Skrill is being bought by Neteller

[mrjolio]

As you can see by googling Neteller group (aka Optimal Payments Plc (LSE: OPAY)) has made an offer for 1.1 bn to but Skrill, and as far as I can see, the offer has been accepted.
I really think this is not good news. Fewer options always leads to higher fees and less advantages. For example I was a VIP skrill member rather easily and maintain that status, giving me the skrill mastercard with no subscription and no fees for withdrawing.
I really hope sth will stop this deal.

Any thoughts anyone?

 

[onkel]

Skrill has got so much worse over the past couple of years it's not even funny. I switched from Neteller to Skrill due to excessive fees, but Neteller is so probably 5x cheaper than Skrill at this point. They charge me about 6% fx fee to withdraw from Skrill to bank (3.99% + their made up interbank exchange rate) PLUS a withdrawal fee.

They also removed my VIP status a couple of months ago since I've not been using it enough lately. This after having paid over $30,000 in fees between 2012-2014.

"Monopolies" are never good, so I imagine this will just make things worse, but at least I would be happy never to see the Skrill-logo again.

 

[miksaxxx]

Damn,

I have been using Skrill , becouse my all transfers are free. Not foreing exchance.

But I am gold VIP there.

 

[dunover]

"NETELLER is an e-money/e-wallet stored-value service owned and operated by publicly traded British global payments company Optimal Payments PLC. People in over 200 countries[1] use the NETELLER service to transfer money to and from merchants, such as forex trading firms,[2] social networks, or online gambling firms, and can withdraw funds directly using the Net+ card or transfer the balance to their own bank accounts.

Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) is an e-commerce business that allows payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet, with a focus on low-cost international money transfers. It is owned and operated by Skrill Limited, a UK-based company registered as a Money Service Business with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and licensed to operate within the European Union."

Right, if this is the case it may be investigated by the DoT here as they are both British companies and although we don't have the MMC (Monopolies and Mergers Commission) any longer, the DoT can enquire as to whether the merger/takeover is in the 'best interests of consumers'. We don't want a monopoly, look at the shocking fees and behaviour of Paypoo in the past...

 

[hedgehok]

I hope they will run Skrill as a second brand separately instead of merge them into 1.

 

[Deeplay]

Seems like as of yet it is not being made public if they will continue to run skrill as a separate operation but something tells me they probably wont in the long run and will merge the 2 brands. I remember having dealings with Skrill quite a few years ago when they were a start up (moneyBookers) the site was awful back then and the concept was undefined. They seem to have made massive strides and now taking the billion dollar exit! I dropped neteller years ago and not using skrill at the moment. Will wait to see how this plays out. But not sure if this is a good thing for players who do use e-wallets exclusively. Less choice is never good long term!

Personally i am happy going back to the way I used to do things when I first starting playing n loosing online. Depo/withdraws back to debit card / bank account.

 

[fun4all]

Thanks for the post OP, let us hope this does not go through.

 

[randomiam]

i switched to skrill from ecocard higher limits faster cash to my acount and half the cost to rip out my cash at a atm i dont mind losing $12 when i rip out 300
i had used netella but was not a fan i hope skrill stays as skrill

 

[lotusch]

I use Skrill a lot and I am happy with them.
I hope everything stays as it is,even IF Neteller would buy them.
I have a VIP status,free prepaid Mastercard and cash back on made transactions and access to the VIP store where I can cash my points for cash or gifts.
So no issues here with Skrill.

 

[onkel]

It's all great when your Skrill currency is the same as your country's currency. For me, who has USD and EUR Skrill accounts and SEK bank account, there is really no way to avoid getting screwed. Skrill forces me to make bank withdrawals in SEK, thus hitting me with a ~6% fx fee - had they sent the money in EUR or USD, the cost would've been about 0.5%, which is what my bank takes.

 

[chuchu59]

Skrill, formerly Moneybookers, treated me like dirt. In 2008 they announced that they no longer allowed Hong Kong players to use this e-wallet for online gaming. At that time I had some pending payments from various casinos and when I asked whether they can let these go through before prohibiting transactions in future they gave me the middle finger and as that time I did not have ecopay I just played everything back. At least with Neteller, they gave me a future date for prohibiting gaming transactions so I could do some planning.

 

[ugaboga]

Yeah lots of alternatives out there. I used moneybookers but went back to neteller because of the debit card (moneybookers doesn't offer this option for Aussies).

Skrill/Moneybookers customer service are very vague and slow to respond, I've experienced the opposite with Neteller, even though the phone support can be hard to understand at times.

Ecopay is a great alternative, lots of casinos use them and more are adding ecopay to their payment options.

 

[Bower50]

Neteller is no longer a Canadian option.We'll probably lose Skrill if this takes place.

