Bet365 Prepaid Visa

By Alex Smith, Last updated Mar 22, 2024

While many of us are used to making deposits and withdrawals at online casinos using debit and credit cards, we’ve seen many players using prepaid cards in recent years. Prepaid cards have various benefits that conventional debit and credit cards don’t have, including separating your online gambling activities from your standard bank.

On this page, we will be looking at what a prepaid VISA card is and how it works. We’ll also be looking at why one of the world’s biggest bookmakers, Bet365, stopped accepting Prepaid cards.

What is a Prepaid VISA Card?

A prepaid card – also known as a prepaid debit card – is a card that you purchase from a physical retailer or online business; it acts much like your regular debit card, which is attached to your bank account. The main difference between a prepaid debit card and the debit and credit cards linked to your bank account is that when you spend money, it won’t come out of your bank; instead, it will be deducted from the amount of money that you’ve loaded onto your card.

Prepaid cards have become popular on online gambling sites. They allow you to make deposits and withdrawals without online gambling transactions showing up on your bank statement – something that some people can’t have due to applying for mortgages and applying for credit lines, for example.

How To Get a Prepaid VISA Card

Today, getting a prepaid VISA card is pretty easy – and if you’re looking to make online purchases or want future transactions at online casinos to be separated from your bank account, they could well be a viable option for you.

The first thing you need to do is find a participating store; prepaid cards can be purchased at both retail stores in-person and online – although we recommend the online route, as it’s a lot easier to get set up.

Head to a site that offers a prepaid debit card (you won’t find a prepaid credit card), sign-up, and register an account. Depending on where you live, you may need to complete a quick verification check – a know your customer (KYC) check. Once this is completed, your account will be fully-opened and up and running.

You will then be issued a virtual debit card; this works the same way as a regular debit card, and you’ll be given a long 16-digit number and an expiry date and a CCV. You need to top up your virtual card – using debit and credit cards or other payment methods – and you can spend your money at online gambling sites and online casinos.

When you make a deposit, select ‘prepaid cards’ as your preferred payment method, and you can deposit like you were using regular debit cards.

VISA Gift Cards

VISA gift cards are becoming increasingly popular. A prepaid VISA gift card is a great way to send money to friends and family without physical cash or using services like Western Union. Ideal for all occasions, including birthdays, weddings, holidays and more, a VISA prepaid card allows you to give someone a certain amount of money; they then get to choose where they’d like to spend it! 

They’re easy to purchase, and you buy one the way you purchase regular prepaid debit cards. Once the money has been loaded onto the card, you can send it as a gift directly to the recipient, using VISA’s special gift card scheme.

Why Did Bet365 Stop Accepting Prepaid Cards?

In 2019 the UK Gambling Commission passed new rules and regulations that prevent online gambling websites from accepting credit cards from players. This applies both to online casinos and land-based casinos; you can no longer gamble using a credit card. While most generally perceived this as a positive move, it has had a few knock-on effects that many people didn’t think about. One of the ways in which people have been affected is online gambling with a prepaid credit card.

While prepaid cards aren’t credit cards, they’re classified as such by online gambling retailers. This is quite strange, as you’re not making deposits with a credit line; only money that you’ve personally topped up onto your card can be used to make purchases.

However, despite all online gambling transactions being a debit card deposit, many online casinos stopped accepting prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards from UK players altogether. You can no longer use your VISA prepaid card or Prepaid MasterCard when you head to online gambling websites.

According to what we’ve seen, Bet365 was one of the first online casinos available to UK players to prevent the usage of prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards. Several players on Reddit first started to announce the problem over a year ago. Unfortunately, you will no longer be able to use prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards at UK-facing online casinos, so if you keep getting error messages while trying to make a deposit, that’s why.

Other Ways To Deposit Funds

Thankfully, while using prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards at UK-facing casinos may not be feasible today, players from other countries can (usually) still use them. There’s also a wide variety of other payment methods available, some of which we’re going to look at below.

Directly From Your Bank Account

This is one of the oldest ways of making deposits and withdrawals at online casinos. While it’s not as common as it once was (due to the long time frames involved and the potentially large fees), many players – especially those located in Canada – still opt to make direct bank wires when making deposits and withdrawals at online casinos.

Making a bank wire is that you have complete control over your money. Since there’s no middle-man involved, it’s usually relatively hassle-free and straightforward. However, as previously mentioned, while most deposits are pretty speedy to process, withdrawals can take anywhere up to five working days to credit to your account. This is simply far too long for the vast majority of players who are used to quicker withdrawals today.

EWallets

Many players see EWallets as the best way to make deposits and withdrawals at online casinos, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only are deposits and withdrawals made using EWallets usually free from any charges or additional fees, but transactions are also generally processed instantly. You don’t have to wait for long to receive your winnings.

For example, once an online casino has processed your withdrawal request and the finance team has sent your withdrawal, the money will immediately be available in your preferred EWallet account. While there’s a wide variety of EWallet providers, Neteller and Skrill are generally the most common at online casinos – although it’s sometimes possible to find PayPal on offer.

Using Your Credit or Debit Card

Of course, while we’ve talked predominantly about prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards on this page, you can also use regular debit and credit cards at online casinos. If you’re located in the UK, you’ll only be able to use your debit cards as credit cards aren’t allowed to be used for online gambling transactions anymore.

One of the reasons players like to use debit and credit cards when making deposits and withdrawals at online casinos is that it’s just super easy. Once you’ve made a deposit, your card details are stored securely for future use, and this means you simply need to enter your CVV number when you want to make a deposit.

