What is PayForIt?
Only digital goods can be purchased with PayForIt, such as buying apps and games from app-stores. It can be used for online subscriptions and in-app purchases. Digital services like online gambling can also be paid for with PayForIt, but no physical goods can be bought using this pay-by-phone method. When used for internet gambling, PayForIt acts as an intermediary between the player that is requesting a transaction and the online casino. There is no difference in using PayForIt when you have a prepaid contract with your carrier or a standard monthly-pay plan. Both types of users can take advantage of the services provided by the PayForIt scheme.
Payforit Casinos in the UK
The Sun Play Casino
How Does Payforit Work at Online Casinos?
Numerous mobile networks support PayForIt and allow their customers to transfer funds to their online casino accounts quite easily. From the player’s point of view, it is one of the simplest ways of depositing money to casino accounts, one that doesn’t include credit cards, long passwords and logins. When you choose PayForIt casino, you allow the software to charge your mobile carries the amount you wish to deposit. The carrier later charges the amount to you.
If you have a prepaid mobile plan, the charges will be deducted right away from your available balance. If you use the services of a postpaid plan, then the charges will appear on your next mobile bill as an additional cost. No matter if you’re being billed monthly or through an arranged pay cycle, your next bill will contain the exact amount you have transferred to your online casino account. It would be as if you had made an extra phone call.
PayForIt needs an internet connection to work, so make sure to have your mobile data on, or get connected to a WiFi. While making a transaction through a 3G or LTE network, the service will automatically recognise your phone number through your mobile service provider and will not ask for it. With a WiFi connection, you will need to enter your phone number manually.
Who Can Use Payforit?
Anyone with a mobile phone can use PayForIt casinos – it doesn’t even have to be a new generation smartphone. Any average mobile phone will do, as PayForIt sends an authorisation code via SMS (and every phone supports SMS) in order to finalise the purchase/deposit.
PayForIt was launched in the United Kingdom in 2007. For now, the service is only available for clients of UK mobile carriers. Apart from standard mobile networks such as T-Mobile, EE, O2, Orange, Three and Vodafone, PayForIt is also available through multiple virtual operators like Virgin and Lebara.
Where does the Money Come From?
As mentioned earlier, the money needed to fund your account and meet your request for a financial transfer is initially charged to your mobile carrier, if you have a pay-as-you-go plan. If you have a prepaid package, the carrier will immediately deduct the requested sum from your mobile credit.
PayForIt is an elaborate system which involves, apart from the client and merchant (in this case a mobile casino), the Accredited Payment Intermediary (API), the mobile service provider, and the regulators. The API provides the payment gateway, and all online/mobile casinos that accept PayForIt as a payment method need to have a signed contract with an intermediary (popular ones include Boku and Impulse Pay). Regulators, such as PhonepayPlus make sure that all payments run smoothly and safely.
Fees and Timeframes
What’s great about PayForIt is that the complete service does not entail any additional charges. There are no fees and the users only get charged with the exact amount they wanted to deduct. However, keep in mind that some casinos may charge a fee of their own for allowing you to use PayForIt to fund your gambling balance. Casino fees may go up to 15% of the deposit. Of course, the percentage varies from one venue to another. Most PayForIt casinos will let you use PayForIt free of charge.
As for the timeframes, PayForIt transactions are instantaneous. Your mobile provider will transfer the money from your balance immediately to the destination account, and you will see the deduction right away if you own a prepaid number, or on your next mobile bill, if you have a classic postpaid number.
Safety & Security
Furthermore, a set of specific guidelines is enforced legally by the regulators and accredited payment intermediaries, offering legal protection to PayForIt users in a hypothetical situation where an issue with the payments might arise.
Deposit limits with PayForIt at Online Casinos
There are predetermined limits all PayForIt users need to obey, even when they are depositing to online casinos. Since the system was primarily designed for in-app purchases and the like, the daily and monthly limits are fairly small and sometimes not sufficient for high-roller gamblers. All mobile carriers/supporters of PayForIt impose a daily spending limit of £30, with the only exception of Orange. Customers of the Orange network are allowed to spend £30 a month tops. Should a user reach a restriction limit while making a PayForIt deposit, the system will send a notification.
PayForIt withdrawals
At this point, it is impossible to process a withdrawal using PayForIt. Since it was designed as a one-way payment service, PayForIt cannot receive cashback money transfers. There is nowhere to withdraw the money to; mobile providers aren’t technically equipped to send the money back to your mobile credit, let alone sort out your expenses through a monthly bill. For cashing out, casino gamblers must resort to other methods, like e-wallets, wire transfer or checks.
How do PayForIt Deposits Work at Mobile Casinos?
You’ve found yourself at a mobile casino and you want to make a PayForIt deposit. How do you do it? It’s easy! Go to the cashier’s page and select the ‘Pay by Mobile’ option from the list of available methods. Enter the amount you wish to deposit in the designated area on a pop-up window. Wait a second to receive a text message that will ask you to confirm the transaction. You will send back a confirmation message while following the instructions and wait for another SMS to acknowledge that the payment was finalised. It would be best not to delete the final text message, as it can serve you as a receipt. The money should be credited to your casino balance immediately.
Pros
- Convenience, safety and discretion
- No registration required/easy to use
- No fees
- Provides better control over your funds
- Lets you pay what you owe later, and gamble right away
Cons
- Only smaller amounts can be transferred
- Withdrawing funds is impossible
- Disclosing your phone number may lead to receiving spam promotional texts