Betting Payment Methods at UK Online Bookmakers

20 August 2024

Adam Creagh

Adam Creagh

Betting Expert

Adam is a sports writer and casino gaming enthusiast with over 10 years of experience. Boxing, football, and rugby are Adam's favorite sports to cover when he's not playing poker and baccarat. You can find his in-depth bookie reviews, betting tutorials, and more of his industry knowledge at Fairbettingsites.

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Michael Lee

Michael Lee

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Michael has worked in the sports betting industry for many years. Following football, horse racing and track and field athletics, he has covered the last three Olympic Games, World Cups and other major sporting events.

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The best betting payment methods should be fast, easy, and compatible. Thankfully, more and more sport betting payment methods offer instant deposits and withdrawals these days. We go through the most popular for UK players, helping you to choose the best for your needs.

What Different Types of Online Betting Payment Methods Are There?

You can use several betting payment options to fund your online betting accounts. From debit cards and e-wallets to prepaid vouchers and bank transfers, the best betting sites provide many options to punters.

Despite the benefits of instant deposits and withdrawals these days, some traditional payment methods remain popular. For instance, debit cards and standard bank transfers are still widely used by punters. You’ll see these options alongside e-wallets like PayPal and Skrill as well as newer, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Compared with the early stages of online betting – when punters could pay by card over the phone or even send a cheque – technological advances have paved the way for a more streamlined banking process.

Coupled with the use of computers and smartphones with downloadable banking apps – there are even more ways to fund your betting account. We’ll go through almost all of the common sports betting payment methods you can use today.

Debit Cards

If you’re looking for bookies that accept debit card deposits, the supply is limitless. As one of the most popular and widely trusted deposit and withdrawal methods, that little piece of plastic in your wallet goes a long way. Almost all sites allow you to claim the best betting offers with debit cards, too.

Linked to your bank account, deposits are typically instant – the same applies to fast withdrawals, which can be turned around in seconds. They also exist in prepaid form, issued by the world’s foremost payment processors.

Mastercard

Most UK bookies that accept Mastercard lean on the brand’s reliability and security features for peace of mind. As far as sport betting payment solutions go, the US-based company provides a safe and convenient way of moving money from your bank account to a bookie.

Whether you are betting on football or tennis is irrelevant, as Mastercard’s services are only focused on transactions. Alongside having electronic records of transactions, the company’s Zero Liability Protection feature means you are not responsible for unauthorised transactions.

Visa

Quite often, Visa is the preferred payment method at online betting sites. A huge brand serving as the payment processor for many banks, it’s unsurprising to see the likes of Fitzdares, BetMGM, and William Hill among the bookies that accept Visa. In fact, you might struggle to find sports betting sites that don’t.

Alongside Mastercard, Visa is usually among the first option found among the range of payment methods at UK bookies. The benefits of using a Visa debit include instant deposits and withdrawals as well as protection under the company’s Zero Liability Policy. Understandably, this sets them and Mastercard apart from the competition.

Maestro

Although one of the most recognisable betting payment methods online bookmakers accept, Maestro cards were discontinued in 2023 after 30 years. If you still have one of these cards with a future expiration date, it can still be used for online betting payments at bookies that accept Maestro.

When your card expires, your bank is likely to issue you with a Mastercard or Visa debit card. As the world’s two foremost payment processors, pretty much any betting site in the UK should accept a card bearing their respective brands.

e-Wallets 

Digital payment solutions like PayPal and Neteller have been trusted deposit methods for decades. At one time, many punters favoured e-Wallets for online payments over any other in the selection of payment options at betting sites.

Although instant deposits and withdrawals have slightly diminished their popularity, e-Wallets remain commonplace for their extra layer security and ease of use. Here are the most popular ones still flying the flag.

Apple Pay

You might hear it described as either an e-Wallet or digital wallet at online gambling platforms. Nevertheless, Apple Pay is a common payment method at betting sites in the UK. It has become one of our favourite online sport betting payment solutions because of its low minimum deposit (often £5) and streamlined convenience.

