Transaction Speed

When it comes to transaction speeds, eCheck is something of a rarity, in that it takes longer for the online casino than it does for the player.

An automatic check is carried out via EFT protocol to ensure the necessary money is in your account, the casino will then receive a yes or no response from your bank.

If the answer is yes, then the money will immediately be credited to your account, making this one of the speediest payment methods for the player.

The delay for the casino, however, while not a risk (as the money will usually be held as ‘pending’ in your account) does make Check one of the less tempting choices for merchants.

Transaction Safety

There are two levels when it comes to the safety and security of eCheck payments, one is on the player’s end, and the other is on the casino’s.

For players, there is no concern, as these transactions are carried out via your bank, and are therefore as safe as any other transaction your bank carries out. As long as your bank can be trusted, then the payment will be secure, from your end at least.

However, there is a necessity to give sensitive banking information to an online casino in order for an eCheck payment to be carried out, and this is where doubts come for many in terms of security.

A growing number of players prefer payment options that do not involve sharing personal information with casino online, because trust is still in question, especially with smaller named casinos with less public information and reviews available.

In this sense, eWallets and middle-man options such as Instadebit are considered by most to be more secure, as there is no need to share banking information with your chosen online casino.

Limits

Limits on payments with eChecks come in stages, but there are always limits, and these are often lower than other payment methods.

Limits start at level 0, with a maximum of 10 eCheck transactions and a limit of $750, it then goes up to level 1 – 25 eChecks with a $1,500 limit, level 2 – 35 eChecks with a $2,500 limit, and finally level 3 – 49 eChecks with a $5,000 limits.

Most online casino gambling sites will also have limits for initial eCheck transactions, allowing little over $500 for a first payment, and limited to around $2,000 per month.

For casual players, this will be comfortably enough of a limit, but these limits men eChecks are certainly not a strong option for the high rollers.

Withdrawal limits are often not an issue here, as eCheck is not a method that many casinos allow for withdrawals.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a bit of an issue for eCheck, but this is becoming less of a problem.

The number of internet gambling offering eCheck as a payment method is undoubtedly going up, but there are still some who consider the delays to the payment coming into the casino to be an issue, and therefore will avoid offering this method.

There are certainly payment methods that are less frequently available than eChecks, but there are also many that are available at a substantially larger number of US facing casinos online.

Bonus Match

Claiming bonuses is pretty much void when it comes to eCheck, as this payment method is often only suitable for deposits, and not for withdrawals.

Some casinos will process eCheck withdrawals, but as with deposits, these are often connected to relatively low limits.

If you want to withdraw via eCheck, check the withdrawal options at your chosen casino, it will be listed there if they allow it.

However, with not every online casino providing eCheck as a payment method, and even less allowing withdrawals to be made using this method, there are definitely better choices around for claiming bonus money.

Should You Pick eCheck vs Others?

eCheck is something of an anomaly in the world of payment methods. While most methods can be directly compared to others, eChecks stand fairly alone.

The closest available comparison to eCheck is payment via debit or credit card, and in many ways, this is a substantially easy option. Card payments alow for immediate payment from your account and into the merchant account, usually have higher limits on both payments and withdrawals, and share the same concerns when it comes to giving out your personal banking details to casino.

When comparing to other payment options, eWallets such as Neteller or PayPal, or middle-man choices like Instadebit and IDebit (which are not the same, contrary to popular opinion) the only way eChecks match up is with speed of deposit, as payments are usually instant across all these payments.

In terms of accessibility, other options are available at more online casinos, deposit limits tend to be higher with alternative payment methods, which are also more likely to offer the chance to withdraw during the same method, and safety and security is seen by many to be stronger with the above options as they do not involve sharing personal details directly with an online casino.

eChecks have their perks, but when weighing this method up against others that are available, there are not enough of them. If you really want to use eCheck, you can find online casinos that will allow deposits and withdrawals using this method, but for most players, it is not the best option.