 

[rshkrn]

Hope this doesn't go thru, prefer skrill any day over neteller....

 

[chayton]

Neteller is no longer a Canadian option.We'll probably lose Skrill if this takes place.

But Skrill stopped processing gambling transactions for Canadians in January of 2014.

 

[kwblue]

I'm afraid it looks to me like it is about as close to a done deal as possible:

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

 

[Bower50]

But Skrill stopped processing gambling transactions for Canadians in January of 2014.

Sorry.I didn't know.I've been using Instadebit almost exclusively.

 

[paul7388]

Neteller seems to be getting into everything now. Read that you can now or will soon be able to fund neteller using those bitcoin things.

 

[chayton]

Sorry.I didn't know.I've been using Instadebit almost exclusively.

lol for a second I got paranoid that other Canucks could still use it, just not me! But yeah they pulled out awhile ago....

I've been using my prepaid card, plus sometimes I'll use EcoCard, they'll send you a credit card to withdraw your money at ATMs, so that's kinda cool - although I believe they only let you fund it with a credit card, so that's a bit of a hassle, plus fees.

 

[slotplayer]

When my accounts got hacked in 2008 the NeTeller Security guy was great. He phoned me, went through my computer with me to check various things to see if there was a breach.

The MB people were absolutely awful.

 

[musclemx]

well and the casinos?

Variety of casinos work whit skrill and not whit neteller now is change will affect is? Or is same ...

 

[Harry_BKK]

Neteller seems to be getting into everything now. Read that you can now or will soon be able to fund neteller using those bitcoin things.

You can already. I just deposited some dosh to my account and it shows now Bitcoin as a deposit option. Haven't tried it since i don't have any.

Here are my 2 cents:

Skrill
- does not work in Thailand for gaming transaction
- ATM card was never available for residents from TH nor Singapore.
- Fee for deposit with bank card (visa or MC) - 1.9%,
- Currency conversion fee - 3.99% (if currency of bank card different to Skrill account currency)

Neteller (Bronze VIP level)
- OK in Thailand,
- ATM card available, withdrawal charge - 4 EURO + currency exchange fee 2.95%
- Fee for deposit with bank card - 1.9%
- Currency conversion fee - 2.9% (if currency of bank card different to Neteller account currency)

EcoPayz (VIP level)
- OK in Thailand,
- ATM card available, withdrawal charge - 1.50% (min. 2 Euro) + currency conversion fee 2.9%.
- Fee for deposit with bank card (visa or MC) - 2.9%
- Currency conversion fee - 1.25% (if currency of bank card different to EP account currency)

Summary:
Load account with 100 Euro using Thai bank card
Total cost:
Skrill - 106 Euro
Neteller - 105 Euro
EcoPayz - 104.20 Euro

Withdraw 100 Euro using ATM card in Thailand
Total cost:
Skrill - N/A
Neteller - 107 Euro
EcoPayz - 105 Euro

Overall EcoPayz is the cheapest option for me, however, they do not have a rewards program like Neteller where you get about 0.01% in rewards and quite a few casinos do not offer EcoPayz as payment option.

 

[hoff1985]

What a shame. I love Skrill, the customer support and how the system works. Was never a fan of Neteller, but i guess i have to aling with it, as i don't believe that Skrill will exist much longer when bought by Neteller.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Neteller seems to be getting into everything now. Read that you can now or will soon be able to fund neteller using those bitcoin things.

That is pretty interesting. It would mean not having to risk those exchanges. However I can see a possibility of this causing problems for some players who could trigger draconian money laundering checks from Neteller after depositing their Bitcoins due to the increasing use of these cryptocurrencies in the criminal underworld. Neteller, of course, may be thinking of getting into the Bitcoin casino market, and accepting Bitcoin deposits may be the first step.

 

[PaaskeDenmark]

Hi I am on Bronze VIP now and closing up on Silver VIP. But really sucks as though max withdrawal was $1000 which should be around £650. But been told its MAX £500 daily. And MAX £1500 within 4 days only. That is just terrible.

I have been luckier than ever last days won over £3000 and have withdrawn £1500 to my registered bank account this early morning. Then now after midnight I noticed still showing pending. I though it would take 1-2 days max even if lucky maybe same day. But just been told it is 3-5 business days. Lady in VIP chat really silly not answering any quest just told me > please contact us after 14th May if still not received your funds. No answer why still showing pending

BUT I was wondering if any you guys in UK got neteller? And knows maybe a smarter way to get my funds out quicker? YEs I can withdraw £500 each next 3 days then wait 2 more days withdraw £500 so that would be £2000 total. But charges each time of £3.60 or around there and time wasting on that.

I though is there not a smart way for me to use Neteller Mastercard pay it in somehwere and then send to my bank instant somehow? Or anything I could do to receive money faster? I am just really frustrated as want to get my money safe so I don't get tempted. And also have plans of investing most of these money etc.

