Like it or hate it, credit makes the world goes round. The notion of extending people credit – essentially loaning them money for goods and services – is as old as trade itself.
The credit card is merely the most obvious manifestation of this. The concept is simple: purchase items using your card, which has a preset limit attached. Then, at the end of the month, pay off the balance on the statement when your credit card bill arrives.
Pay off the minimum amount and the remainder will roll over to the next month, with interest serving to increase the ultimate amount you’ll pay; pay it off in full when your bill arrives and you shouldn’t be charged any interest.
What’s the Deal with Credit Cards?
Today, credit cards can be used to pay for goods in bricks and mortar stores, to split a restaurant bill with friends, to order shopping on Amazon and to deposit funds into an online casino or sportsbook among many other things.
Believe it or not, the concept of a credit card was first dreamed up in 1887 by Edward Bellamy in his novel Looking Backward, before the first charge cards were finally introduced in the US in the 1920s and 30s. It wasn’t until the late 50s however that the credit card truly came of age when Bank of America launched the BankAmericard in Fresno, California.
The first credit card outside of the US was launched by Barclaycard in the UK in 1966 and the rest of the world soon followed, with Germany, France and Switzerland all early adopters. Credit cards are now widely used in all developed countries. Japan is the only first-world country where credit card adoption remains low; for various reasons, the Japanese prefer their cash.
How Credit Cards Work
It’s actually rare to see the words “We accept credit cards” on a merchant’s website – it’s more common to see the specific card types referred to by name i.e “We accept Visa and MasterCard”. Generally, if a merchant accepts the one, they’ll accept the other, Visa and MasterCard accounting for the vast majority of all credit card transactions.
The way the system works is that the credit card issuer – typically a bank or other financial institution – will extend credit to the customer after analysing their financial history and deeming them trustworthy enough to use a card responsibly. (That’s not to say that all credit card holders do use their cards responsibly of course!)
The cardholder can then use their card to make purchases for various goods and services, including to deposit cash at online casinos and other gambling sites. When paying for goods online, the card details are entered by the customer including the long number printed across the front and the 3-digit security code on the back.
When paying for items in a physical premises, however, the customer simply needs to enter their 4-digit PIN into the card terminal or, in the case of contactless payment, to simply place their card close to the terminal.
How to Use a Credit Card at a Casino
Credit cards such as MasterCard, Visa and American Express are accepted by thousands of casinos all over the world. Aside from casinos that use Bitcoin and related alt currencies only, you can all but guarantee that a web-based casino will accept credit card, unless for some reason it has been disqualified by the major credit card issuing companies. If so, odds are that’s a casino you’ll want to avoid in any case.
One of the benefits of using a credit card at a casino are that the maximum amount you can withdraw and deposit is usually high. On the other hand, prepaid vouchers for example will generally have a much lower limit.
Log in to your casino of choice, head to the Deposits or Cashier page and select the type of credit card you wish to use. Not all credit cards will be accepted by all sites, but Visa and MasterCard at the very least are likely to be accepted. The first time you go to make a deposit at the casino, you’ll need to enter your card details in full. You can elect to have these stored for future use however, saving you the hassle of having to re-enter your details every time you wish to top up your account.
While all casinos should be using 128-bit encryption to safeguard customer data, it’s worth reiterating the importance of using a strong password to minimise the chance of your account being breached and your card details stolen.
Withdrawing Funds from a Casino Using Credit Card
If you’re depositing funds at a casino using a credit card, the transaction should be instant and there should be no fee – at least not from your card issuer. When it comes to withdrawals, the process takes a little longer. For one reason, most casinos have a waiting period of 48 hours or more before they’ll release funds.
In addition, however, there’ll be an additional 3-5 days before the funds show up on your card. There should normally be no charge for withdrawing funds from a casino via credit card, but there are a few casinos that will whack on a surcharge of a few percent. Suffice to say these sites are to be avoided if at all possible.
The Pros and Cons of Using Credit Card at a Casino
There are numerous advantages to using a credit card to fund a casino account, not least the fact that the majority of adults in developed nations own one. If you’re looking to start gaming as soon as possible, a credit card will be your quickest option unless you already have a funded e-wallet.
For speed and convenience, a credit card is hard to fault. It’s also helpful that you can all but guarantee that the casino you’re planning to play at will accept credit card.
There are a few disadvantages however. Credit cards aren’t nearly as private as other payment options. Not only will the name of the casino (or at least its holding company) show up on your statement, but the casino will be privy to your card details.
Staff won’t personally be able to view your details, but nevertheless you will be increasing the number of sites you have submitted this data to, which in turn raises the risk of your details being stolen.
A credit card may also be disallowed in certain territories, so you might encounter issues when trying to gamble in some jurisdictions, or your card issuer may freeze your card in error.
Final Thoughts on Credit Card
By far the most popular means of depositing funds into a casino account, credit card clears instantly and provides a high degree of security. That’s because all casinos should use 128-bit SSL encryption to safeguard customer data, while the credit card provider will almost certainly provide insurance against fraudulent use of the card, provided the matter is reported promptly. As suited to withdrawals as it is to deposits, credit card is accepted at the bulk of the online casinos you’ll encounter. Because most players have a credit card, you’re likely to see your casino of choice offering card as both a deposit and a withdrawal option.
FAQ
What is a credit card?
A credit card is a means of paying for good and services on credit i.e using a preset amount of money that is loaned to you by a credit agency. Using a credit card, you can pay for items before paying these off when your credit card bill is issued, typically a few weeks later.
What can I use a credit card for?
A credit card can be used to pay for goods and services online and in real world stores. It is also ideal for funding casino accounts.
What are the benefits of using a credit card?
Transactions are instant when depositing into a casino account and most casinos accept credit card.
What are the main types of credit card?
Visa, MasterCard and American Express are the world’s most popular types of credit card.