Some bookies that accept Apple Pay include William Hill, Paddy Power, and bet365. If you want to use the service, you will need a compatible Apple device such as an iPhone mobile phone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.

AstroPay 

Although one of the more underutilised betting payment methods out there, AstroPay is a solid option. This globally-used e-Wallet allows you to fund your betting account and cash out using the same option. Founded in 2009, it’s been going for a while now.

Some of the bookies that accept AstroPay include Betway, LiveScoreBet, and LeoVegas. Due to AstroPay’s secure nature, you must sign up for an account and validate your debit card to use it at betting sites.

Boku 

Although not a recent addition to any list of payment methods at online betting sites, Boku is not as popular as the likes of PayPal and Neteller. Also founded in 2009, the mobile payments company provides a funding service that does away with providing sites with your debit card details.

As far as sports betting payment methods go, Boku isn’t as widely used in the United Kingdom as it is in Europe. However, UK and Irish bookies that accept Boku include Betfred, BoyleSports, and NetBet.

Google Pay 

We’re finding more and more bookies that accept Google Pay as a secure payment method. Similar to Apple Pay but for Android users, this online digital wallet offers a super convenient way to top up your account. Fewer betting payment systems speed up the deposit process quite as well.

Although initially released in 2011, Google Pay has only really taken its place among the top online betting payment methods since the early 2020s. Bookies that accept Google Play include Betfair, bet365, and Paddy Power.

Neteller

We also like Neteller, who do e-wallet deposits and withdrawals well. You’ll still find a fair number of bookies that accept Neteller these days, with top names like Betfred, 888Sport, and Bet Victor allowing it for use.

Fast and reliable, with few payment restrictions, Neteller has been a staple of gambling payment methods since its creation in 1999.

PayPal

You won’t struggle to find bookies that accept PayPal, given it has been one of the more popular payment methods at online betting sites and casinos for years.

While modern technological advancements mean it’s no longer one of the fastest payment methods, one-tap checkout and quick turnarounds are still top features. Like e-wallets and other betting payment methods like Skrill, using PayPal negates the need to enter card details at your bookies like BetMGM, Bet Victor, and others.

PaySafeCard

William Hill, bet365, and Bet Victor are among just some of the bookies that accept PaySafeCard. We think, as far as prepaid cards go, PaySafeCard is the most widely used by punters in the UK.

What separates PaySafeCard from other prepaid vouchers – or other online payment methods/form of payment – is that you cannot withdraw using it. There are advantages to using it, however, such as being able to purchase codes anonymously and deposit money without using your bank details.

Skrill

We are always happy to see betting sites with a wider choice of payment methods accept Skrill. In fact, some of our favourite bookies that accept Skrill include Betfair, Paddy Power, and QuinnBet. There are plenty of other top betting sites that allow you to use it to fund your account.

Although as fast and reliable a betting deposit method as it comes, payment statistics show Skrill’s popularity isn’t as stellar as in years gone by. However, founded in 2001, it is one of the first e-wallets and paved the way for others to follow suit.

Trustly

This Swedish online transactions processor gained reverence among users as a super convenient payment method. As one of the first companies to pioneer the open banking approach that lets you pay and receive without entering bank details, there are plety of Trustly betting sites out there in the UK today..

Some of the bookies that accept Trustly today include Luckster, William Hill, and 10bet. However, you can find it across many other leading online bookies and casino sites in the UK. Just be sure to check that you can claim deposit bonuses when you use it at betting sites.

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Adam Creagh

Betting Expert

Adam Creagh

Betting Expert

Adam is a sports writer and casino gaming enthusiast with over 10 years of experience. Boxing, football, and rugby are Adam's favorite sports to cover when he's not playing poker and baccarat. You can find his in-depth bookie reviews, betting tutorials, and more of his industry knowledge at Fairbettingsites.

All posts by Adam Creagh