Hope someone has ideas Cheers.

But think doesnt matter as seems neteller silly rules also state can not cancel a pending or withdrawal to back which has already been done

 

[Dinahnana]

Hi I am on Bronze VIP now and closing up on Silver VIP. But really sucks as though max withdrawal was $1000 which should be around £650. But been told its MAX £500 daily. And MAX £1500 within 4 days only. That is just terrible.

I have been luckier than ever last days won over £3000 and have withdrawn £1500 to my registered bank account this early morning. Then now after midnight I noticed still showing pending. I though it would take 1-2 days max even if lucky maybe same day. But just been told it is 3-5 business days. Lady in VIP chat really silly not answering any quest just told me > please contact us after 14th May if still not received your funds. No answer why still showing pending

BUT I was wondering if any you guys in UK got neteller? And knows maybe a smarter way to get my funds out quicker? YEs I can withdraw £500 each next 3 days then wait 2 more days withdraw £500 so that would be £2000 total. But charges each time of £3.60 or around there and time wasting on that.

I though is there not a smart way for me to use Neteller Mastercard pay it in somehwere and then send to my bank instant somehow? Or anything I could do to receive money faster? I am just really frustrated as want to get my money safe so I don't get tempted. And also have plans of investing most of these money etc.

Hope someone has ideas Cheers.

But think doesnt matter as seems neteller silly rules also state can not cancel a pending or withdrawal to back which has already been done

I am in Ireland and use Neteller which I like. When I withdraw to my bank it's usually 2 business days (I can't recall a time when it was longer to be honest). So if I withdrew Monday before noon let's say my money would hit my bank Wednesday morning usually around 9am sometimes earlier.
Last year Neteller used to have a fairly high limit on withdrawals via the ATM but they changed that to 750e per day (2 transactions). Other than the ATM limits I am quite happy with Neteller overall. Watch now that I posted this they will go and mess everything up

 

[Dinahnana]

Hi I am on Bronze VIP now and closing up on Silver VIP. But really sucks as though max withdrawal was $1000 which should be around £650. But been told its MAX £500 daily. And MAX £1500 within 4 days only. That is just terrible.

I have been luckier than ever last days won over £3000 and have withdrawn £1500 to my registered bank account this early morning. Then now after midnight I noticed still showing pending. I though it would take 1-2 days max even if lucky maybe same day. But just been told it is 3-5 business days. Lady in VIP chat really silly not answering any quest just told me > please contact us after 14th May if still not received your funds. No answer why still showing pending

BUT I was wondering if any you guys in UK got neteller? And knows maybe a smarter way to get my funds out quicker? YEs I can withdraw £500 each next 3 days then wait 2 more days withdraw £500 so that would be £2000 total. But charges each time of £3.60 or around there and time wasting on that.

I though is there not a smart way for me to use Neteller Mastercard pay it in somehwere and then send to my bank instant somehow? Or anything I could do to receive money faster? I am just really frustrated as want to get my money safe so I don't get tempted. And also have plans of investing most of these money etc.

Hope someone has ideas Cheers.

But think doesnt matter as seems neteller silly rules also state can not cancel a pending or withdrawal to back which has already been done

I am in Ireland and use Neteller which I like. When I withdraw to my bank it's usually 2 business days (I can't recall a time when it was longer to be honest). So if I withdrew Monday before noon let's say my money would hit my bank Wednesday morning usually around 9am sometimes earlier.
Last year Neteller used to have a fairly high limit on withdrawals via the ATM but they changed that to 750e per day (2 transactions). Other than the ATM limits I am quite happy with Neteller overall. Watch now that I posted this they will go and mess everything up
P.S. Bank withdrawal shows pending until it hits your bank so I wouldn't worry about it still showing as pending

 

[vinylweatherman]

I have noticed that the "pending" status bears little relation to whether or not the withdrawal has been processed to your bank. I have had money IN my bank, yet it's still showing as "pending" in Neteller.
I have also noticed that withdrawals to bank process more quickly than before, a couple of days as opposed to a full week.

The £500 limit seems to be the card, as Platinum VIP I can withdraw a very significant amount per transaction to my bank, and your limits seem rather low. It may be that "Bronze VIP" isn't really VIP at all, and that if you achieve Silver, and provided you have a "verified account", you will see a significant increase in the daily limit for bank withdrawals, but that the ATM card will remain at £500, which is STILL the limit at Platinum. There is one level above me, but to get it one has to transact over £2 MILLION per year. This is probably where the big high limit poker players are, along with a few casino players who would even call MY biggest bets "small".

