Playing casino games on your mobile phone is probably one of the most popular ways to play these days, so it’s no wonder that pay-by-mobile casinos or pay-by-phone casinos have started to take off in a big way.
Irish online casinos tend to have plenty of payment methods to pick from, but mobile/phone bill options are becoming a lot more popular among those who enjoy slots and other casino games.
Users might not even realise that mobile/phone bill options are available as well as the likes of debit cards from Visa and Mastercard, plus the usual e-wallets such as Skrill, PayPal and Neteller.
While a lot of players have got used to being able to make online payments via Apple Pay and Google Pay in recent years, mobile/phone bill options are something a little bit different.
Irish casino customers are likely to have questions before choosing mobile/phone bill options, though, such as about how it works and what the different pay by phone bill options are.
Our complete guide to Irish online casinos that accept pay by mobile/phone bill options has full details.
As the name suggests, the mobile/phone bill method involves online casino customers being able to make a deposit into their account by adding the amount to their monthly phone bill.
The amount that can be added via the mobile/phone bill method is much more limited, however. Compared to the high deposit limits for debit cards and e-wallets, only a relatively small amount of money can be added to an account on the internet in Ireland by the pay by phone method.
There are plenty of benefits of paying by phone bill at Irish online casinos. These include the fact it is one of the fastest and easiest methods to make a deposit into a casino account. Users who do not want to share their banking information with an online casino might also find that paying by phone bill is a good way for them to avoid having to pass on these key details. With credit cards now banned as a deposit method at online casinos, paying by phone bill is a good way to make a deposit into an account on such sites without having to pay for it right away.
Boku is the typical default option when looking to pay by phone bill at Irish online casinos, but Payforit and Apple Pay are also alternatives that could become more popular in Ireland too. Due to the fact that Zimpler is expanding into Europe and the UK right now, it is likely to be the case that this becomes another good way to pay via a mobile phone bill in the near future in Ireland.
Casual players in particular love being able to pay by phone bill due to the low deposits. This means there is not much risk in losing a lot of money at an online casino when paying by phone bill. Many people who treat online casinos as an irregular hobby will find it to be a top option.
Not every online casino in Ireland accepts pay by phone bill, though, so people who want to try out the mobile/phone bill method for the first time might have slightly limited options to do so.
The list of Irish online casino sites that accept pay by phone bill is growing all of the time.
This is great news for people who want to have the option to pay by phone bill, with all of the following Irish online casinos have already added it to their list of approved payment options:
Look out for new online casinos adding the pay by phone bill option in the near future as well.
Although paying by phone bill is quite straightforward, there are a few different ways to do it.
Each of them has pros and cons and works in a slightly unique way, so let's look at them all:
The default pay by mobile option is usually to pay by phone bill. This does exactly what it says on the tin. Monthly phone bill customers are able to make a deposit via their mobile device and add the amount to their phone bill at the end of the month as usual. There is a strict limit on how much can be deposited via pay by phone bill, but that is the case for all of the different pay by mobile options that we are going to detail here in our complete guide to this.
While many people have a monthly phone contract these days, those who still use credit to top up their phone are also able to make a deposit into a casino account. The chance to pay by phone credit simply means the amount that is deposited is withdrawn from the remaining credit balance in place on the phone. This is a lot easier for some people and has the benefit that it does not involve any type of 'borrowing' like paying by phone bill.
Seen as a more responsible pay by mobile phone method, pay with mobile top-up means users add a certain amount to their phone credit, part of which is then used to add funds into their online casino account. As with pay by phone credit, this means that money used to make a deposit has to be paid online, which is not the case for pay by phone bill, where the users will have to settle up the amount as usual when their bill arrives at a later date.
Despite having a different name, when users opt to pay by SMS text message this works in essentially the same way as if they choose to pay by phone bill. The amount of money that they want to add to their online casino account in Ireland will simply be put on to the phone bill that they receive as normal at the end of the month. Pay by SMS text messages used to be restricted for things like mobile phone ringtones, which shows just how much has changed in the world of online payments over the course of the past decade or so.
