Pay by Phone Casinos: How It Works, Safety, and The Best Pay by Phone Casinos

Olivia Kim

Pay by Phone casinos let you fund your online casino account securely using only your mobile. You don’t need to set up a credit card or organise a bank transfer. Instead, you can easily deposit money into your casino account without sharing bank details.

Many people use smartphones to play online casinos, so Pay by Phone links everything to help you gamble from anywhere. It’s supported by Boku and Payforit and is available at different merchants, including NZ online casinos.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Pay by Phone and how it works in online casinos.

Best Pay by Phone Casinos

What is Pay by Phone and what are Pay by Phone casinos?

Pay by Phone lets players deposit money into their accounts by using their mobile phone numbers. The charge is then added to a player’s phone bill. For anyone with a pre-pay phone service provider, the amount is deducted from their pre-pay account balance.

It’s an easy-to-use system like other online casino payment methods. But unlike systems like PayPal or Skrill, you don’t need to link it to your bank details because you pay by your phone bill.

A Pay by Phone casino is one that accepts phone payments to fund an online gambling account. The most popular systems in New Zealand are Boku and Payforit.

How to make a deposit at casinos with Pay by Phone

It’s easy to make a deposit using your mobile phone at an online casino that supports this payment method.

Just follow these steps:

  1. Visit your favourite online casino and head to the cashier’s page.
  2. Select the provider (e.g. Boku or Payforit) as your payment option.
  3. Insert your mobile phone number and how much you want to deposit into your account.
  4. You’ll receive a text message from your bank with a one-time password.
  5. Enter the password on the casino site.
  6. Your funds should automatically transfer to your online casino account and be deducted from your next monthly phone bill.

How to withdraw money from casinos with Pay by Phone?

While you can easily deposit funds into mobile casino sites using Pay by Phone, unfortunately, you can’t currently use Pay by Phone to make any withdrawals.

To access your winnings you’ll need to select an alternative payment method, such as an e-wallet or a bank transfer.

Is it safe to use at online casinos?

When you use a phone bill casino, providers follow authentication and compliance protocols. You only provide your phone number and email address, which are securely transferred to the servers of the platform provider.

Your bank or credit card details aren’t provided to the casino. This level of anonymity isn’t usually available from other payment solutions.

Most phone payment systems, like Boku, aren’t regulated or licensed and don’t offer any warranties. If there are issues with payments you can contact the casino or your bank. Or you can lodge a complaint directly with the service provider about the merchant.

Why Use Pay by Phone at Online Casinos?

Pay by Phone is super convenient for players looking for a quick and easy way to make a deposit. Unlike some other payment options, you don’t need to provide any bank details. All you need is your mobile phone number to get started.

Be aware that not all online casinos accept Pay by Phone. There are also daily and monthly limits on your mobile network, so it’s not the best payment option if you’re looking to place large bets.

Check out all the pros and cons below.

Pros & Cons of Pay by Phone casinos

Here are some of the pros and cons of using Pay by Phone casino sites:

Pros

  • You can make deposits in your online gambling account and play from anywhere in the world
  • Deposits are instant
  • It's completely safe and secure
  • It lets you play on credit and pay later

Cons

  • It doesn't work for withdrawals
  • The limit is low and not a great option for high rollers
  • Pay by phone bill isn't available in all mobile casinos
  • You may forget about it until it you get your phone bill

Limits, fees and costs associated with Pay by Phone

At CasinoCrawlers, we’ve investigated all of the limits, fees and costs of using a phone bill option when using an online gambling site. So you can start depositing funds at the best online casinos and start playing.

Is there a deposit limit and what are the fees?

Phone casino deposits usually have a maximum deposit limit of NZD30. This is set by the providers to help ensure you don’t spend too much. To make a larger casino deposit, you’ll need to find an alternative payment method.

When you use your mobile phone bill to make a casino deposit there are no associated fees charged by the provider. Unlike when you use a credit card or e-wallets to make a deposit, it’s a completely free option for players. But remember to check the casino’s terms and conditions because they may charge a fee for making a mobile casino deposit.

Is there a withdrawal limit and what are the fees?

You cannot currently use Pay by Phone to withdraw your casino winnings. You can only use it as an online casino mobile payment for adding funds to your account.

Other Limits and Fees

There are no monthly subscription fees or conversion fees that apply when using pay-by-phone services. Because the online casino deposit amount is charged directly to your monthly phone bill there’s no interest to pay.

However, because it’s a phone-based system there may be other charges to consider. For example, premium-rate SMS messages may be sent to your phone. If you get these, send the command STOP to ensure you stop receiving any more messages.

pay by phone

Features and Apps

We’ve investigated the most common features and apps of Pay by Phone for Boku and Payforit.

Features

There are many phone bill payment options in NZ online casinos. You can easily and instantly fund your account using phone bill payments, without having to share any bank or credit card details. The major phone bill casino providers are also supported by various banks and financial institutions.

Mobile phone deposit casinos are available around the world, with Boku available in over 50 countries and Payforit in over 40 countries. Using mobile phones to top up your online casino account is very convenient. And you can even do it with mobile phone credit if you don’t have a mobile phone plan.

Mobile App

You don’t need to download an app to use Pay by Phone. You can use the online casino app you wish to play and select the payment method directly from the app to arrange to pay by phone bill.

How to Sign Up for Pay by Phone

When your online casino sites offer mobile casino pay options for deposits you don’t need to sign up for an account with the service provider. Instead, simply find the cashier’s page on the site or use the online casino mobile app to find your payment method.

