The online gambling world might be vast, but running into payment options like Discover and Skrill is almost unavoidable. These services are two popular payment solutions within the industry, so it’s not uncommon to see them listed as viable options in many online casinos. As you can probably guess, there’s a good reason for this. These solutions offer plenty of perks, including quick processing times, convenience when transacting online, and high-end security! These traits might be excellent, but if you’re aware of the competitiveness among payment services, you know they’re not unique to these options. Naturally, this leads to questions about how these services became so popular in the online gambling world. To lift the curtain and bring some things to light, we’ll answer one important question on the matter. Why use Discover or Skrill in online casinos?
About Discover and Skrill
Discover is a pretty popular bank card nowadays, but the service didn’t always have the easiest time. The payment solution debuted quite a while ago in 1986. While this is long before most modern payment services, it’s much later than well-established bank cards like American Express, VISA, and MasterCard. Since these brands dominated across the pond at the time, it was hard for newcomers to establish a presence and amass a user base. Thankfully, this US-based product persevered. It now boasts over 5millionusersworldwide, making it a solid competitor.
It’s important to note that Discover originated in the US. It took a while for the service to spread its wings and fly, as it needed to establish an audience at home before reaching other parts of the world. The good news is it managed to do so eventually. The service started gaining traction in several European countries, as many ditched other bank cards to switch over to this newcomer. Of course, it’s easy to see why the service made a splash. It set itself apart from the rest by offering unique perks, including a lack of an annual fee, cashback, and no need for a customer account.
These perks are more than good enough to attract anyone’s attention, but they were particularly enticing for online gambling fans. If you’re familiar with how the industry operates, you can probably see that these perks have incredible synergy with online casinos! The cashback offer pairs wonderfully with casino promotions and bonuses, while the lack of annual fees and customer account makes visiting a new venue much more convenient than usual. These perks not only save users money but time too!
As the cherry on top, we’d like to discuss Discover’s security. This service offers safety like no other method! It assigns a merchant code to every company it works with, making it incredibly easy to keep track of transactions, ensuring they always land where they’re supposed to. While this is an excellent perk today, that wasn’t always the case. In the early days of online gambling, when the activity was prohibited in the US, banks used these merchant codes to identify and block online gambling transactions. This isn’t an issue today, as online gambling legislation in the US, and worldwide, has changed drastically.
Skrill is easily one of the most popular payment options you’ll run into. It’s a leading eWallet that dominates across multiple fields, which includes a sizable presence in the online gambling scene. Of course, there’s a good reason for this method’s popularity, and much of it is due to its ability to process physical and digital payments. This gives it an edge over many competitors and has been a huge help in launching the service globally. Currently, this method is available in over 100 countries, and it’s still looking for opportunities to spread further!
To learn more about Skrill, it’s best to take things back to the start. This method was released much earlier than some users think, back in 2001. It was launched by the Paysafe Group, a well-known finance giant that released two other popular payment methods at nearly the same time. These services are now global powerhouses that rival Skrill in popularity, and you’ve likely heard of them. Of course, we’re talking about Paysafecard and Neteller! All three services had the privilege of growing together, making it easy for the Paysafe Group to learn what works and what doesn’t when its payment processing is in question. The company proceeded to take the positives from their growth and apply them across the board to all three services! So far, it’s worked out great.
As you can imagine, the advantage of being run by such a powerhouse wasn’t the only thing the service had going for it. Since it launched in the early 2000s, Skrill found itself smack-dab in the middle of the online shopping trend. Thanks to the internet becoming more accessible, this trend soared during this period. Unfortunately, so did online scams. Scammers usually stole private banking data from users, leaving them and their wallets compromised. Of course, this was only an issue with more traditional options. Since Skrill is an eWallet, it offers anonymity. The service didn’t share any private user data with retailers, making it impossible for scammers to access private info. As you can probably guess, this led to a huge increase in users who could shop in peace with their new go-to payment method.
While Skrill amassed much of its success early on, its dedication to providing an excellent user experience is what’s kept people coming back. For example, the service has consistently provided speedy transactions, high-end security, and a convenient platform that’s easy to navigate. On top of this, the solution also offers a fun rewards program for loyal users! In essence, this loyalty program is similar to most others you’ve likely encountered with various services. It consists of several tiers, with the highest ones granting special rewards that give users an edge. What’s great about this scheme is how low-effort it is. To participate and rank up, you can just use the service as frequently as possible! If you land in the higher ranks, you’ll be treated to perks like cash rewards and lower fees.
