Background Information
ecoCard may not sound as familiar as something like Neteller or a Visa credit card, yet it has been around for a considerable number of years now. In actuality, this is the name that it started out going by, although today it is more commonly known as ecoPayz. The brand came to light in the year of 2000, although since that time, it has grown quite considerably in the online betting world. Now, it’s available at a larger selection of sportsbooks for people to use to make deposits and withdrawals.
ecoPayz does provide two separate yet equally efficient online payment methods, of which ecoCard is one. It essentially operates as an e-wallet, which links up to something known as an ecoAccount. The account itself is where you will upload funds and make online money transactions between yourself and other ecoPayz merchants. As far as the actual ecoCard is concerned, this is a physical card – similar to a Visa or Mastercard, with the latter of these being the brand on the card – which is connected to that ecoAccount. In this respect, the card can be used to make payments wherever Mastercard is accepted, while the e-wallet can also be used for online payments at the same time.
There isn’t specifically anything that makes the ecoCard – or rather, the ecoPayz – brand unique from other e-wallets. Neteller also provides physical cards that users can apply for and that operate in the same sort of way. Additionally, options like Skrill and PayPal also allow for e-wallet transactions to take place.
Of course, the name change from ecoCard to ecoPayz was brought into effect because the company started providing so much more than just one or two things. So, ecoPayz encompasses everything that the service offers up. While the actual cards are able to be issued to 34 countries around the world, the ecoAccounts are actually more readily and widely available to other locations. Additionally, as with other e-wallets, you’re able to open an ecoPayz account in one of several different currencies, including Australian dollars, Euros, US dollars, Japanese yen, and British pounds sterling.
Make sure that you’re aware that regardless of whether or not a sportsbook offers ecoPayz or ecoCard as a payment method, they fall under one and the same thing, so you don’t have to hold an ecoCard to be able to pay at such locations. The ecoPayz online wallet works just as well at them.
Perhaps the biggest perk to using ecoPayz rather than other e-wallets, though, is that sometimes online sportsbooks will restrict users of the others when it comes to receiving welcome offers. It’s not uncommon to see terms and conditions that state, “Any player depositing through Skrill or Neteller does not qualify for the first-deposit bonus.” This isn’t an issue with ecoPayz deposits, so you can make a deposit with this option and still receive special offers on top in most cases.
So, how do you go about funding your chosen sportsbook account with the ecoCard and/or ecoPayz option? Well, you’ll obviously need to be sure that the sports betting site that you’re going to be betting at provides the option to deposit through this payment method. Luckily, as it happens, we have reviewed a lot of platforms, so you can read through them here to find out which one caters to your payment method preference.
That the actual ecoCard (if you’re intending to get one) is only available in 34 countries for the time being. So, you need to make sure your country is supported for this before you sign up. If it is, then you can proceed with registering for an ecoAccount at the ecoPayz website. This requires you to fill in a few details, but opening the ecoAccount up is free of charge to do and only takes a couple of minutes.
Once you open the account, you can apply for the ecoCard if you like, but one thing remains true – you’ll need to have funds in your ecoAccount, regardless of which way you want to fund your online sportsbook. So, it’s advisable to fund it after opening your account. However, even before this, it’s recommended to increase your account status to Silver level. This is done by providing a few identity document copies to ecoPayz, and it allows you to upload and transfer larger amounts.
Adding funds to your ecoAccount can be done by using one of several different payment methods. Options such as Visa deposits, Giropay, iDEAL, Multibanco, Neosurf, Paysafecard, POLi, Sofort, fast bank transfers, and more can be put to use to add money to the account. Once you do this, you will be able to spend that money how you like. Should you have applied for an ecoCard, you can use this as a standard Mastercard. It basically links up to the ecoAccount, and the funds that you have uploaded there will be used to pay for things.
Sportsbooks are more readily accepting of ecoPayz for depositing with these days, although it’s still not as widely available as options like Neteller and Skrill. Yet if you own an ecoCard, you can just use this like a standard Mastercard deposit, which is a brand that is accepted at the vast majority of online gambling sites.
Should you make the decision to fund your sportsbook account with the ecoPayz e-wallet, you simply need to go to the cashier and select this from the drop-down menu. It will then ask you to log into your e-wallet and input the amount of money that you would like to transfer. It’s an instant transaction, so everything will take place straight away, allowing you to start betting on your favorite sports events.
Now comes the fun part – or not so much. You see, there are different fees relating to different options in the ecoPayz family. So, it depends upon what product you’re using for depositing with, how you’re uploading funds, what account status you have, and much more. So, we’ll try to break it down for you in the best possible way, just to give you a look at the fees associated with using an ecoCard and other options from this brand.