By entering your mobile phone number and the amount you want to deposit you’ll be sent a text message to confirm the payment. So you can start playing mobile slots, card games or live games straight away.

KYC

Providers that allow you to pay via your phone bill at a casino site aren’t typically regulated, so they don’t have to follow strict KYC processes like other payment providers.

When using a phone credit casino, providers will collect your mobile number and information relating to your network provider. They’ll also capture your billing amount, the product description, the payment network and details of the casino sites you’re using.

How do we rate the best Phone Bill Online casinos?

At Casinocrawlers, we review each mobile billing casino to ensure they do what they promise.

Every online casino we review undergoes a review using strict criteria set by our team.

Phone casino bonus promotions

We regularly analyse phone bill casinos to check for bonuses and deals. We check and test different types of bonuses, casino deposits and wagering requirements. Here are a few phone bill casinos that offer bonuses and promotions when playing their mobile casino games.

Night Rush: This phone bill casino offers 200 free spins on your first deposit. You can play video poker, live casino or mobile slots, and there are over 700 mobile casino games available.

777 Cherry: This phone bill casino offers casino games including Bingo, Slots, Scratch cards, Live Casino play, and table games. New players can access a welcome bonus when they make their first deposit. Weekly and monthly bonuses are also available.

Neon54: Neon54 Casino has over 1000 phone bill casino games available. New players can select a character to receive a welcome bonus and also access free spins and match bonuses.

About Pay by Phone as a company

There are two main phone casino deposit systems in NZ.

Boku was founded by Mark Britto, Erich Ringewald, and Ron Hinson in 2009. It enables people to make purchases online with just their mobiles. In 2021, Boku launched their mobile-first payments network that combines mobile wallets and carrier billing into a single payments scheme.

Payforit launched in 2007 as a payment system designed to purchase online digital content and services. It was founded by UK company 2ergo, which was at the time a provider of mobile-phone marketing and messaging services. In 2014, 2ergo was taken over by Eagle Eye.

When depositing money into an online casino account it’s perfectly legal to pay by phone bill. The two major payment providers (Boku and Payforit) are available in around 50 different countries, including New Zealand. Providers aren’t regulated entities, but they won’t share your information with casinos so it offers anonymity. The only restrictions for using these services are the amount you can deposit each day, which can be restrictive for some players.

Does Pay by Phone disclose information to the tax authorities?

With phone online casinos, payment providers won’t disclose any of your information to the Inland Revenue. There’s no legal requirement to declare tax on gambling winnings in New Zealand. However, where required by law, they may pass information to regulatory authorities.

If you’re playing at a licensed online casino, they won’t usually report any individual stats to authorities. They do, however, have an obligation to report anything if they suspect tax evasion or money laundering.

Responsible Gambling

When using a mobile phone payment method to play casino games on a gambling site, it’s important to play responsibly. Gambling can be a lot of fun, but without the right level of support, it can be harmful to some players. At CasinoCrawlers we only recommend gambling sites that offer help to players and support responsible gambling methods. To find out more, visit our Responsible Gambling page.

Verdict

Many casinos offer mobile phone deposits, and providers like Boku and Payforit are highly reliable. So you can play without worries when you see their logo in an online casino. We recommend phone bill casinos because they offer a secure and fast payment method. Depending on the casino site you can also access different bonuses, such as a welcome or deposit bonus.

Many online casinos in New Zealand accept this type of payment. But if you’re looking to make large deposits, or want to use the same payment method for deposits and withdrawals, we recommend looking at other payment options.

References

Pay by Phone Casinos FAQ

Are there any fees attached to using mobile phone bill for casino deposits

No, using your mobile phone bill for deposits in online casinos is completely free. You will only need to pay for the amount you deposit in your online casino account, and it is charged during your next phone billing cycle. So, if you send NZD20, you will only be charged NZD20.

Is there a limit to how much can I withdraw and deposit at a pay by phone casino?

Yes, phone deposits usually come with a limit of NZD30. This is supposed to ensure you don't spend too much, but as a high roller, it can be a massive drawback since you will need to find an alternative payment method.

Are pay by phone casinos safe?

Yes, pay by phone casinos are very secure. However, this is only if you play in a phone casino with a valid license. There are fraudulent casinos without licenses that aim to steal your hard-earned funds. Therefore, we recommend you use only the casinos in the CasinoCrawlers list.

Where do I find pay by phone casinos that are not “Boku casinos”?

You can find casinos that are not Boku Casinos on the CasinoCrawlers list since it contains online casinos that use Payforit, Trustly, Fonix, SIRU Mobile, BT Landline, etc.

Can I make pay by phone payments with all network providers?

No, you can’t make pay by phone payments using all network providers. While most of them support this payment method, others do not. Before you use this method, you can reach out to your network provider's customer care operators to find out if pay by phone payments are allowed.

Are pay by phone bill casinos legal in New Zealand?

Yes, online casinos accepting pay by phone bill payments are legal so long as you play in one with a valid license. All the casinos recommended by CasinoCrawlers are licensed, and you can legally play in them without problems. Just choose the one you like and play your favourite games.

Olivia Kim
Olivia Kim
Tech & Payments Expert
32 Articles
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Olivia is an experienced researcher and writer interested in everything relating to Tech and Payments. Olivia is a skilled software developer and uses her IT and programming skills to write accurate content about technical aspects and iGaming tech.

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Casinocrawlers.com » Payment » Pay by Phone Casinos: How It Works, Safety, and The Best Pay by Phone Casinos
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