The trouble with Canadian customers making deposits to online poker sites is still not that big of a problem. For an example of a poker deposit nightmare, look at the situation Americans find themselves in. Even those few poker sites that cater to American wagers are difficult to play at, if you’re American, because there’s just no way to put money in your poker account. The problem for American poker players is two-fold: a lack of sites accepting their bets and a lack of cash transfer methods that work.
Best Poker Site that accepts Prepaid Card
 | PartyPoker.com | VISIT |
Canadians that want to put money in their online poker account have more poker sites to pick from and more payment transfer options than their American counterparts. Yes, the number of poker sites offering poker play to Canadian clients is shrinking, as is the number of transfer methods available to Canadian customers, but for the most part, Canadians can still deposit money in their accounts at their favorite poker sites.
What Are Prepaid Credit Card Poker Deposits?
Prepaid credit cards are the best way to get around restrictions placed on poker account deposits by Canadian banks and credit card companies. Prepaid credit cards that carry a popular brand logo, specifically VISA or MasterCard, work just like those brands of credit cards as far as poker site cashiers are concerned. Canadians can purchase prepaid credit cards, load money to them from their bank accounts, and deposit that money in their poker player account with very little difficulty.
There is some trouble brewing among credit card companies, even with their prepaid credit products. VISA is the largest name in credit cards stepping up to block their customers from depositing at poker rooms online. Though some Canadians report still using their VISA branded prepaid credit cards to deposit cash, others are reporting trouble, so it may be best to avoid VISA for now and until something drastic happens to change VISA’s mind about the future of online Canadian poker.
Requirements for Canadians to Use Prepaid Credit Cards
The requirements for securing a prepaid credit card depend on the card you want. Some prepaid credit cards require nothing more than cash while others will require identification or other small pieces of information. Thankfully, prepaid credit cards are easy to find and buy. The popularity of these cards as gifts or backup sources of cash for travel means they are a dime a dozen.
You can look up different prepaid Canadian credit card products online to compare their fees and other features or just browse at your local large retail store. Stores display these prepaid cards together, usually at a kiosk or other in-store display. You can compare their purchase price and other features right there in the store
If you are a member of a Canadian bank, you should call your branch to see if they offer or have suggestions for a prepaid credit card product. It won’t hurt to tell them that you’re planning on depositing cash at an online poker room. They may have suggestions based on what you’re trying to do with the card.
Canadian Prepaid Credit Card Online Poker Sites
Any site that still accepts wagers from Canadians will be happy to accept deposits with your prepaid credit card. Having said that, any vendor can reject any payment for any reason. And with big changes to the Canadian online poker market happening now and even more on the way, there’s no guarantee that a prepaid credit card you buy will be accepted by a given poker room.
Here’s a look at the best Canadian online poker rooms that accept prepaid credit card deposits.
888 Poker
Use your prepaid credit card to make your first deposit at 888 Poker and you’ll earn a first deposit bonus match of 100% up to $600. You know the story at 888: loose cash games, customizable software, and weak poker play from casino, sportsbook, and bingo customers looking for something new to play.
888 Poker gets good reviews for their customer service. If you find a prepaid credit card that works well for deposits at 888, cling to that card with your life, as 888 is still the number one poker room for Canadian players.
Party Poker
Use your MasterCard brand prepaid credit card for your first deposit at Party Poker for a 100% first deposit match bonus worth up to $500. Party Poker is a household name in online poker play, thanks in no small part to TV advertising all over North America and their high quality tournament options. Party Poker’s poker software supports both English and French, for their bilingual Canadian customers, and offer their software in a version compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Best Canadian Prepaid Credit Cards
As of this writing, you want to look for MasterCard brand prepaid credit cards to use for Canadian poker room account deposits. The two cards described here are inexpensive, have few fees if used correctly, and are as secure as a traditional credit card, maybe more so since there is a limit to the funds available on them, unlike a credit card which may have a much higher credit limit or overdraft ability.
BMO’s Prepaid Travel Mosaik Card
This card will only set you back about $10 CAD at your local big retail stores. That $10 is good for the next three years. BMO promises you won’t pay any fees as long as you use the card once a month. This particular prepaid MasterCard is issued by BMO, a legitimate bank, so it comes with all the customer service you’d expect from a bank card.
The best thing about the BMO Travel Mosaik card is that you can use your existing bank account to add funds, even if you don’t bank with BMO. If there is a BMO branch nearby, you can waltz in there and plunk down your money and have it loaded to your card as though you were a real BMO customer. You will pay a $2.50 fee per month of non-use, so make sure you’re ready for a three year commitment before you buy a BMO prepaid credit card to fund your online poker account.
Vanilla Prepaid MasterCard
Reviews of this product hint at poor customer service and more than a few customers unable to buy anything online with the card at all, suggesting that online poker players in Canada may have a tough time using this card to add to the online poker bankroll. But according to the issuer of Vanilla prepaid MasterCards (a Canadian banking conglomerate), this particular MasterCard should work at these sites for Canadian customers.
Because there’s no sign up process at all, the Vanilla prepaid MasterCard is totally anonymous until it comes time to sign for your purchases, another bonus for poker players who may not want the world to know that they’re adding to their online poker account.
The Vanilla prepaid MasterCard is easy to find at big box stores or your local drugstore. Just remember that this particular prepaid MasterCard can’t be reloaded, and after 6 months a monthly fee of between 2 and 4 bucks kicks in, so use this card as a one-time deposit or reload poker account option only.
Canadians who want to deposit funds at an online poker room aren’t all the way out of options by any means. They may have to take an extra step between their bank account and the poker room’s cashier, but with prepaid credit cards that extra step is totally secure, inexpensive, and can be completely anonymous to boot.
