	Note 5. Canada and UK only
Note 3. No USA or Turkey	Note 6. Europe Only

Credit Cards / Debit Cards

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Using your credit card to transfer funds into your internet poker account is an instant, secure and convenient method however, player beware! There are credit card companies who consider a deposit for internet gambling as a cash transaction and, as such, you will be charged accordingly. These charges are usually 2.5% but do vary from card to card. Barclaycard, for instance, does not levy a cash withdrawal fee on internet gambling deposits, whereas Lloyds TSB do.

In America the problem is the legality of funding your account through US banks for Internet gambling, with Citibank (33million + accounts in the USA) blocking all payments to online gambling sites. However, as you will see below there are methods of payment which are recommended for our fellow poker players in the States.

When considering using you credit card, check with your preferred Poker Site what their limits are for depositing (usually so much per day, week or month) and to how many cards you can use if you may want to utilise more than one. The charges that are levied by credit card companies are ever changing and to get a truly accurate costing we strongly recommend you contact your credit card provider to establish their gambling transaction policy before using this method.



Online Wallets

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Online wallets are a way of funding your internet poker account by way of a online money transfer using a third intermediary.

Neteller, Citadel, Click2pay and Firepay were perhaps the ones we were most familiar with, however, since legislation in October 2006 in the States they are now only available to non - USA customers.

Your online wallet account can usually be applied for via your favoured poker website, if you choose to use your credit card to fund your account there is usually a fee charged, please check this before proceeding, you will also be called on the number you have provided as a security check / verification.

If you prefer to deposit funds from your bank account once your details have been entered there will be bank account verification, this may take the form of a small amount of money being deposited in your account, check your account daily and when you notice this deposit contact the online wallet account provider.

Once the online wallet account has been set up it is simple to then transfer funds to your poker account. If using your credit card the transaction is immediate, with wire transfers usually taking 2 days, and an online check taking four or five days to reach your online wallet account .



Prepaid Cards / Virtual Visas

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ePassporte is a widely used reloadable virtual visa card that can be funded (loaded) from your credit card or bank account, when loading from your credit card the balance is available immediately following security checks where a small amount will be charged against your card, once you advise the prepaid card provider of this amount the account will be activated. When funding from your bank account this may take as long as seven working days.

Prepaid gift and Visa cards are an anonymous and confidential way to fund your poker accounts without having to give away personal financial information, it is also a handy way to keep track on your spending by having a card reloaded specifically for your poker bankroll. Prepaid cards and virtual visa charges are in the region of $5 per $100 or part of $100. With many credit cards and online wallets not allowing payments to internet gambling sites (particularly in the USA) pre-paid Visa cards are the method recommended for USA players.

Paysafecard can be bought from any of the 84,000 retail outlets in Europe. There are no fees to use this preloaded card, simply purchase the card with your chosen amount loaded on, log into your internet poker account enter the pin number from your Paysafecard and your account is loaded and you are ready to play. As simple as buying a phone card and no credit card details divulged on the internet! Confidentiality guaranteed!



Cash Transfers

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Cash Transfer is a fast and convenient method to transfer money into your internet poker account, available from banks, stores and markets. A charge is made for the transfer depending upon the amount you decide to put into your poker account. There is usually a minimum amount the poker site will accept e.g. minimum amount accepted by Full Tilt Poker using this method is $250.

Moneygram have 125,000 agents worldwide and a cash transfer using this method will take between 15 and 30 minutes, Moneygram have a sliding scale of charges and Paradise Poker will not charge if cash in excess of $200 is deposited.

If you belong to a participating Bank you can use Direct Teller which is telephone banking, contact your own bank for relevant telephone numbers and charges. Once you have made your cash transfer contact the poker site with the tracking code, the process should take no longer than 30 mins. With Paradise Poker deposit $200 or more and there will be no fees.