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Echeck Poker Sites

If you’ve been away from online poker for any length of time, you might not be familiar with the eCheck option at poker sites. Echeck poker sites use the safest way to deposit money in an Internet poker room: the “quick deposit”. Whenever you hear terms like Echeck, quick deposit, or “ECH”, you’ll know these terms are referring to the same concept.

Why Should You Use Echeck?

I’ve taken this explanation directly from the Paypal website. The eCheck method of electronic payment lets you make a payment directly from your bank account, without being linked to a credit card or other payment account. This might not sound safe, but it’s actually safer than paying with a credit card or an electronic money transfer method.

That’s because the vendor or poker website you are paying never sees your account information. According to PayPal, they don’t even know what bank you’re using. They simply never see where the transaction is coming from.

Is Echeck Quicker?

I’ve seen poker information sites tout the Echeck as quicker than other methods. That’s not right. An echeck still doesn’t show up in the recipient’s account until 3-5 days have passed, which is pretty common for electronic money transactions. To use the quickest method, you want to use the “instant transfer”, which is an entirely different alternative.

The echeck is all to the advantage of the buyer or the customer, and not so much for the seller or service provider. The money isn’t transferred to their account until after the transfer process is complete, so it remains in your bank account drawing interest up until that time. There is one advantage for operators receiving e-funds from Paypal–the transaction never costs more than $5.

Advantages of eCheck Poker Deposits

That’s the Paypal option, though, which hardly applies to most online poker betting. There are online poker sites which offer Echeck availability, though. If this is the case, you can set up money transfers directly from your bank account with a minimum of information about your banking.

The big advantage is you don’t use an e-wallet service. If you have checking account (and just about everybody does), you can avoid the hassles of electronic cash transfer companies. That means you don’t have to mess with the sometimes exorbitant fees such services charge. If the poker room doesn’t charge additional transfer fees, and they usually don’t at present, you make your payment for free.

Another advantage is that Echeck payments are available to every US player. Once again, this means you don’t have to worry about which money transfer option to use. You simply go through your bank account. And when it comes time to get paid, you cash out your money with an eCheck deposit.

Disadvantages of eCheck Poker Transactions

The drawbacks are few, but they are substantial. The biggest drawback is that most Internet poker sites still don’t offer this option. You have to use the old methods, such as credit cards and electronic cash transfer companies like Neteller and UseMyWallet.

The second disadvantage of the Echeck is not a real disadvantage in comparison to the other services, but it doesn’t offer a remedy we would all like. The time it takes for cashouts to reach your bank account still remain in the 7 to 10 day range. That’s better than a lot of wire transfer options, but several days behind the money transfer companies, who usually handle their business in 1-3 days.

Instant Echecks is run by a company called Nexum Financial. This is one of the fastest and safest online deposit methods for online poker players. Check out my list of all the good poker sites that accept Instant Echecks above.

Instant Echecks Deposit Limits

For new customers there is a $250 daily deposit limit for Instant Echecks. Once you have established a good deposit history with the company you can ask to have your deposit limits raised. This is generally just done for security and protection; it helps to keep the scammers away from the online poker rooms as well.

Pokerstars will limit you to 1 Instant Echecks deposit within 48 hours. This is because the money is not actually transferrred to them instantly, but they allow players to play with their poker funds right away.

Instant Echecks Fees

Full Tilt Poker does not charge any fee for Instant Echecks deposits. This doesn’t mean that your bank can’t still add a fee to your transaction, so you can expect to pay a few extra dollars to your bank most of the time for using this service.

Instant Echecks FAQ

How Long do Instant Echecks Deposits Take

Instant Echecks deposits are usually available instantly on Pokerstars and Full Tilt. The money is not immediately transferred to the poker site, but they will allow you to play with your funds immediately anyway.

Can I withdrawal funds using Instant Echecks

The answer is yes in most cases. You are allowed to withdrawal your funds because this service essentially transfers funds directly between your poker account and your bank account.

Echeck Poker Site Signups

Other sites using the Echeck option include Full Tilt Poker, Pokerstars, PDC Poker, 888 Poker, and Ultimate Bet, for what it’s worth. So if you search around long enough, you should be able to find an eCheck poker site that suits your card-playing needs. Give it a try and see whether you’ve send your last poker payment via an online cash transfer website.