ACH vs. PayPal

Nowadays, players from all across the world have access to online casinos. These global players have a tough decision to make when it comes to choosing the proper payment method to use to fund their accounts and cash out any winnings they make. Online casinos would offer them so many choices, and choosing the right one would greatly improve their experience.

Most of the methods offered across international online casinos are actually global solutions, easily accessible by any player in the world, regardless of their country of residence. However, the difference between these global methods lies in the fees and speed with which transactions are processed. Therefore, if you’re exploring whether to use ACH or PayPal, make sure you go over this overview with us. We’ll point out all of the good stuff and bad stuff that these two solutions arrive with. But why consider using ACH or PayPal across online casinos in the first place?

About ACH and PayPal

When you take a first glance at ACH and PayPal, you will instantly notice that they are as different as chalk and cheese. While the former belongs in the group of traditional payment methods, the latter is a completely innovative, trending and convenient solution to use by modern and forward-thinking players. ACH processes money from one bank account to another, therefore is closely tied with banks. PayPal, on the other hand, wants to avoid the bank's influence in online payment processing and offers innovative ways for users to transact online, mainly via its eWallet service. That’s why they both have a different user base of players across online casinos.

ACH is the type of method that functions entirely with the aid of banks and other third-party financial institutions. Its acronym is short for Automated Clearing House, and that should clear things up for you regarding the service it offers. Essentially, it takes the money from one bank, and with the aid of facilitators, it transfers it to another bank, with a simple request by the sender and confirmation by the receiver.

What’s characteristic about it is that it is only available to the United States players who have a bank account in North America. Therefore, it is a solution only available to US online casino players, and no one else. But Americans do love how it works because it saves them the time and the trouble of looking for middlemen by themselves, institutions that would ensure their money travels safely from point A to point B.

Plus, they don’t even need to go to the bank to make the transaction request; they just need to put on the request and wait for the parties involved to do the trick. Add to that that ACH comes with really low fees, some Americans even say insignificant fees, and you’ve got yourself the most convenient solution to use. That is if you don't mind the 3 to 5 business days wait. The thing is, due to the many parties involved in the transfer process, ACH processes transactions within 5 days. Those online casino players who don't want to wait that long to play their favourite games are discouraged by this fact, but those who value safety and security over speed really embrace the method.

When it comes to PayPal, the eWallet needs no official introduction. You must have heard about it, used it or know someone who’s using it. It is one of the oldest and longest-running alternative solutions, launched way back in 1998. It has changed the way the world perceives online banking and has revolutionized the way money can be transferred over the internet.

The secret of its long-lasting operation lies in its improvements. PayPal has gone through many stuff throughout the years, both good and bad, both praises and sanctions, and has always been finding new ways to improve its services and keep its track record and reputation intact. Even though accepted in virtually all countries across the globe, PayPal is known to take great care when it comes to regulation, laws and rules of each of those countries. That’s why you should not be surprised that when necessary, it may exclude its services from one country or get back to another country after new laws have been implemented and there are favourable conditions for regulated comeback.

Overall, players’ satisfaction is at its core. That’s why PayPal ensures to use the latest security measures, deliver the best products and offer the most impeccable, most convenient services. And that’s why, in addition to launching its PayPal Connect and its acquisition of Modest, it has partnered with global names like MasterCard and more recently Bitcoin, to provide players with the chance to transact with the multi-functional product PayPal MasterCard and cryptocurrencies, respectively. You can transact with digital currencies like Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin. 

Knowing all of this, it is not hard to assume why this eWallet is one of the most popular among online casino players. And, why it is offered across so many online casinos, almost all of them. PayPal is a big name in the online gambling industry, as it allows players to enjoy instant deposits and withdrawals, with reasonable fees, all across the globe.

Getting Started with the Two Methods

To start using ACH, as mentioned, you don’t need to open any separate account. As long as you have a bank account with a North American bank, you can use it as it pleases you. You don’t need to visit your bank, you don’t need to log in to your online banking profile, nada.

All you need to do is look it up at the online casino you joined, and request a payment. As soon as you do, at a low or no cost, you’ll trigger the background process. The banks and financial institutions involved will put the process in motion and move your money safely from your bank account to the one provided by the casino. Before the transaction is actually processed, you will get one final permission request. After you confirm and approve it, and you identify yourself properly, the money you requested to deposit will be deducted from your bank account by ACH and sent to the designated destination.

