Bingo night can sometimes get pretty heated, and when there’s only a couple of minutes left until the game you’ve been waiting for all day, the last thing you want to do is look for your wallet or enter neverending card details on a site in a panic-induced frenzy.
To solve this issue for their customers, several bingo operators are offering an alternative payment method – mobile phone deposits.
This method has seen increased popularity over the years since it allows users to make quick and convenient payments. All you need to make this kind of transaction is your phone number and your mobile phone within arm’s reach.
We should make an important distinction between the two types of pay phone transactions you will encounter on any bingo site offering this possibility.
Pay By Phone Bingo – Or “Pay as you go”. In this case, any deposits will be taken out of your current credit balance.
Phone Bill Bingo – or “Pay by Phone Bill”, in which case the amount will be added to your usual charges on your phone bill.
The process of paying with your phone is the opposite of complicated. Considering you are already a registered user of an online bingo site that accepts phone payments, all you need to do is navigate to the deposits section.
Here you will choose “Pay by Phone” and enter your phone number, and the amount you want to deposit. Most online bingo sites will have a minimum amount you can deposit, usually around £5-£10.
Once your information is filled in, one of the following methods of authentication will have to be completed:
As mobile devices become more powerful, they are also stepping in as the main or even sole devices bingo players use for their games. It becomes clear why this depositing method is seeing increased popularity, mainly because it comes with a unique set of perks.
Paying by phone must be one of the most hassle-free payment methods out there. You don’t need to have your cards around you or spend precious minutes filling in complex details, and you don’t have to remember passwords, like in the case of Paypal.
Pay by phone deposits are done in seconds, and all you require is your phone nearby – which, let’s be honest, we all have at any point of the day. The funds are deposited into your account instantly so that you can jump right into the bingo room.
While modern technology allows for easy and safe online payments, and most sites are legally obligated to take care of your sensitive data, there are several methods through which mal intended people will take advantage of payment forms. Entering your card details online can sometimes prove unsafe, and you certainly don’t want any unauthorized personnel dealing with your banking information.
With Pay by Phone, you are always in control of your finances since your credit card information never makes any contact with the internet. Thus, this method is one of the safest out there for any bingo player.
Most online casinos will not perceive any commissions for pay by phone transactions, and this is also valid for the biggest mobile carriers out there. Your mobile deposit, unless stated otherwise in Terms and Conditions can be done without any additional fees.
This is often not the case for other traditional payment methods – some online bingo sites will charge up to 2% for transactions made with an e-wallet such as Skrill or Neteller, Apple Pay or by credit card.
Surely, mobile carriers will charge the phone bill bingo site a small fee with each transaction, but the casinos will rarely pass this on to the player.
Of course, pay by mobile bingo also comes with some downsides – otherwise, we’d all be doing it. Here are some obstacles you might face when deciding to pay for your gambling habits with your phone bill.
It is essential to note that using your mobile phone for these payments are potentially only suited for low stakes. This happens for two main reasons.
Firstly, mobile payments are, for the most part, anonymous. People can use pay as you go devices that are not actually registered in their names, allowing for money laundering.
As such, bingo sites only allow small deposits with this method to prevent illegal practices and bingo bonus abuse.
Moreover, you can only deposit within your monthly agreed credit limits with your mobile carrier. That is, if your phone bill cannot surpass £240 monthly, including phone calls and internet usage, the maximum you will be able to deposit in a month on any given bingo site would be around £40.
It is often the case that first-time depositors need to forfeit their welcome bonus when depositing via mobile. Considering how generous the welcome bonus can be in your regular casino, it makes sense that most bingo sites will have this rule in place.
Paying by phone for the first time would allow a bingo player to create multiple accounts and deposit using prepaid sim cards, thus taking advantage of the bingo bonus offers.
Nowadays, these bonus funds reach even 300% of your initial deposit and often come with other little bonuses, such as free bingo tickets, free spins for certain popular slots like Fluffy Favourites, and even cash back.
It would make sense for most players to use their cards when signing up for their first bingo session, as missing out on these offers is just bad business.
Of course, before signing up on any mobile bingo sites, you should carefully check their terms and conditions to assess your options, as well as the wagering requirement for the bonus credit.
Hopefully, by the end of your regular bingo game, you will also have some money to withdraw, and you’re not making deposits exclusively. A downside to mobile bingo pay is that any real money prizes you win during your bingo session cannot be withdrawn using this method.
If you’d like to cash in your winnings from an online casino, you will need to provide banking details or, at least, an e-wallet account.
Payforit, a secure payment method used by the UK’s top network operator for mobile, who also regulates the entire process of pay by phone payments, has a couple of restrictions in place that might pose players some issues.
Their monetary restrictions are there to help clients manage spending. Hence they limit deposits at £10 at a time and £30 a day.
Moreover, network providers often set their own limits to protect themselves against non-paying customers. Most mobile carriers will allow their clients to raise these limits with a simple call to their customer service team. Others, such as 02, will impose strict limits and not allow clients to raise them for any reason.
This payment method proves useful in certain cases, where an established player is looking for a quick and convenient way to top up their balance. Pay by phone is quicker than regular methods, and definitely a lot less hassle-free.
Most players will know their phone number by heart, and by the time a regular player filled in their credit card’s details, a customer using pay by phone will already be playing their favourite games.
If you’re looking at pay by phone as the sole method to deposit funds onto your account, though, you will be met with certain downsides, such as the inability to withdraw your earnings, steep spending limits, and you will most probably not be eligible for a welcome offer.
However, if you are planning on using this method to top up your account with a small amount each month, it is probably the safest and quickest method casinos offer at the present time.
