Players Rewards Card vs. eCheck

As an online casino player, you are at an advantage, as you have control over your online gambling time. You can choose the game you want to play, the bonus to claim and the payment method to use for deposits and withdrawals. The good thing is, there are a lot of choices for you to pick from. But the bad news is unless you're informed, you can choose poorly.

To help you make the best decision on which payment method to use, we have compared two excellent solutions for you, Players Rewards Card and eCheck. They are both methods which offer different advantages and disadvantages for different types of players, so it is better for you to get as much information about them as you can to make the right choice. Why are Players Rewards Card and eCheck good payment solutions to use across online casino sites?

Players Rewards Card vs. eCheck – The Basics

Before we get into both of them in detail, you should know that both Players Rewards Card and eCheck are available across many online casino sites. That's because, throughout the years, they have shown to be reliable and convenient to use by different groups of players. Both of them are completely safe solutions to use, backed up by trusted financial institutions, but naturally, they are fundamentally different and that’s why you should know about them more to decide which one would suit you better.

Players Rewards Card is a solution…

…which can only be used for online gambling purposes. In fact, it was designed with the online casino player in mind. It was created with the aim to make players’ experience more worthy, more cost-effective and more rewarding. As its name implies, it is the online payment solution that rewards players for their loyalty, and that’s why many choose to use it over any other.

Fundamentally…

…it is an eWallet, so you need to create an account with it. But, once you create an account with it, you also get issued with a prepaid card, so it functions like that, too. You get two payment solutions in one. As an eWallet, it is the middle man between you, your bank and your online casino. As a prepaid card, it is convenient and easy to use solution to make a deposit to your online casino account. As implied by its name, it is usually treated as a card, but you are free to use it as an eWallet, too.

Regardless of the way you’re using it…

…you will be able to claim special bonuses with it, bonus codes and the Welcome Bonus Match of 10% that all players get when they start using it. There are other benefits you get with it, but anyway, you should know that you’ll get well rewarded for using it.

There are two things, though…

…that you should know. Players Rewards Card is only available to US and Australian players. This country restriction makes it impossible for other players to use it. Another restriction that might bother you is that it is only available at a casino network comprised of 20 sites. You will not find it across all leading online casinos, but that’s because this is an alternative solution available only at the partnered casino sites. However, you can rest assured that the partnered casinos that offer it are completely legit and safe sites to join. You can explore them and see that they all offer a massive choice of games and bonuses for you to use. Therefore, if you’re a US or Australian player, make sure you consider it, as you would gain a lot with it.

eCheck is just what it’s implied by its name…

…an electronic check that you can use across many online casino sites. It comes with no apparent country restriction, and it can be used by players from all across the globe. It works in the same principle as regular paper checks do. Paper checks, as you may as well know, are directly tied to banks. You need to have an active bank account in order to use it.

Considering you do…

…you just need to put in a request and your bank, and all the other financial institutions involved, will process it. Once you do, the clearing and transferring process will begin, and a procedure involving a lot of financial institutions and services, including your bank, will collaborate to process it. This brings one disadvantage and one advantage. Because many parties are involved in the process, the transactions with it take 3 to 5 days. But, for the same reason, these transactions are the safest possible. Each of the parties involved will treat your information with the utmost discretion and will keep your funds 100% safe.

You should not be worried…

…about the arrival of your money to your online casino account. The background process in motion ensures the money gets there in 3 to 5 days, safely. This means that if you put in the request today, the money will arrive in around a week, so you can start playing at that point. Keep in mind that the authentication, identification and verification processes involved in the background, the clearing, all take time. But, as long as you’re comfortable with this waiting time, you can enjoy a smooth online gambling time playing with eCheck.

Getting Started

Now that you know a bit about these two solutions, you should learn how to get started with them. The getting started process is not complicated with either of them, so you should be done in just a few minutes.

To get started with Players Rewards Card…

…as mentioned, you would need to create an account. To do that, go to its official website, and fill out the application form. You’ll need to share some basic information about yourself, like your name and email and home address. Submit the form and wait for the confirmation on your email. The email will arrive in minutes, and as soon as it is confirmed, your account is ready to be used. That’s the eWallet account. But in the meantime, with all the information you provided, the solution will use it to create your prepaid card. The prepaid card will arrive on your home address in a matter of days.