To close off this paragraph, we’ll come back to Skrill’s popularity in the online gambling space. It’s not hard to see that the service is dominant in this field. It’s supported in nearly 1,000 online casinos, so it’s easy for players to choose an operator suited to their individual needs. Of course, this is made easier by the quality of the operators on this list. Some of them are premium brands that have made quite a name for themselves over the years. Their offers are premium, and they treat players with the utmost respect.
Getting Started with the Two Solutions
Discover is a bank card, so most people should know what awaits them when the getting-started process is in question. Thankfully, the service isn’t like most other solutions in this category. To request a card from the brand, you won’t need to visit a bank or financial institution in person, instead, you can head to the method’s official webpage and apply for one online! Since the card operates on a unique platform, it allows users to skip some of the annoying parts of getting a credit card. Something to consider before moving forward is what type of card you’d like. While they have similar offers, the various types of Discover cards come with unique perks.
If you’ve landed on a card that fits your needs, it’s time to move to the process itself. This part should feel familiar. It’s practically the same as applying for a card at the bank, adjusted for the digital realm. The first step is filling out some forms with your details. Here, you might encounter a few personal questions about your financial status, marital status, etc. These exist to test your eligibility, and their answers are kept 100% confidential. The next step is identity verification. After filling out the forms, you’ll be prompted to verify your identity by sending in a copy of a valid photo ID. By doing this, you complete the application process and can now wait for the approval.
Surprisingly, Skrill’s getting-started process is similar to the one we just covered. To start, you can initiate the setup through the service’s official website. Here, you’ll be met with a process consisting of two parts. The first includes entering your info into a registration form. The second is an identity verification step where you can submit a valid driving license, government-issued ID, or passport to continue. Once both are complete, your account should be live and ready for use.
Of course, there’s one more thing to do before proceeding – funding it. As it does with most other things, Skrill makes this super convenient. It gives users a chance to fund their accounts through a long list of popular options, including AmEx, VISA, MasterCard, JCB, Diners Club, bank transfer, Rapid Transfer, Trustly, Paysafecard, and many more. The downside here is something many of you might have seen coming. Funding your account does incur a fee. Players using a bank card should be extra careful, as they might receive an additional charge from their chosen provider.
Using Discover and Skrill in Online Casinos
Discover and Skrill are popular options in the online gambling world. While the latter is a much more prominent service, the former keeps up pretty well by allowing access to hundreds of operators with top-class content. Since the quantity of operators isn’t an issue here, it’s best to focus on quality before you choose a casino to play in. It’s best to approach reputable sites with a proven track record of fair gaming. You can do this by validating their licenses and reading expert reviews.
For those that have chosen Discover as their primary online casino deposit option, here are the steps you’ll need to take to get started:
- Choose the “Deposit with Credit/Debit Card” option.
- From the list of offered credit/debit cards, select Discover as your deposit option.
- Enter the card information requested on the screen.
- Enter the 3-digit verification code provided by Discover.
- Specify how much you wish to deposit and confirm the transaction.
- In an instant, the funds will arrive on your balance!
When Discover withdrawals come into play, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the process of requesting a withdrawal is an intuitive one practically identical to depositing with the service. Players can follow the same steps listed above to get things underway. Unfortunately, the bad news is a bit more drastic. Processing times for this service are on the slower side. They take 5-7 days, which can be frustrating for most users. We have more bad news. In countries like Germany and the UK, the use of credit cards for online gambling is banned. While this doesn’t affect all users, it does limit access for some players and operators.
For players that want to proceed with Skrill as their go-to online casino deposit option, here’s how to move forward:
- Visit the casino’s Cashier/Payments/Banking page and look for Skrill’s logo.
- Press it, and a new window will appear.
- Log into your eWallet account using your credentials.
- Specify how much you’d want to fund your balance, and confirm the transaction.
- The money should appear on your balance instantly.
Withdrawing with Skrill is nothing but positive all around. The first thing to note is that initiating a withdrawal takes less than a minute. It’s practically identical to depositing, so you can switch a few words in the steps above and use them as a guide. The other thing to remember is the method’s processing speed. Skrill has one of the best processing times on the market. It will usually take players about 24 hours to see a change in their balance, which is insanely quick compared to traditional methods. While this waiting time can extend to three days, this rarely happens.