So, there are two basic levels:
After this, there’s also a selection of VIP account statuses. We’ll take a look at the first two possibilities. The ecoCard, just to mention, is not available to you until you increase your account to Silver status.
Should you possess a Classic ecoAccount, then you can upload funds to it through a bank wire transfer and pay fees of between 0% and 7%. If you upload funds through a credit or debit card, then you’ll pay anywhere between 1.69% and 2.90%. You can also fund it via an ecoVoucher, which comes with fees of between 0% and 2.90%. If you deposit with anything alternative, though, you’ll be able to do this for free. There are also different deposit limits depending upon which payment method you’re using to fund your ecoAccount.
As a Silver user, you will still have the same fees in place, although the deposit limits will increase to cater to your verified account status. The fees will also remain the same for VIP users, meaning that you don’t really benefit from this status for this – at least, when it comes to the uploading money fees. Yet do you have any fees to pay when depositing at your chosen sportsbook? Well, it’s usually the case that you won’t have to pay. However, most sportsbooks will state that if there are fees for using this option, these are set out by ecoPayz, rather than the sportsbook itself.
So, seeing as we’ve just moved on from the fees section, it seems positive to note that transactions with this e-wallet option are generally fee-free. This is definitely an advantage to using the ecoPayz option, as there are certain payment methods that do have additional charges on top of the deposit that you’re looking to make. So, at least this is one thing that you needn’t worry about when it comes to the ecoCard option.
To add to that pro, ecoPayz deposits are always instant, regardless of which method you use – ecoCard, Virtual ecoCard, or ecoPayz e-wallet. This is great because when you process the transaction through, you can start placing your sports bets instantly. Instant deposits will always be an advantage, as nobody enjoys having to wait around to use their betting funds.
The ecoPayz option operates as a secure payment method, too. Using it will see that you’re not exchanging any of your personal or banking information with your chosen sportsbook(s). Instead, you’re simply required to log into your ecoPayz account from the sports betting site and proceed with the transaction that way. As long as there is money in your e-wallet, you can fund your account, and this won’t expose any of your personal details.
One of the big downsides about the entirety of the products associated with an ecoAccount is that US residents cannot utilize them. The e-wallet isn’t available in the country, and neither is the ecoCard. So, anyone wishing to use it from this location won’t have the ability to. It’s not a huge let-down, as there are other possibilities that are on hand for US citizens to use. It’s just a bit of a shame that ecoPayz isn’t.
The other issue with this option is that it’s not as widely available to use at online sportsbooks as, say, Neteller or Skrill. So, it does tend to lose out a little bit when it comes to its availability. That being said, the number of platforms that do accept it is constantly growing, so you never know what the future holds for ecoAccount holders and online betting.
Certain fees are applied to uploading funds and withdrawing them from the ecoAccount as well. Now, this does depend on certain factors, so the fees could be fairly minimal to nonexistent or somewhat larger. It’s important to find out about these fees before you decide to make use of an ecoAccount and its associated products, too.
What Are the Fees Associated with Withdrawing from ecoPayz?
When you decide to make a withdrawal from your chosen sportsbook with ecoPayz, the transaction should usually be free of charge. However, taking money out of the e-wallet and moving it to a card or bank account will have a fee attached to it. You’re only able to withdraw if you’re a Silver account holder or above, too. As a Silver account holder, you’ll pay fees of between $6.61 and $11.20, depending upon the amount you’re intending to take out of your e-wallet.
Are There Any Benefits of Using the ecoCard Instead of the ecoPayz Wallet?
Both products are connected to one and same ecoAccount that you have pre-funded, so there isn’t a benefit of using one over the other.
The ecoCard and everything else associated with holding an ecoAccount makes for a decent alternative to the more popular Skrill and Neteller e-wallet options. Of course, with it not being accepted as a payment method at some online sportsbooks, this does hold it back a little. However, if you compare some of the upload fees for an ecoAccount with some of the fees that Neteller charges, it’s a much better option to go for in this respect.
Additionally, you’ll benefit from making instant deposits with ecoPayz or an ecoCard, and the actual deposit and withdrawal to and from sportsbooks is generally a free process to do. The fees only come when you’re uploading funds to your ecoAccount or withdrawing funds out of it. Yes, it’s a shame that some countries aren’t able to benefit from the use of an ecoAccount, including the United States, but the company is constantly growing. With this in mind, it could become available in more locations, both country-wise and sportsbook-wise.
