As the old Visa ad goes, "it's everywhere you want to be." But does that "everywhere" include online poker?
The short answer is yes; in most licensed jurisdictions around the world (the UK, Europe, Asia, even the United States) Visa credit cards, Vanilla Visa gift cards and pre-paid Visa cards are very popular and easy-to-use methods for making online poker deposits.
It's not entirely true for all Americans, however. As you may or may not recall in 2006 George W. Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) into being which was supposed to prevent terrorists from money laundering but instead stop letting people transfer money to off-shore poker sites.
Today online poker in the USA is slowly clawing its way back into existence, state-by-state, and if you live in (or visit) one of those states (New jersey, Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania) you can still use a Visa to load up your poker account.
In states where online poker isn't yet licensed you can also use your Visa on some unlicensed offshore poker sites that still accept US poker players - we just wouldn't recommend it.
Overall, though, across the globe Visa, Vanilla Visa and Visa Electron cards are simple, efficient and relatively cheap ways to move money into an online poker account. And many players find credit cards to be the most convenient means of making online poker deposits.
They're safe, instant and encrypted and even, in some cases, how you can withdraw your money as well.
If your Visa card isn't working to fund your account where you live, contact customer support for the poker site and they'll either troubleshoot the problem for you or direct you to some alternative options. Read more about those options here:
The array of different products Visa now offers is pretty overwhelming and covers virtually all corners of the globe.
If the poker site you want to play at accepts Visa poker deposits in some form you'll find the logo in the menu of deposit options on the cashier page. Whether it's a credit card, pre-paid debit or gift card, just click on the Visa option you'd like to make your deposit with.
Once you've clicked on it simply follow the prompts to enter the proper card details. If you're using your standard Visa credit card you'll obviously have to enter your name, full card number, expiry date and the 3-digit security number on the back.
If you're using a Visa pre-paid card or Visa gift card you'll simply enter the numbers and codes provided to you on the card. You're not obligated to use the entire value of the card to use it but you'll have to deposit at least the minimum the site requires.
Once you've made your decision on how much to deposit, simply click "submit" or "process transaction" and your card will be credited. The money will appear in your active poker account within minutes. If it doesn't, contact customer support to see what the difficulty might be.
As always, of course, whatever you deposit using a Visa card is subject to the terms and condition of Visa and the poker site.
Occasionally, people don’t want to use their standard Visa credit card to make poker deposits for a couple of reasons. For one, they likely don’t want to pay any hefty interest fees for money they deposit to a poker site that they can’t immediately pay back.
Some people also just prefer not having their credit card on file at an online poker site for either safety or privacy reasons. But if you don’t want to use your Visa credit card (or you don't have a Visa credit card) there are still a lot of other Visa products you can use to get your money on to a poker site.
The number one option for those players is the "pre-paid" Visa or "Vanilla" Visa gift card. These are virtually identical to Visa credit cards (they have 16-digit card numbers, expiry dates, CVV codes etc) but are pre-paid rather than on credit.
Vanilla Visa Gift Cards are available at over 10,000 retail locations in the US alone including mass retailers like Walmart and 7-Eleven. You can buy them in values of $25-$200 and reload them with more funds online after you’ve used those funds.
Funds on a Vanilla Visa never expire so you can use them any time. No personal info or credit checks are required, either, and your card can be used 24 hours after purchase.
Visa Gift Cards aren’t always accepted at licensed US poker sites but in the UK and Europe Visa pre-paid or gift cards are accepted at most online poker sites. Visa Electron cards are simply the name for Visa Debit Cards outside of the USA, Canada, Australia and Ireland and they are accepted at most online poker sites.
Yep, Visa is a very convenient means to make online poker deposits via your phone or tablet. You’ll need to go through the proper procedure to have your card initially verified and attached to your account but once it’s properly set-up you’ll be able to reload your poker account with a couple of quick clicks. At PokerStars if you set up the Fast Deposit feature you can even do it straight from the table you’re playing on and not have to navigate back to the cashier.
As long as you’re playing at a certified and licensed poker site, none at all. Credit card details are encrypted and only kept on file at the poker site if you choose to keep it that way. Pre-paid Visa cards and Visa gift cards are typically one use only so do not create any risks for your information to be shared.
A crucial part of the oversight for legal online poker sites is how securely player information is kept and maintained so if you’re registered with a licensed site you can be confident your Visa information is very secure.
For all Visa transactions, regardless of the type of Visa product you’re using, the highest-level encryption and security safeguards are in place. If you’re a Visa credit card holder you can also rely on important cardholder protections such as:
It’s always wise, of course, to follow your own safety precautions when using your credit card like not using it on an unsecured wireless connection or saving it to your passwords on a laptop that’s not password protected. But if you keep all of your Visa information well protected you will have no concerns with any licensed poker site.
If you do choose to re-use your pre-paid Visa or Vanilla Visa gift cards, it’s of course best to protect those cards and their numbers as well. If you just use a Visa gift card once and use the entire balance, your deposit is entirely anonymous.
Yes. The first limitation of course is the total value of your Visa credit card or Visa Gift Card. You can’t obviously go over your own credit limit to make an online poker site or try to add more to your account than the value of your Visa gift card.
You can, however, combine a couple of gift cards to make your deposit. Deposit minimums vary for each poker site and per the Visa card but you can expect a minimum of $25 required for most poker sites.
The maximum deposit varies per poker site and of course per your credit or pre-paid balance availability.
Many poker sites will let you withdraw your funds to the same Visa card you used to make your deposit (within an allowed time frame) but will be subject to maximum withdrawal limits as well. These are set by the poker site and can be daily or weekly.
Yes. Online poker bonuses can be attached to using a particular deposit method (and there are occasionally poker bonuses specifically for using a Visa product) but most poker bonuses are not tethered to the method you use to deposit. Just make sure to enter any bonus code in the proper field when registering your account to be sure you’re eligible. In the case of PokerJunkie, make sure you download the software and register your account via the link on our review page.
Many poker payment methods are available to US players in the 4 states (Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania) where online poker is now licensed and regulated.
Visa and its various products are included in those methods for both PokerStars NJ and 888poker NJ. The most common means is a straight credit card deposit but pre-paid cards are also often accepted. Check with each individual poker site to see specifically which methods are accepted.
Unlicensed poker sites like Bovada Poker will also accept Visa poker deposits although we obviously recommend against depositing on unlicensed poker sites unless you’re unconcerned with the security of your deposits and withdrawals. You may be able to use a Visa card for a deposit but you will not be able to use Visa for withdrawals from any unlicensed US poker site.
Yes, Visa and Visa pre-paid/gift cards are accepted on most international PokerStars domains including PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu.
If you live in or are visiting New Jersey where PokerStars is licensed in the USA, Visa is also an option as you can make deposits and withdrawals using Visa on PokerStars NJ. Withdrawing funds to your Visa requires that you have made a deposit to your account using Visa within the past 12 months.
Yes, Visa is currently being accepted at both 888poker and partypoker in most of the jurisdictions in the world where they operate. Check whether Visa is accepted in your country via the country drop-down menu on each site. Visa withdrawals will depend on the country you live in.
