Best Debit and Credit Card Betting Sites

Best Debit and Credit Card Betting Sites

Debit and credit cards have come to dominate the payment methods most of us use for real-world and online goods and services today. Visa and Mastercards can be found in many of our pockets, and flashing this plastic usually is very acceptable as a way to pay right around the world so dominant are those two payment companies.

Online betting sites are no exception, with all the best operators offering Visa and Mastercard as payment options for player to conveniently manage their accounts.

Simply registering a valid card as your preferred payment option once logged into your player account gives you near-instant ways to deposit funds for your wagering and a relatively swift way to receive cashable funds back from that account.

We don’t wish to teach our readership to suck eggs, but it’s still probably worth explaining the distinction between credit and debit cards ahead of considering which type of ‘plastic’ might work best for your needs.

Debit Cards are linked directly to an individual’s bank account. As a result, when they are used to pay for goods or services, the money authorised in that transaction is paid out of that bank account very shortly afterwards.

The bottom line is that you can only spend funds you’ve actually got cleared in the linked account.

Credit Cards differ from debit cards in that they function more like an instant loan, rather than the keys to funds you have in a designated account. The money you spend with a credit card is ‘borrowed’ on the understanding that a minimum fixed percentage of it is repaid every month.

Interest is charged on outstanding amounts, but you can avoid that if you repay the credit you use in full each month. The usefulness of credit cards is instant access to (limited) extra funds over and above what you might have as liquid capital at any moment in time.

So let’s assume you have both a credit and a debit card and fancy a digital flutter at one of our recommended sports betting sites. Which should you choose? It is our opinion that there are two key things to consider when making that choice. First, how much self-control do you have when it comes to your betting budget? If you have any doubt about your self-discipline in this matter, we’d strongly suggest avoiding using a credit card. Why? Wise punters only play with what they can afford to spend, and a credit card risks temptation to break that golden rule if you’re not stricter than Miss Whiplash with your wagering.

If ‘good money management’ is you middle name (and not simply a quirk of having wildly eccentric parents) then a credit card could become the way to go if your pockets are deep enough to indulge deposits of more than £100 each time you want to fund your fun. Why? Simply because £100 is the threshold at which that transaction becomes covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

The practical implication of this is that the transaction can then be refunded if the recipient of those funds goes to the wall without you getting what you paid for.

In truth this is most unlikely to happen with the companies we recommend, but it’s an extra level of protection to enjoy for nothing if you are planning to commit those kinds of funds to your pastime.