Paysafecard is a voucher-based prepaid online payment method that initially struggled in the United Kingdom after launch but was fortunate to find a niche in the online gambling industry. Despite the ‘-card’ suffix, Paysafecard does not really entail any sort of card, although the sixteen-digit numbers used for making payments via the method resemble those printed on the front of traditional debit and credit cards.

The company behind Paysafecard – imaginatively titled Paysafe – bought out its only UK competitor UKash in 2015, leaving them as the only voucher-based prepaid payment method that is now widely accepted at UK-based online bingo sites. So if you want to play online bingo without disclosing your banking details or card numbers, Paysafecard allows you to do so risk-free and with complete privacy. 

Bingo sites that take paysafe vouchers

Not all online bingo sites support Paysafecard at this time, and indeed, the number that does currently seems to be dropping – at least in the UK. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure that your chosen site supports Paysafecard before buying a voucher with the express intention of using it at a specific bingo site. In this article, we’ll answer the most important questions regarding Paysafecard and using the method at UK-based online bingo providers.

Voucher-based payment systems allow you to visit a local retailer, such as a petrol station, supermarket kiosk, or corner shop, and purchase a voucher code via a PayPoint terminal. Then, simply choose how much you wish to spend, and a voucher will be produced to the value with a 16-digit code that can be input into your bingo site of choice when you are ready to play. This differs from e-wallet type payment methods such as PayPal in that the funds remain in your possession right up to the moment that you choose to use them – you could lose your wallet containing the voucher, of course, but there is zero possibility of your account being hacked, and the funds transferred out without your consent.

There is one exception to this – Paysafecard has recently begun to offer a physical Mastercard, which can be repeatedly loaded with funds rather than getting a different 16-digit voucher number each time. This was a necessary step due to regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions, which forced Paysafecard to accept withdrawals back to the same method used for depositing. 

That's a categorical no! After you have made a deposit using a Paysafecard, the funds are immediately added to your bingo account balance and can then be used to purchase bingo tickets or play slots and other casino games. 

One thing to watch out for, however, is that some bingo sites restrict access to certain first deposit offers if you choose to make your initial deposit via Paysafecard. If in doubt, contact the site via live chat before making your deposit.

Every other deposit method accepted by online bingo sites requires a debit card at some stage of the process to get your funds into the online account. Paysafecard does not have this restriction, as the voucher may be purchased using cash. Furthermore, the purchase of the voucher is entirely anonymous. However, it's debatable how useful that is for most players who are likely to play at regulated sites where KYC (Know Your Customer) rules are in force.

Using Paysafecard does make it very easy to keep track of how much you are spending on your gambling hobby, however – you can purchase a set amount of vouchers each month, and once they are all used up, that’s it until the next time you buy a fresh batch. 

Like physical cash, there is always the issue of losing your Paysafecard voucher before you have used it to make a deposit – it seems a little unfair to list this as a negative, though, as it’s possible to lose anything if you are careless enough!

A more significant issue comes In the form of the fees related to such transactions – the retailer will often apply a fee to the sale of the voucher, and the casino may also take a percentage of the face value of the ticket rather than crediting the full amount to your playable balance.

For security reasons, many online bingo sites will not allow new players to make their first deposit via Paysafecard. In addition, those who do will often refuse to credit promotions or bonuses that would otherwise be available to those depositing for the first time. 

A final issue with Paysafecard comes with the withdrawal process. Unless you have paid for the Paysafecard MasterCard, you’ll need to input your banking details to withdraw funds from your bingo account, thus negating the security advantages of using Paysafecard in the first place.

In the United Kingdom, Paysafecard vouchers can be purchased in fixed denominations only - £10, £25, £40, £50, £75, and £100. You can buy Paysafecard vouchers at any Paypoint outlet, of which there are over 70,000 spread out all over the UK, and via the Paysafecard website. 

Each voucher has a 16-digit number and a PIN number, which must be entered to process the transaction. A recently introduced security measure enforced by Paysafe themselves means that you now need to register an account with myPaysafe before you can use a Paysafecard voucher at an online bingo site.

One advantage of Paysafecard over its predecessor UKash is that you do not need to spend the entire value of the voucher in one transaction. Instead, when making your deposit, you can input the amount you wish to spend, and if there are excess funds remaining, the balance will be displayed, and you can then use those funds later.

You may also withdraw any funds remaining in your Paysafecard account via the Paysafe Mastercard if you have purchased one of those. However, the fees for doing so are prohibitively expensive unless you have a sizable balance.

I was a frequent user of UKash many years ago, but the proliferation of e-Wallet services such as Skrill and Neteller, along with the increased speed of debit card withdrawals that has now become available in modern times, has somewhat eroded the usefulness of payment methods such as Paysafecard. 

I suspect this is probably why fewer and fewer online bingo sites are choosing to accept this payment method today. Nevertheless, Paysafecard still has its uses and will undoubtedly be helpful for certain players. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the service has a decade at the most before it will be discontinued by its operator.

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