With PayPal, the procedure is entirely different. The following are the steps you need to make:

• Visit its official website and click on the Sign-Up button.
• Start the registration procedure for an account.
• Share your home address, full name, email and social security number.
• Go through the KYC procedure and verify your identity with the needed documents.
• Fund your eWallet with credit cards, bank transfer or a different eWallet.
• Start using your account right away!

You should remember, though, that depending on the method you’ll use to top up your eWallet, you’ll need to pay some fees. The fees with other eWallets vary, while the fee with credit cards is 2.5%. No fees apply when you’re funding the eWallet with bank transfer, and that’s great!

Using ACH and PayPal at Online Casinos

What was described above as the getting started process with ACH is actually all you need to know in order to make a deposit with it. Therefore, you already know that depositing with it is pretty straightforward and easy. The difficult part would be finding a casino that accepts it, as not that many do. But, assuming you’ve found one suited to your needs and preferences, do the following:

1. Register an account with the casino.
2. From the list of deposit methods available, choose ACH as your default method.
3. Enter the needed bank account details for the transaction.
4. Specify how much you wish to deposit.
5. Wait for the permission request and approve the transaction.
6. Watch ACH deduct the money you requested from your bank account and move it to your online casino’s bank account.

In a few steps, you’ll make the deposit. However, remember that the money won’t actually arrive instantly, but in a period of 5 business days.

When it comes to cashing out, ACH is one of the best withdrawal methods for US players. ACH withdrawals are quite popular among Americans. A huge number of US players actually prefer using ACH over any other solution, as it keeps their funds save, it guarantees the funds will arrive eventually and it is convenient as the funds will arrive directly on their bank account. They mostly love it because, with ACH, you can request a large withdrawal amount. Contrary to most other solutions with withdrawal limits, ACH allows you to cash out even a massive progressive jackpot prize at once! Plus, withdrawals with it are done pretty much the same way as deposits, so you’ll know how to request them, too.

Depositing with PayPal would include different steps. After you decide on the casino to join, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Visit the casino’s Deposit/Cashier page and choose PayPal from the offered methods.
2. In the pop-up, log in to your eWallet account using your credentials.
3. Go through the mandatory authentication
4. Enter the amount of funds you’d like to deposit at the casino.
5. Confirm the transaction and the money will be transferred to your casino balance instantly.

The thing with PayPal is that the depositing procedure may take a few minutes of your time, due to the authentication procedure, but once the request goes through, the funds are immediately available on your online casino account.

But, the greatest thing with it is that withdrawals are instant, as well! The solution has evolved that much that it processes cashouts instantly, too. That’s basically one of the many reasons why players prefer it over any other when it comes to withdrawals, because cashouts with other methods, eWallets even, take at least 3 days.

The withdrawal procedure is pretty much the same, so be prepared to go through authentication once again. Keep in mind that once that you do, your winnings will instantly arrive on your eWallet account.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Considering all the things you’ve read so far about ACH and PayPal, you probably already have a picture of what to expect from them both in terms of pros and cons. But it would hurt no one to repeat them. What the two solutions have in common is that they are both extremely secure and convenient to use, of course, by different types of players.

ACH is the perfect solution for US players willing to sacrifice a few days until their deposits or withdrawals arrive at the desired destination. It is a traditional method that has the support of banks and other third-party financial institutions, and that's one of the reasons why Americans trust it. And that's the reason why it is particularly popular for withdrawals. Now, the things that some players may like would be the things that others detest about it. That’s why the waiting times and the availability can work nicely for some and be disastrous for others.

PayPal practically has no flaws. Aside from some mild turbulent periods during its evolution, when there were some cracks in its reputation, PayPal is today one of the most reliable and convenient payment methods to use anywhere, especially for online gambling transactions. Regardless of your country of residence, you are probably able to use it, since this is a global solution, accepting players from all over the world. It offers several products you can use, the most popular being the cornerstone eWallet product, which allows you to deposit and withdraw instantly across online casinos.

As if that wasn’t enough, compared to the past, the fees for funding your eWallet and cashing your winnings from it are significantly lowered, and even seem reasonable to some players. But, just like the case with ACH was, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Some may be fine with the fees, others would not want them to be present at all. But if you weigh in all the advantages and disadvantages of this eWallet, the advantages prevail by far.

Therefore, depending on whether you're a US player or a player from anywhere else in the world, you have two perfectly decent methods to consider for online casino deposits and withdrawals. Whichever suits you better, make sure you choose it next time you join your casino and test it. You'll see that you won't be disappointed.