The largest company offering processing for the pay by phone method right now is Boku. Most of the Irish online casino sites that allow their users to pay by mobile do so via Boku at the moment, although there are some competitors that are also making progress in this area too.
Making a deposit via Boku is just as easy as other banking methods like using an e-wallet or perhaps using a Visa or a Mastercard debit card in order to add funds into an online casino account. If Boku is offered, users just pick it as their preferred deposit option in the cashier area, then select how much cash they want to deposit and enter their mobile phone number into the box. A text message will be sent automatically, with a link the user must click on to proceed.
The main rival to Boku in the world of mobile payments for online casino sites in Ireland right now is Payforit. Using Payforit to make a pay by phone deposit works in essentially the same way as Boku, which is handy for people who want to switch between the two options.
Users enter the amount they want to deposit - this tends to be limited at a fairly low amount - and their mobile phone number. Then, to complete the deposit into their online casino account, they will have to tap or click on a link that is sent to their mobile phone via SMS message.
People with iOS devices will likely be used to using Apple Pay to make payments, but they might not realise that it can now also often be used to make a deposit into an Irish online casino site as well.
Sites offering Apple Pay as a deposit method will have it listed in their cashier area alongside alternatives such as debit cards and e-wallets. Users have to log in to Apple Pay and may need to enter their fingerprint or password in order to proceed with their chosen casino deposit. This is as simple as it gets, with the amount deposited immediately appearing in the casino balance.
Plenty of advantages can be seen with pay by phone methods, which helps to explain why more and more Irish users of online casinos are opting for this option over a raft of banking methods.
Convenience is probably the main benefit of pay by phone methods. Few of the other ways of depositing funds are as simple as using Boku, with which a deposit can be made in seconds. Speed is often of the essence for online casino customers and it is often the case that pay by phone methods for depositing funds are some of the fastest and easiest options available.
The fact there is a low limit on how much can be deposited with pay by phone methods is also a benefit for a lot of people. Although it is easy to set deposit limits in place at the majority of online casinos in Ireland these days, these can be simple to change. Casual customers who only want to spend a small amount of money on playing games such as slots might find that the low levels of deposit limits in place for pay by phone methods suit them down to the ground.
Not everyone feels comfortable sharing financial information such as a debit card with online casino sites. Even when protection is in place to keep this data safe, a lot of people in Ireland would rather find an alternative way to add funds to their account, which is where pay by phone methods come in. Some of them even enable players to make a deposit with money that they do not have to repay until the end of the month, when their usual phone bill arrives, which is another of the key benefits of pay by phone methods at Ireland's online casinos these days. There are no costs involved when paying by phone methods either - another big tick in the box.
Of course, while there are multiple benefits of pay by phone methods at online casinos in Ireland, there are a few good reasons why users should not use pay by phone deposits.
Low deposit limits are one of these. While this can be a benefit, it does mean high rollers who want to splash the cash on playing online casino games will find paying by phone unsuitable.
It is usually the case that only around €30 can be deposited via pay by phone methods. This is a significant amount of money for a lot of Irish people, but not for heavy users of online casinos.
Alternative ways to make deposits - such as e-wallets including PayPal or debit cards - allow hundreds if not thousands of euros to be added in one single deposit, suiting the high rollers.
The fact that some pay by phone methods offer a form of credit could put some users off too. With credit cards no longer able to be used to make a deposit into online betting or casino accounts - and for good reason - some might find it odd that pay by phone methods that effectively allow them to borrow a small amount of cash for online gambling is not wise.
Pay by phone bill is also only available for deposits, not for withdrawing any winnings. This means that an alternative banking method - like a debit card or an e-wallet - will have to be used by Irish players whenever they come to withdraw some money out of a casino account online.
Conor worked at numerous online casinos & betting sites in Europe before joining BettingGuide. His in-depth industry knowledge combined with a degree in journalism makes his content unique and easy to consume.