How Amex Deposits & Payments Work
The first thing to really understand about American Express cards, is that they work a differently to your typical credit card. Those familiar with the process used by Visa and MasterCard should know they are actually more of a network, a technology company instead of a financial services type of business.
Amex is more of a combination between a network and a true charge card. The difference is that American Express has full control of its network. This means that the credit line comes directly through Amex rather than another bank. Whenever a purchase or deposit (as in the case of online poker sites) is made, the company or merchant actually sends the transaction to Amex for the amount charged, minus any processing fees. As a customer, you are then expected to make real cash payment directly to Amex.
In many cases, there is the expectation that the bill is paid entirely at the end of the month, rather than a balance being carried forward. However, this is not universally true, as the company now has a number of different cards and card holder programs. There will probably be a short time period in which no fees or interest will be charged to you as the customer. You will also find the company charges larger minimum payments than other credit card companies in order to help ensure the balance is paid off quicker.
On a worldwide basis, in 2023 American Express has over 109.9 million cards issued, clearly a very popular method of making payments. They are also the largest card issuer in the world based on purchase volume. However, it does lag behind both Visa and MasterCard in terms of actual numbers of cards issued.
Initial Deposits at Online Poker Sites - Amex
Before attempting to make an initial payment at top online poker sites, make sure of two things. First that this particular website is one of our real money online poker rooms, not a site offering pretend games or bot opponents. Then, make sure your chosen poker room also accepts Amex deposits.
Go ahead and get registered at your chosen Amex online poker sites. Make sure you have finished downloading the software and are all set up for making your deposit. Of course, you could choose to play via your internet browser or through a mobile phone (or other device), the best option being the software download as neither of the other two will afford you the same amount of features. Also, the software will guide you through the proper steps to making your initial real money deposit.
You will then simply choose the Amex deposit option. Most poker sites will have a secure system where you enter your card information and once the transaction receives the proper approval code everything is ready to go. The best websites will then allow the money to populate directly into your online poker playing account and you may get started. In other cases, there may be a slight delay.
Amex Poker Online Rooms & Bonuses
The other nice thing about making Amex deposits into your favorite online poker sites is that many of them will graciously offer you additional real money for free, in the form of bonuses. This is not only a way of saying thank you, but also a way the poker sites hope to generate positive word of mouth, where you will tell others what an excellent online poker experience you had and then they eventually sign up.
Think of these bonuses offered by poker rooms as the way they have determined to be most efficient and cost effective at attracting the right mix of players. That mixture is probably more important than simply finding a huge amount of top players. With a strong portion of new or less skilled players, this makes the site worthwhile to both them and the lesser number of higher skilled players who may be attracted.
How much in the way of added cash can you make from these bonuses? There are websites that offer 200% of your initial bonus, so you can triple the amount of money you initially deposited. These bonuses will usually be capped at a certain amount of real cash. This cap may be anything from about $500 up to $2,500, so there really is something for everyone at the best online poker sites.
Special Payment Considerations in Online Poker Sites- Amex
There are some additional special considerations you should know when making deposits at online poker rooms using your Amex cards. In many cases the site will be required to process any payout or withdraw back onto your deposit card. At least, the amount of your original deposit will be processed back onto your card. There are a number of technical reasons for this that are usually set by either the Amex bank or the actual regulators of your chosen poker rooms. You will normally be free to choose another withdrawal option for any amount of profit above that original deposit amount.
Remember that the bonus will not be given to you all at once. The process of ‘clearing’ a bonus is used in most situations in online poker sites. As you play real money raked hands in which the house makes a small commission on each pot, you will accumulate player points. Each of these websites will have a specific formula used to determine how much play you need to give them and how many player points that will equal. Then, your bonus cash is gradually delivered, dropped, or cleared into your actual player account in set increments (anywhere from $5 to $15 at a time, based on your level of play and the average stakes).
In some cases, there might not be an option for an American Express deposit at your chosen poker site, Amex acceptance can be slightly hit and miss. You could potentially circumvent this by opening up an online e-wallet account, then making a payment into this with your Amex card, and from there into your chosen online poker sites.
OUR RATING SYSTEM FOR THE BEST ONLINE POKER ROOMS
We believe that our rating system is solid and a great way to bring out the best online poker sites available. To help our readers better understand how our recommendations make the short list, we will present some key points used in our rating process.
Needless to say that the best poker rooms must get top grades across the board and this is not limited to just website design, bonuses, banking and support. No, we really go into detail so that our users don’t have to.
For example, while some only consider the banking system at poker rooms as a general thing, we believe it is better to check out the actual payment methods along with their limits, fees, processing times, available currencies and international availability to avoid any bad surprises.
Amex, also known as American Express, has a huge client base, with more than 109.9 million cards being issued in 2016. This makes it an important banking method to consider when looking for the top poker rooms.
Of course, we also want the best site for online poker to offer a nice bonus and have soft competition. It is a combination of all this and more that goes into our rating system for finding the best options for international poker online.
