Introduction
If you’ve played on online bingo or casino sites, you may have noticed that “Neteller” is listed as a payment option. It’s a common method of payment that is accepted by many online casinos and bingo sites, so why is it so popular? And is it the right payment method for you?
Neteller is an e-wallet/e-money service that’s been around since 1999 and is currently operated by Paysafe Group Limited – sound familiar? That’s because they’re a British group behind other popular online payment methods such as Skrill and Paysafecard – two more payment methods commonly accepted by online bingo and online casino sites. With a long history of servicing online bingo and casino sites as a payment provider, Neteller are one of the best known payment methods in the gambling world and continue to be extremely popular choices for players new and old.
Awards and Accreditation
Best Payments Company (Optimal Payments) – EGR North America Awards 2015
Background History
Neteller was launched in 1999 in Canada, though eventually moved to the Isle of Man five years later. It is usable across 26 major currencies, and money can be loaded into the account from bank accounts or debit or credit cards. It’s been a common payment method in gambling since 2000, and was soon processing payments for approximately 80% of the world’s online gambling merchants – making them a long-time trusted provider of money services in the gambling world.
They’re so well-known that their logo appeared on the kits for Crystal Palace FC for the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons of the English Premier League, as part of a sponsorship deal with Optimal Payments PLC (now Paysafe Group PLC).
Neteller and Bingo Sites
You will commonly see the Neteller logo at the bottom of your favourite bingo site alongside other payment methods – it’s one of the most commonly accepted payment methods around, especially in the gambling world, and you’re likely to see it on casino sites as well. You will be hard pressed to find a casino or bingo site that doesn’t accept Neteller as a payment option – they do exist, but then those sites tend to only accept debit or credit cards and will not accept PayPal, Paysafecard, Skrill or other similar brands either. Although common in the online gambling world since 2000, it’s not just bingo and casino sites where you can use Neteller online – many online merchants also accept the method, so it has the appeal of being usable for other things besides bingo!
Fraud Protection
Neteller offers several features in order to keep your money safe with them:
- Industry-standard encryption for all sensitive information
- Highly secured data centre for storing user information
- Redundant systems and regular backups to ensure your transaction history remains safe
- 24/7 account and transaction monitoring both by computer systems and by live security agents
- 24/7 customer service for any immediate questions or concerns
How To Sign Up to Neteller
So, decided that Neteller is going to be your payment method of choice at your favourite online bingo and online casino sites? All you need to do now is sign up.
Go to the Neteller website and click the option to sign up – it’s free. You’ll be asked to enter your personal details, as well as select the currency you want to conduct transactions in – make sure you select GBP, because you can’t change the currency once you’ve chosen one. You’ll also be asked to choose a password.
Once you’ve entered all your information, you’ll be able to start depositing funds into your account – you can load funds from credit cards, debit cards, or a bank account. You are able to use up to 5 different cards in one Neteller account.
You can also load funds into your Neteller account from Paysafecard, Bitcoin, Boku, Trustpay, and many other providers. Make sure you check the fees that may apply to each payment method before you make any transfers.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Neteller
Advantages:
- Accepted by a wide range of online bingo and online casino sites
- Long history of being a trusted payment method for gambling sites
- Funds can be deposited from a wide range of accounts
- You don’t have to repeatedly enter credit/debit card information when signing up to new sites
- It offers an extra level of security – your credit/debit card/bank details will not be held by the bingo or casino site that you sign up to
- Free and easy to sign up
Disadvantages:
- Not accepted by every online bingo or online casino site – debit and credit card payments are still more commonly accepted
- If someone gets their hands on your details, your money can be stolen – just like if they got the details to your bank account
- If you trust the bingo or casino site with your money and aren’t planning to sign up to many sites, there’s not really much point in getting a Neteller account
- Neteller charge fees if you load money from debit cards, credit cards, Bitcoin, Boku, or other payment methods
- Neteller charge fees to withdraw your cash if you want to put it into your bank account
Neteller Vs Other Brands
Neteller is definitely easier (once set up) to use when signing up to a new bingo or casino site than a credit or debit card – you just need to log in to your Neteller account when you make a deposit! You don’t have to enter your card number, and in the highly unlikely event that your bingo or casino account is hacked, your bank details are protected because you won’t have entered them into the site.
Neteller works similarly to other brands such as PayPal, Skrill and Paysafecard, without much difference – it really depends on what you want to use the account for. Some people pick certain brands for familiarity – with PayPal being the most well-known brand, it is understandable that you may opt for a PayPal account over a Neteller account, but among gambling sites, Neteller has the leg up as it is often accepted on sites where PayPal is not – especially on casino sites.
Neteller Usability and Registration
Neteller prides itself on the ease of its registration process, claiming it only takes a minute to sign up to the e-wallet system – simply navigate to the Neteller homepage, click the “join for free” button at the top right hand corner, and you’ll be taken to a page where you can enter your details. Once you’ve made an account, it’s also easy to login to Neteller – simply go to the homepage, click on the “sign in” button (next to “join for free”) and you’ll be able to enter your username and password on a new page. Overall it’s a very quick and easy process – not really any different to signing up or logging into a bingo site!
Neteller Withdrawals
Neteller charge certain fees to withdraw your money from the e-wallet, so make sure to check their terms and conditions before you make any transactions.
- Bank draft – €7.50 – €25
- Bank transfer – €7.50
Bank Transfer withdrawals are completed within 3-5 business days. Rolling periods are used in Neteller for most transaction limits. The rolling period will begin from the first date/time of the transaction, and will be in effect until X amount of time has passed. There is no minimum withdrawal, but you will pay a fee no matter how much you deposit or withdraw from your Neteller account. Your maximum withdrawal/deposit limit will be available to see in your account.
Neteller on Mobile and Tablet
You can access the Neteller website on your mobile or tablet internet browser, with much the same functionality as on your desktop. If you have an iPhone or Android device, you can download the official Neteller app from the iOS store or the Google Play store, making transferring money easier and quicker than ever. The apps are more limited in comparison to the desktop version of the site, but they have the basics, so you should be able to perform most transactions without any issues.
Neteller Final Thoughts
Neteller is definitely a popular choice among online bingo and casino players due to its practicality, its security, its wide availability and its long trusted history of providing secure payments to and from online bingo and online casino sites. The downside is that you will have to pay fees to deposit or withdraw money, meaning you’ll end up spending more than you would by just depositing at an online bingo site directly from a debit card, but it is up to you to decide if the extra layer of security and peace of mind is worth the extra cost! Some users have found the Android version of the Neteller app to not meet their expectations and have given it a low rating on the Google Play store, so perhaps consider this if you own an Android device. However, the popularity of the payment method and its wide availability on online casino and online bingo sites makes this a great choice for players.
