Credit Card Casinos Canada 2024

A Brief History of Credit Cards

The modern credit cards we see and use today came about as the evolution of the use of a simple identifying object to represent credit (read: debt) transactions over the course of several decades, culminating in the Diners Club card used in New York in 1950. The first example of a credit card appearing in Canada came about in 1958 when American Express released its plastic Charge Card to the US and Canada markets. From there, the rest, as they say, is history.

Credit Card and Debit Card Difference

Credit and Debit Cards both allow the customer to make a deposit on an online casino. The difference is where the money comes from, and how you pay the funds. When a customer makes a payment through their credit card, it is the card issuing company that transfers the funds. The customer has signed into an agreement to pay the card issuer back every month, but unlike a charge card, you only have to pay an agreed minimum, not the full amount. A customer has a revolving account with a credit card, which means that any unpaid balance simply rolls over to the next month. Though there are no penalty fees for this, the outstanding balance will accrue interest at a rate agreed when signing up for a card.

Debit Cards, which are usually attached to a personal bank account, simply draw funds straight from the customer’s current/checking account. There are also prepaid debit cards which do not require the customer to have a banking account, as funds can be loaded directly onto the card.

Using Credit Cards in Canada

At the moment, there are seven major payment card networks operating in Canada. These networks are:

• Interac
• THE EXCHANGE
• MasterCard Canada
• VISA Canada
• American Express Canada
• Discover
• UnionPay

Every single one of the networks has given their word that they will abide by the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada. This code ensures that merchants are provided with accurate information regarding the fees associated with accepting credit and debit cards, and it also outlines a number of rights for merchants. Online casinos in Canada most commonly accept cards from MasterCard and Visa, with cards from other processors also being available but less commonly.

Depositing

The speed and simplicity of depositing money into your casino account with a credit card is one of the reasons behind its popularity—just choose the credit card you use, enter its card number & accompanying details, and that's it.

Withdrawing

As convenient as credit cards are for deposits, the same can't be said for withdrawals as credit cards are not able to hold or receive money. For most users, though, this shouldn't be a problem as most credit card providers are also banks that offer debit cards attached to your bank account that can handle the deposits instead.

Other Available Payment Cards

Apart from Visa and MasterCard, who offer both credit and debit cards, you’ll see the logos on Canadian online casinos for the following card issuers: American Express (rare), Discover Card (Rare), Diners Club (fairly rare), Maestro (UK, common), Solo (UK, fairly rare), Carte Bleu (France, common), Interac (Canada, common), VISA Electron (Common), and EC (Germany, common).

Pros and Cons of Using Credit Cards

Should you use credit cards for online casino payments?

Credit cards are one of the most widely used casino payment methods for a reason—they are convenient, secure, and most of all, fast. However, you will want to strongly consider the potential risk of gambling with borrowed money, which lies at the core of how credit cards work.

Our Final Thoughts

Love them or hate them, you have to at least respect them—credit card casinos are an extremely popular payment method that, if you can manage the potential risks of overspending, will serve you well at any online casino.

Credit Card Casino FAQs

Article by:Dale Shelabarger

Dale is an author for InsideCasino and an expert in the iGaming sector, with his specialist areas in online casinos, iGaming and slot games. Dale has written hundreds of casino reviews and expert iGaming articles over the last 15 years.

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