Payment methods for US poker players

Many payment processors decided to refuse gambling transactions from U.S. players after UIGEA was signed into law (October, 2006). Meanwhile, other payment options became unavailable. For ex. ePassporte have banned online gaming transactions in April, 2008.

This page contains an uptodate list of deposit options available to U.S. poker players.


Payment Method Description
MoneyGram MoneyGram works similar to other money transfer deposit methods such as WU and is well known for very minimal fees they charge (as opposed to WU that charges fees depending on the transfered amount). You'll need to contact the poker room for transfer instructions (name, destination). You can send money online with MoneyGram (they accept Visa and Mastercard) or you can go to a MoneyGram location and fill out a form and pay in cash. After making the transfer MoneyGram will provide you a tracking code that you will be asked at the poker room. A transfer will take about 30 minutes.
Visa   Mastercard Almost any poker site accepts Visa deposits from U.S. players, but these transactions are frequently declined by the credit card's originating bank. Nevertheless, many poker rooms are using specific payment processors to overcome this problem and accept your Visa card. Another option is to use a prepaid visa card: there are a lost of places where you can find Visa gift cards.
eCheck An eCheck is an electronic transfer of funds (EFT). The money is taken from your bank account called "checking account" and transfered directly to your poker account. eChecks are similar to paper checks but clears much faster. At some poker rooms (like PokerStars for ex.), funds deposited via eChecks are immediately available in your account, but your deposit has an 'uncleared' status that means you can't cash out more than the deposit amount. This is a great feature because it can take up more than a week for the poker room to receive funds from your bank account.

Poker Rooms: Poker Stars, Absolute Poker
WireTransfer Wire transfers are accepted by most of the poker rooms. Some rooms may not accept wire deposits from New York, Illinois, New Jersey and other states (Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin).
FoneLinx FoneLinx is a long distance prepaid phone card that you can buy using Visa or eCheck. It's available in $100, $150, $200 and $300 denominations. All transactions are in USD. After you purchase a FoneLinx card, you will receive via email a unique pin and an access number.
eWalletXpress eWalletXpress is an e-wallet with multiple funding methods, you can deposit into your eWalletXpress account using a bank wire, 900Pay (billed to telephone), money order, e-check/ACH. A nice feature is that you can send and receive money from other eWalletXpress account holders. Unfortunately, you'll have to pay high fees: $10 for deposits from checking account, 15% for 900Pay deposits and 10% for withdrawals to your bank account.
UseMyWallet
QuickTender 		UseMyWallet and QuickTender is the same payment method that will replace EcoCard (QuickTender is a EcoCard sister company). UseMyWallet can be funded using Credit Card, Western Union, MoneyGram or Wire Transfer.
Pic-Club Pic-Club is an e-wallet. Many deposit and withdrawal options are available: VISA, Mastercard. Discover, AMEX, e-Checks and Online Bank Transfers. In order to use PIC Club as a transactional method, you must first sign up with PIC Club. Withdrawal fees: Check or Money Order - $15.00 (Delivery: 3-5 days after processing is completed. No charge for U.S. mail). Wire Transfer - $45.00

Poker Rooms: Carbon Poker