Withdrawals aren’t super-fast when withdrawing back to debit and credit cards – and not all credit card providers can accept withdrawals. The time frame isn’t too bad, with withdrawals generally taking 1-3 working days.

Paysafecard

Paysafecard is another viable alternative to prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards, and it’s actually quite similar in that it’s a prepaid method. However, unlike prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards, you don’t get a virtual debit or credit card number to punch in when making deposits.

Instead, you simply need to head to a retailer and use cash to purchase a voucher to use Paysafecard. (You can’t use debit and credit cards to buy a Paysafecard.) Once you’ve made the payment, the cashier will hand you a voucher. This voucher contains a long number and a PIN code, which you simply enter at an online casino’s deposit page when making a deposit. The money will then be credited automatically to your online casino account.

Cryptocurrencies: A New Era Of Gambling Payments?

In the last few years, there’s also been a huge increase in online casinos that are starting to accept cryptocurrencies. Several dedicated sites cater almost exclusively to those wanting to make deposits and withdrawals using crypto. Below, we look at some of the top cryptocurrencies that you can use to make deposits and withdrawals at online casinos.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is, by far, the most popular and well-known of all of the cryptocurrencies that are currently in existence; you’ll very likely have seen Bitcoin talked about in the news. While it was originally seen as nothing more than a joke, it’s become a serious contender to fiat-based currencies in the last decade. Some countries have even started to accept Bitcoin as legal tender!

Bitcoin is designed to be easy to use and privacy-focused. Once you’ve purchased your Bitcoin, sending it to an online casino takes just a couple of seconds. There’s no middle-man either, so you don’t have to worry about delayed transactions or additional know your customer (KYC) checks being requested. Aside from a very small transaction fee, Bitcoin is completely free to use.

Litecoin

Litecoin was created as an off-shoot to Bitcoin. It’s known as a fork, meaning it uses much of the same technology, although slightly different. One of the main reasons why Litecoin was created was to decrease the amount of time that sending transactions took to complete. This has been a problem facing Bitcoin for quite a few years now.

While Bitcoin is used to buy, sell and trade, so many people are using it – more than anticipated. This means that there’s a lot more traffic on the Blockchain network than was predicted. As a result of this, some transactions can take a while to process. Litecoin works using slightly different protocols, meaning that the transaction times are decreased, resulting in lower fees too.

Ethereum

Another popular alternative to using prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards is Ethereum. It’s another popular cryptocurrency that’s similar to Bitcoin. However, unlike Litecoin, Ethereum isn’t a fork of Bitcoin, and it runs on its own network instead.

Ethereum is favoured by many thanks to its faster transaction speeds, the lower fees involved when making deposits and withdrawals and the fact that it offers heightened privacy.

FAQs

What is a prepaid VISA card?

A prepaid VISA card is a card that you buy from selected websites and retailers. You simply create an account and top-up the amount of money you would like to be made available on the card. Once you’ve done so (you may need to complete a know your customer (KYC) check before you’re able to use your card), you’ll then be able to use your card in the same way you would use debit and credit cards.

While many online casinos accept prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards, not all do. As we’ve seen in this post, Bet365 doesn’t allow players to make deposits using prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards anymore. This is due to new UKGC regulations prohibiting players from making deposits and withdrawals using credit cards.

Can I use a prepaid card at Bet365?

No, while Bet365 casino used to allow players to use prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards, they no longer do because of new regulations brought in by the UKGC. However, the online casino offers a wide variety of other payment methods, including debit and credit cards. You’ll almost certainly be able to find a payment method that fits your needs.

What other payment methods can I use?

If you don’t want to use prepaid VISA and MasterCard cards, you can use a wide variety of other payment methods. This includes all major debit and credit cards, EWallets like Neteller, Skrill and PayPal, and Paysafecard. 

Most online casinos also allow you to make deposits and withdrawals using a bank transfer or bank wire. We’d typically recommend against making bank transfers as the processing times can be quite lengthy. You may also pay fees, especially if you’re playing at an online casino located outside of your home country.

How do I get a prepaid VISA card?

Today, getting a prepaid VISA card is pretty easy. If you’re looking to make online purchases or want future transactions at online casinos to be separated from your bank, they could be a viable option for you.

The first thing you need to do is find a participating store; prepaid VISA cards can be purchased at both retail stores in-person and online – although we recommend the online route, as it’s a lot easier to get set up.

Head to a site that offers a prepaid card (you won’t find a prepaid credit card), sign-up and register an account. Depending on where you live, you may need to complete a quick verification check – a know your customer (KYC) check. Once this is completed, your account will be fully-opened and up and running.

Do I pay any fees or charges to use a prepaid VISA?

No, thankfully, it’s the retailer (so, in this case, the online casinos) that pay the fees when you use these types of card. However, if you don’t buy your cards directly from VISA or MasterCard, then you may be subject to a small processing fee. We’d always recommend buying prepaid MasterCard and VISA cards directly from the card issuers themselves to save on fees and ensure that you’re getting the best rate.

Can I claim bonuses and promotions when using a prepaid VISA or MasterCard card?

Yes! Virtually all online casinos that accept prepaid VISA or MasterCard cards allow you to claim bonuses and promotions, including welcome bonuses, deposit bonuses, free spins – and no-deposit bonuses. One of the good things about prepaid VISA or MasterCard cards is that the card issuer has to run know your customer (KYC) checks themselves. The online casinos don’t have to worry as much about fraud or people using prepaid VISA or MasterCard cards to abuse their bonuses.

However, if you’re planning on using a prepaid VISA or MasterCard card, always check with the online casino beforehand to make sure that you can claim their bonuses and promotions, as it’s not the case across all online casinos.

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