Advantages and Disadvantages
At this point, it’s not hard to tell that Discover and Skrill are two of the best payment options available in the online gambling scene. Both bring something unique to the table, making them excellent picks for your gaming experience going forward. While it’s easy to see how great these methods are, it’s not easy to choose one over the other. To potentially help with your choice, we’ll briefly go over the pros and cons of these solutions in this closing paragraph.
With Discover, users get all of the positives of using a bank card, with an additional set of perks that online gamblers go wild for. The classic perks of this service are safety, availability, and reliability. While these are excellent, what sets this solution apart is its unique offer of cashback, no annual fees, and no need for a user account! These work particularly well in the online gambling world, so players can expect a nice boost when playing their favorite games. Unfortunately, the method suffers from something most traditional payment options suffer from – slow processing. Withdrawals can be excruciatingly slow, taking between5 and 7 days.
Skrill might be a well-established service with over two decades of experience on the scene, but it’s still considered a relatively modern payment solution. As such, the eWallet offers staple perks like speedy transactions, a convenient online platform, and top-tier security. These perks do a lot to get the solution ahead of the competition, but its biggest perk is undoubtedly its availability. This payment method is a viable option in countless online casinos, giving users a variety of options that seem never-ending. Unfortunately, it does come with some cons. The biggest disadvantage to using Skrill is the fees. They’re not too scary, but they can put a damper on your overall online gambling experience.
As you can probably tell, there’s plenty these services can do to make your online gambling journey more comfortable. Since their offers are pretty unique, it’s all about personal preference in the end. See which perks better fit your desired narrative and have fun with it going forward.
Payment Methods Comparison | ||
---|---|---|
Payment methods name | Discover | Skrill |
Available accounts | 1 account | 1 account (1;2;3;4 different currency accounts) |
Available currencies | n/a | AED, AUD, BGN, BHD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CLP, COP, CRC, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, ILS, INR, ISK, JOD, JPY, KRW, KWD, MAD, MEX, MYR, NOK, NZD, OMR, PEN, PLN, QAR, TND, TRY, RON, TWD, USD, ZAR, RSD, RUB, SAR, SEK, SGD, THB |
One time signup bonus | n/a | 15 USD Signup Bonus |
Account management fees | free | free |
Account unused | n/a | unused for 12 months: 1 EUR/month |
Exchange fees (FX) | n/a | 3.99% (3.79%; 2.89%; 2.59%; 1.99%) |
p2p Money transfer | ||
Send money p2p | n/a | 1.9%, max 20 EUR (1%, max 10 EUR for bronze; 1%, max 2 EUR for above) |
Receive money p2p | n/a | free |
Deposit fees | ||
Bank transfer | n/a | free |
Instant bank transfer | n/a | free |
Credit card | n/a | 1.90% (1.25%; free; free; free) |
Withdraw fees | ||
Bank transfer | n/a | 3.95 EUR (3.95; free; free; free) |
Cheque | n/a | 3.50 EUR |
Prepaid card at the ATM | n/a | 1.75% (1.75%; free; free; free) |
To merchant site | n/a | free |
Cashback and promotions | ||
Promotions | n/a | up to 100 EUR Bonus by becoming Skrill VIP |
Additional bonus programs | Yes | n/a |
PrePaid card | n/a | Skrill PrePaid MasterCard |
Fee to order | n/a | 10 EUR (free) |
Costs at points of sale | n/a | free |
Online bank statement | n/a | free |
New PIN | n/a | free |
New prepaid card | n/a | 10 EUR (free) |
Cash withdrawal at ATM limits/24h | n/a | 250 EUR (750;1,500; 3,000; 5,000) |
Points of sale limits/24h | n/a | 1,000 EUR (3,000; 3,000; 5,000; 5,000) |
Delivery time | n/a | 5-10 business days |
Prepaid card available currencies | n/a | EUR, USD, GBP, PLN |
Validation | n/a | 3 years |
Two factor authentication | n/a | Skrill Two-step Authentication |
Fee to order | n/a | free app |
Delivery time | n/a | right after app installation is completed |
Money-back guarantee in case of fraud | Yes | for all Skrill customers using the 2-step-authentication |
Link to terms & conditions | https://www.discover.com/online-banking/terms-of-use/ | https://www.skrill.com/en/footer/terms-conditions/skrillaccounttermsofuse/ |
No casinos support both Discover & Skrill, click Discover or Skrill to show casinos that just support that method.
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