Online casinos and the Maestro debit card

Here at onlinecasino.ie our primary objective has always been to help new online casino games players get the best from their online casino experience, and that includes best value for money. We can and do advise on which casino games have the lowest house edge and therefore offer the best chance of winning, but the biggest influence on value for money has to be the choice of casino deposit option. We offer no apologies for continuing to return to this topic because it is a decision which can cost the unwary quite a lot of money before they have even started playing casino games. All the major online casinos will naturally accept a wide variety of deposit options including credit and debit cards, e-wallets and in some cases cash. Of these deposit options it is credit cards which cause us most concern, and not just because using a credit card as a method of funding casino games is effectively gambling with borrowed money, but because it is also expensive. If using plastic is still the most convenient we would usually recommend a debit card, but there are many people in Ireland who hold a Maestro debit card and while most online casinos are Maestro casinos and accept the Maestro card there can be unforeseen costs associated with its use as a casino deposit option. The problem lies in the fact that Maestro debit cards are usually processed through the Laser credit card system in Ireland, and can therefore incur similar surcharges to the use of a credit card as a deposit option, often as much as 2% of the transaction value. Clearly a Maestro debit card will not attract interest in the same way as a credit card but any additional cost will reduce your potential winnings. (more…)

Using a Maestro card as an online casino deposit option

There is no doubt that nowadays we are being constantly advised to be more financially savvy when we decide how and when to pay for our goods and services, and many of us are using comparison websites more and more. Certainly there are often savings to be made by switching energy suppliers, and even switching bank accounts and credit cards can be beneficial for many of us. Here at onlinecasino.ie we think it is equally important to be just as savvy when deciding how to fund playing casino games at an online casino and regularly comment on the pros and cons of the various online casino deposit options available. Regular readers will probably already know our opinions regarding using a credit card as an online casino deposit option and the unnecessary additional charges incurred, but we accept that some people still prefer to use this method of funding their casino games and in Ireland this often means using a Maestro card. The Maestro card is a credit card in widespread use in Ireland but virtually unknown outside of the country, which means that some of the online casinos we can access in Ireland are not Maestro casinos and do not accept the Maestro card as a casino deposit option. However Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and Party casino are all Maestro casinos so holders of the Maestro credit card do still have a good choice of casino games at these online casinos. (more…)

Most online casinos are Maestro casinos but beware charges

Most of our regular readers here at onlinecasino.ie will know that we are constantly warning about the additional charges associated with using a credit card as an online casino deposit option. We always advise that online casino games players who wish to fund their casino games using plastic should use a debit card or open an e-wallet account which they can fund in any way they choose without suffering unnecessary surcharges. Unfortunately for Irish customers with debit cards issued by the Irish banks carrying the Maestro symbol, the debit card symbol issued by Mastercard, there can be problems. Although most online casinos do claim to be Maestro casinos and accept the Maestro card as a deposit option, in Ireland Maestro debit card transactions are usually processed through the Laser credit card system which unfortunately means that any transaction involving gambling may attract the same penalties associated with using a credit card. Incidentally the Maestro debit card can also cause problems when used outside of Ireland for other purposes, because the chip can often not be read by some machines. If we return to the choice of deposit options to fund playing online casino games, whilst the Maestro debit card is certainly better than using a credit card it is best used to fund an e-wallet such as Pay Pal or Neteller rather than as a direct method of payment. (more…)

Online casinos and the Maestro card

One of the most important decisions new online casino customers need to make is how they intend to fund their casino games, so we make no apologies for regularly returning to this topic on this site. All the online casinos on our recommended list offer a wide range of deposit options to their customers, including most credit cards and debit cards, and one or more of the e-wallet operators Pay Pal or Neteller. In Ireland customers of Ladbrokes and Paddy Power can even use cash in one of their high street shops to fund their online casino games, but this is not necessarily convenient for many of us even though it is clearly a safe and secure deposit option. Regular visitors to this site will know our opinions with regard to using a credit card to fund online casino gambling, but we should at least comment on the Maestro card. There are of course many people in Ireland who use a Maestro credit card on a regular basis, but this particular credit card is not well known outside of Ireland and you may find that it is not among the deposit options of all the leading online casinos. We do know that Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and Party casino are however all Maestro casinos which are happy to accept the Maestro card and between them they offer an excellent range of casino games to suit all tastes. A word of caution though, applicable to the use of any credit card including the Maestro card to fund playing online casino games, there will almost certainly be a surcharge of up to 2% added by the card suppliers as a penalty for using the card for gambling. You will also be charged interest from day one on the transaction because it would be seen as the equivalent of taking cash from the hole in the wall. (more…)