 

[Finn]

Hi I am on Bronze VIP now and closing up on Silver VIP.
--------
BUT I was wondering if any you guys in UK got neteller? And knows maybe a smarter way to get my funds out quicker? YEs I can withdraw £500 each next 3 days then wait 2 more days withdraw £500 so that would be £2000 total. But charges each time of £3.60 or around there and time wasting on that.

Finland and Skrill here, but I think asking for complete ID verification could help.

That low limits sound like limits set by laws due to lack of complete ID verification, not limits set by the company policies for VIP customers.

Has Neteller asked for your photo ID?

When I wanted to became Skrill Bronze VIP, they asked for Photo ID. Earlier I had done the credit card verification, bank verification, also had Skrill Mastercard actived and in use so that worked as mail address verification I suppose.

This resulted for a nice looking limits and verifications section, lots of NO LIMIT, in caps

Your identity has been verified
Thank you for verifying your identity.
Current account limits
Per transaction ? NO LIMIT
Cumulative/Overall ? NO LIMIT
Withdrawal ? NO LIMIT

Ask Neteller what documents they need to lift your limits, I think they should be able to do that. Being based in UK might allow UK based firms to go lighter on verification of UK customers for longer periods of time, this is nice service for more casual customers, but can be accidental disservice for more heavy users, since you have to stick to strict limits until proper verification.

 

[hoff1985]

My experience is that withdrawals to bank accounts are definitely faster with Skrill. At least for me. Neteller ALWAYS takes at least 3-5 days. Skrill NEVER took more than 3 days. Usually i have it always in 24-48 hours on my bank.

 

[Finn]

My experience is that withdrawals to bank accounts are definitely faster with Skrill. At least for me. Neteller ALWAYS takes at least 3-5 days. Skrill NEVER took more than 3 days. Usually i have it always in 24-48 hours on my bank.

This also depends a lot in what country your bank account and the bank account from which the payment is made are located.

Skrill used to have one their bank accounts in same Finnish bank as my bank account, and the funds paid from there were at my account about 4-6 hours after I got the e-mail that my withdrawal had been processed. Then I think they closed it and after that the funds arrived about 24 hours after that e-mail.

 

[hedgehok]

Hi I am on Bronze VIP now and closing up on Silver VIP. But really sucks as though max withdrawal was $1000 which should be around £650. But been told its MAX £500 daily. And MAX £1500 within 4 days only. That is just terrible.
(...)
BUT I was wondering if any you guys in UK got neteller? And knows maybe a smarter way to get my funds out quicker? YEs I can withdraw £500 each next 3 days then wait 2 more days withdraw £500 so that would be £2000 total. But charges each time of £3.60 or around there and time wasting on that.

The £500 limit seems to be the card, as Platinum VIP I can withdraw a very significant amount per transaction to my bank, and your limits seem rather low. It may be that "Bronze VIP" isn't really VIP at all, and that if you achieve Silver, and provided you have a "verified account", you will see a significant increase in the daily limit for bank withdrawals, but that the ATM card will remain at £500, which is STILL the limit at Platinum.

No the ATM withdrawal limits should increase with NETELLER Gold level and above.
The daily maximum ATM-withdrawal limit increases from $1,000 to $3,300 (probably in GBP it should also increase by a factor of at least 3). Also the fees will be waved for 8 ATM withdrawals per month IIFRC. So it's really the Gold level where the sun begins to shine.

 

[spintee]

If you ask me I think they all take the piss, I rarely use them now days and stick to cards, If it wasn't enough for casino to hold on to your cash to than be hold ransom for days from theses theifs & put a limit on is the icing on the cake,

Something is going on as in a few months ebay and PayPal will be separate companies soon. Hopefully thats a good thing as paypal will not be able to hold your money to ransom if a buyer trys the scam tactic when selling things on ebay,

 

[hedgehok]

If you ask me I think they all take the piss, I rarely use them now days and stick to cards, If it wasn't enough for casino to hold on to your cash to than be hold ransom for days from theses theifs & put a limit on is the icing on the cake,

Something is going on as in a few months ebay and PayPal will be separate companies soon. Hopefully thats a good thing as paypal will not be able to hold your money to ransom if a buyer trys the scam tactic when selling things on ebay,

What are you talking about? They only apply the £500 limit to cash withdrawals which is a very common thing. My house-bank only allows a max. daily ATM withdrawal of €1,500, too(even if I have a balance of a million). This has many reasons e.g. fraud protection, money laundering etc.
If you make a straight withdrawal to your bankaccount they have far higher limits (as vinyl stated).

 

[vinylweatherman]

They seem to have tweaked those perks and limits.

The £500 limit seems to be imposed somewhere for the card, and it's a higher limit than the ATM would permit for a regular bank card, which suggests it's not the ATM operator that is imposing limits, but the card provider.

It may also be possible to withdraw multiple lots of £500 in order to achieve the higher total daily limit.