The prepaid card…

…will function the same way all prepaid cards do. But you should know something about the eWallet. As soon as you log in, you will see two accounts, one labelled Real Money, the other one Rewards Money. The Real Money account is the one you fund it with real money with the available banking methods. The Rewards Money account is pre-filled with bonus money. You cannot cash out the bonus money, but you can use it to start playing your favourite games right away, as you can make a deposit with it or claim bonuses with it. The rewards with this payment solution, as you can see, start pretty early, at the very beginning!

The process with eCheck…

…as explained earlier, involves many parties, but you won’t feel or see that. All you need to do is fill out the necessary bank account and personal details, and you’ll need to wait for your eCheck. Then the background process is set in motion. The first financial institution that receives your information is an intermediary, like Authorize.net. The intermediary takes your information and processes it into useful data that would be easily processed by the bank later, with no delays. The data, though, is then sent to the Automated Clearing House Network. This is a group of financial institutions that clear eChecks. The network needs to check that the data is unique and legit. Unless it confirms, the data is not sent to the last recipient, the bank. If the data is verified, it is sent to the bank, which processes it. Once your eCheck gets green light by the bank, it is filled with money, and you can use it right away. 

Although the process…

…seems far too complicated to comprehend, when we said you shouldn’t bother with it, we meant it. As long as you provide the right information, the real information about you and your bank account and you have funds on your bank account to be transferred to it, your eCheck will be ready.

Depositing and Withdrawing

Once you have your payment solutions ready to be used, you can start making deposits and withdrawals with them across online casino sites. That means that first, you need to choose the site to join. You have a huge list of casinos which accept eCheck and two dozen casinos with accept Players Rewards Card. Choose the one for you and start depositing.

To make a deposit with Players Rewards Card…

…you need to choose one of the 20 partnered online casino sites and join it. Go to that casino's Banking or Cashier page, and choose Players Rewards Card as your default payment solution. The partnered casino will ask you right away whether you want to deposit from your Real Money or Rewards account. If you want to deposit more than what you have on your Rewards account, go with the Real Money account. The next step would be specifying the amount you wish to deposit. You’ll just need to confirm your request and the money will be instantly transferred.

You can also use the prepaid card…

…to make a deposit. Depositing with the prepaid card is done pretty much the same way as with any card. Just enter the card number, expiration date and your name as the cardholder, the amount you wish to deposit and confirm. The money is transferred instantly with it as well.

To make a withdrawal…

…you need to repeat the same process. Go to the casino’s Banking page, click on Withdrawals and find Players Rewards Card as your solution. Enter the amount you wish to withdraw, and wait for the casino to check it and approve it. Once your request is approved, the money will be transferred to your eWallet account.

Deposits with eCheck…

…are way easier. You just have to log in to your online casino account, choose it as your deposit method from the Cashier’s list of accepted solutions and enter the electronic check’s details. Specify how much you wish to deposit, and confirm the transaction. However, keep in mind that the transaction won’t be instant. You would have to wait 3 to 5 days for the money to arrive on your online casino account. Once it does, you can start playing.

Withdrawals with it…

…are more popular than deposits. You see, players are comfortable to wait for their winnings to arrive on their bank account. But they are impatient when it comes to waiting for deposits to arrive on their casino account, as they want to play right away. Withdrawals with eCheck can take up to 7 days even, but players are cool with that. They know that their money is safe and will arrive when everything checks out. But the best part? The money arrives directly on your bank account. It won’t arrive on an eWallet account like with Players Rewards Card, but it will arrive on your bank account, to use it as it suits you right away.

Advantages and Disadvantages

There’s no need repeating that Players Rewards Card and eCheck are completely safe and secure solutions to use across online casinos. That’s one of their shared benefits. But they both come with a different set of advantages and disadvantages we need to repeat.

The benefits you get…

…with Players Rewards Card are many. It is a solution that rewards you with Rewards money to help you get started playing right away. It is convenient to use, as you can use it as an eWallet and a prepaid card. Deposits and withdrawals with it are instant, so you do not have to wait to start playing or cash out your winnings. With eCheck, you’re getting a globally used solution, accepted across many online casino sites. Not only can you make withdrawals with it, but the money arrives directly to your bank account.

On the other hand…

…there are a few downsides to both methods. Players Rewards Card has a country restriction, and only players from the US and Australia can use it. Plus, you can only find it across 20 online casino sites, and that’s it. Your casino choice is limited. You can check for articles about casino news for Australia or the US to see whether new sites will join the existing network, but the chances are small. With eCheck, deposits take forever. You can lose your patience, waiting 3 to 5 days for the money to arrive so that you can start playing. Therefore, compare the pros and cons and take your time to decide which one would suit you better. Whichever you choose, you won’t make a mistake.