Visa Credit vs. PayPal

Going through online casinos in an attempt to find one that suits you most, you need to check several things. You need to know whether the casinos are properly licensed and regulated to provide you with safe gambling. You need to ensure the casinos are offering a variety of games you could choose from and play. And, you need to be certain that you’ll have at least two payment methods you could use for deposits and withdrawals, which are available in your country, and would provide you with cost-effective and fast transactions.

All of this may seem exhausting, however, it is essential that you find a site that would provide you with the things you need, especially when it comes to payment methods. Now, when exploring sites, you will notice that two payment methods are almost always offered, VISA and PayPal. In fact, the two are some of the most popular solutions found across online casinos. Why consider using VISA or PayPal as your payment method at an online casino?

About VISA and PayPal

There’s no doubt that VISA and PayPal are some of the most popular payment methods across online casino sites. Seriously, explore several sites, and you’ll see the two offered on top of the accepted payment methods lists. Why is that, you’re probably wondering? Well, that’s because the two are some of the longest-standing online payment solutions the world remembers, in their own respective fields, and they provide the safest, most reliable and most convenient transactions to players.

VISA is one of the longest-running credit card programs. It was created in 1958 in the US, as a project of the Bank of America. A project manager at the bank wanted to make the bank's computer systems prepare and process users' bills across businesses, instead of letting them do that manually. It is obvious that the project was a success, as VISA commenced a whole new era of banking.

It is one of the leading credit cards, holding close to 50% of the credit cards market in the US, and it is as popular across Europe. Wherever you go, be it a restaurant, a coffee shop, a cinema, or a gas station, you will see its logo. That’s because it has the largest payment network in the globe, processing transactions for governments, financial institutions, users and businesses. Users trust it due to its impeccable track record, its unrivalled security measures, the two-factor authentication, the KYC rules, the SSL encryptions, to name a few.

It is indisputable how many online platforms it has partnered with, therefore, you can rest assured that you’ll find it across most, if not all, online casinos. Thanks to its international expansion, it is available in virtually any country in the world, therefore, available to any online casino player, regardless of their country of residence. Due to the credit card gambling ban, however, it is not available in the UK for online casino players. And since it is a global brand respecting countries’ own rules and laws, it is no longer available in Germany and other countries with similar bans. Nevertheless, it will still be available across international online casinos accepting players from all across the world, even though its services won’t be accessible for players from countries like the UK and Germany, so if a player from anywhere else, you can use it.

PayPal, on the other hand, started out as an eWallet back in 1998, but today offers several other products. It is, however, still mostly used as an eWallet, especially across online casinos. It became popular back then due to the convenience, privacy and security measures it offered users with. As an eWallet, it allowed users to link their regular payment methods to their PayPal account, and pay across online platforms without revealing any details about their bank account or their credit/debit card.

Once they top their account with money, users can store the money there, send or receive money and rest assured that the funds would be safe, as this eWallet has security at its core. But what’s the best about it is that when sending or receiving funds, the transactions are processed instantly. And that's why players value it the most and choose it over any other payment solution.

When it comes to its availability across online casinos, as mentioned, it is offered all over the place. Being a global payment solution, accepted all over the world, it is a great option for international players, and operators know that. Sure, it has excluded payments from some countries due to regulation and certain laws, but it is known to reenter markets and enter new markets as soon as things with the rules change.

As mentioned, PayPal today offers several other products, features and functionalities. Its most recent improvement was the approval of cryptocurrency transactions. Not only can you transact with it in many fiat currencies, but you can also transact with Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash, among other cryptocurrencies. Previously, the solution partnered with MasterCard to issue the PayPal MasterCard card and launched its own feature, the PayPal Connect. With so many novelties under its umbrella, PayPal only further strengthened its position as a leading online payment service.

Getting Started with the Two Solutions

If you’ve ever used any credit card, you should know that the first step towards getting started with VISA is visiting the bank you have an account with. Since VISA has partnered with almost all banks and financial institutions in the world, your bank is probably authorized to issue cards on its behalf. If not, just go to a different bank that does and open a new bank account. You do need a bank account since your card will be directly connected to it.

Once you’ve ensured that you have an account with a bank that issues VISA cards, ask for an application form. Fill out the form with the requested personal details, select the card type you’re applying for, and give the bank all of the necessary ID and proof of income documents. Wait for the bank to approve your application, and when it does, within a week, you can collect your card or have the bank send it to you at your home address. Your card will arrive in an envelope with authentication codes you'll need in the future if additional permissions are needed when making a transaction.

Finally, to get an insight into your spending and transactions, make sure you ask your bank for online banking access. You will be given login credentials, and as soon as you start using your VISA credit card, you’ll be able to look into your transactions as soon as you log into your online banking account.

To get started with the eWallet, you won’t need to visit your bank, but you will need to visit PayPal’s official website. On the homepage, locate the Sign-Up button and click or tap on it. Or, download its app and start the registration process on your mobile device, if you prefer. You'll need to provide your full name, email address, social security number and home address. You'll also need to provide identification documents so that the solution can verify your identity.

When your account is verified, you would need to fund it with money. Now, you’ll get several traditional payment methods to choose from to do that. The one that comes with no fees when funding your eWallet is the regular bank transfer. Then, the second option is funding the account with a different PayPal product if you have one, from the one mentioned earlier, such as the PayPal MasterCard card.

Or, the third and the costliest option, credit cards. Topping your eWallet account with credit cards would be subject to a 2.5% fee. Think about your options, choose the most convenient for you, and fund your account. Once you do, you can start depositing and withdrawing with PayPal across online casinos.

Using VISA and PayPal Across Online Casinos

The first thing you do when you’ve decided on the method to use is to look for an online casino that accepts it. Considering almost all casinos accept both VISA and PayPal, this step would be really easy and simple. The next step would be registering an account with the casino. Now, you might need to choose your deposit method right there and then, upon registration. If not, you would need to look for your chosen payment method in the Cashier section.

Considering you’ve decided to use VISA, you would need to do the following:

1. From the list of offered payment solutions, click on Credit Cards/Cards.
2. Find VISA’s logo and click or tap on it.
3. Enter the required card details, meaning the card number, cardholder, expiry date and the CCV2 code, if needed.
4. Confirm your transaction and in a few minutes, the money will arrive on your online casino balance.

Withdrawals with it are done pretty much the same way. You would need to request a withdrawal specifying how much you’d like to withdraw, and you’d need to wait for the casino to approve your request. As soon as it does, VISA will clear the transaction in 3 to 5 days. However, bear in mind that not all online casinos would allow cashouts with this credit card, even though accepting it for deposits. Therefore, make sure you consult with the casino before you decide to use it as your withdrawal method.

To deposit at online casinos with PayPal, you’d need to go through a few simple steps, as explained below:

1. Find PayPal's logo from the list of methods on the Cashier/Banking page.
2. When the pop-up appears, log into your eWallet account.
3. Specify the amount you wish to deposit and go through the authentication procedure.
4. Confirm your request and watch the money arrive on your balance instantly.

Not only are deposits with it instant, as you can see, but so are withdrawals. That’s actually PayPal’s strongest suit and the reason why online casino players love it that much. As soon as you go through a similar procedure and request a withdrawal, the moment the casino accepts the request, PayPal will instantly process the transaction and your winnings will arrive on your eWallet account in a blink of an eye.

Contrary to VISA, which sometimes may not be accepted for withdrawals, PayPal most certainly will be. In fact, it is mostly used for withdrawals due to the speedy transactions and the effortless withdrawal process.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Reading all of this, you have probably created a picture in your head of how your online gambling transactions would be like if you choose VISA or PayPal. However, to sum things up, let’s look at the real advantages and disadvantages you can get by choosing either.

VISA is a credit card that can be used not only for online gambling but for literally everything else you need to pay for or purchase. It is globally-accepted in all industries and can be quite useful for both land-based and online purchases and payments. It is easy and convenient to use and would provide you with safe and fast deposits.

However, withdrawals with it won’t be instant. And, it is not always accepted for withdrawals. Plus, it is not accepted in countries where regulators have forbidden the use of credit cards for online gambling, like the UK or Germany. Add to that the fact that each transaction with it across online casinos would be subject to fees, and there you have all of the downsides to it.

PayPal is also accepted not only across online casinos but across most, if not all, online platforms in different industries. It is also a global solution, so you should not have any obstacles using it, no matter where you come from. It is an excellent payment method if you wish to keep your card/banking details away from the operator. And, it is the perfect solution for you if you’re after instant deposits and withdrawals.

The only drawback with PayPal is that funding it with credit cards, you would have to pay a fee. But since you can use a bank transfer to avoid the fees, you can see why it is the preferred method for most online casino players.

Therefore, it is up to you to decide which one of the two would suit you better. Rest assured that whichever of the two you decide to go with, you won’t regret it. Their availability across online casino sites is huge, they are easy to use and quite convenient as online casino payment methods.