QIWI vs. Neteller at Online Casinos

Introduction

There is so much to choose from in today’s field of online banking that players are practically overwhelmed with choices. Everyone is looking for the ideal method to deposit and withdraw money from their favourite online casino sites, at the same time practicing healthy finance management and striving towards most convenient service.

In this line of thought...

... many are left unaware of the requirements that make a particular service as excellent as it can be. There are the obvious features such as fees and transaction speed that everyone is looking for in a payment processing service, but plenty of others additionally affect the experience from underneath the surface.

Learning to distinguish between payment methods that are most suitable for your next online gambling experience is the first step to making something of it. Bear in mind that the player has more than just the banking method in mind when it comes to their optimal gameplay experience. Therefore, it isn’t that much of a surprise that people haven’t been looking into this matter specifically.

The aspects that are most often considered...

... by the players are charges and speed, as mentioned earlier. However, while these two may affect how much of your bankroll you will be able to use and how quickly you will be able to get it, there are some other points to take into consideration. The security of the service is one of those key features – make sure to check if the establishment is registered as an official business, whether or not it is compliant with legal regulations, and in what ways are the users protected from all kinds of circumstances and situations.

Other than that...

... there is also the matter of platform interactivity – there is no use in having the most optimized service in the world to cater to your banking needs if reaching the particular function takes up too much of your time to handle it.

Therefore...

... it may turn out that the banking method is much more important than initially considered. This has been particularly emphasized in the past couple of years, after numerous jurisdictions have come forward with the proper legislation for each of these modern-day digital inventions.

Two of these contemporary solutions include the QIWI Visa and Neteller e-wallet services. While they are dedicated to catering to more distinct than overlapping target pools, it’s not too difficult to distinguish the key features of both and to weigh them in accordingly.

About QIWI Visa

The QIWI brand...

... first came about as a public entity in 2008, after being prepared and build up behind the scene for a couple of years. Initially based out of Russia, this payment processor’s intention was to serve the country’s residents in all matters financial. In other words, the company offered a unified solution for all bill, utility, mobile phone payments, scheduled transactions and any other charges that came along.

That the service was initially intended to retain itself in Russia is all the more evident from the fact that they are the only additionally equipped with terminals. Much like classic ATMs, these terminals normally allowed people to access their funds more directly, perform payments and cash out of their e-wallet balances.

Other than Russia...

... some countries that previously belonged to the Soviet Union were also considered among the target audience. Nevertheless, as the popularity of the service took off, QIWI has been offered on multiple continents, spanning from the USA, Canada, UK, Japan, Thailand and Belarus, all the way to China.

And speaking of their service taking off, it was inevitably due to their strategic partnership with Visa. Even though it had been existent earlier, the deal was officialised in 2012, and the QIWI e-wallet began a new era of services. Supported by the claim of a credit and debit card giant, and with their own popularity to boost, there was no other way for QIWI than upwards.

About Neteller

Neteller came about a much longer time ago, in the distant 1999...

... when people were still getting used to the idea of the Internet and PayPal (then known as Coinfinity) was already climbing the stairs to success. As one of the pioneers of the online banking industry, Neteller is definitely a worthy contender for this dedicated service focusing on Russian and former-Soviet user pools.

The company is currently owned by the Paysafe Group Limited, a major player in the industry themselves. Along with plenty of other services, some of them practically competing for the same market segments, it is no wonder that Neteller has been keeping up pace with the latest inventions in the industry in order to ensure they retain their fair share of the market.

QIWI vs. Neteller

The personal preference is definitely a determining factor in the choice of options – however, there is something to be said about the main functions of the e-wallet services as well. While they may not coincide on all points, it is most transparent to try and compare them on their key points in order to see which one outperforms the other.

Types of Accounts

QIWI Visa

The account options at QIWI are scarce...

... at least in comparison to some of the more established brands of e-wallets in the industry. Clients have all but one account type at their disposal, yet even that is enough to meet their needs. A considerable feature of this account is the fact that the Russian currency Rubles is the default option – anyone transacting in any other legal tender will see their funds exchanged to this one.

Still, with a presence in 20+ countries globally, and a rather sustainably profitable business as of yet, it seems that this is working out just fine for the QIWI service. The 2% currency exchange fee hasn’t harmed the service any more than anything else coming their way over the years.

Neteller

Both a personal and business account is available for interested users looking to transact through Neteller. Variety is further available considering that the service boasts over 20 currency options, with each account being able to link up to 4 based on most common use. While this may not mean much to a typical online shopper or amateur slots enthusiast from Russia sticking to their familiar QIWI Visa service, it is plenty for anyone else looking to enjoy international gameplay action at top platforms.

Just make sure you are OK with the 3.99% fee for currency exchange rates; if you hold off for long enough, the VI P Loyalty system could see it drop down to a single percentage.

In line with what’s previously said on the competitors, the service has opted to include some of the greatest threats to online banking businesses – cryptocurrencies. Account holders are currently able to transact with Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, XRP and 0x. For exchanges using USD or EUR, the fee is 1.50%, while all other are charged 3.00%.

On a final note...

... bear in mind that all dormant accounts of 12 months and beyond get charged a fee of 5.00 USD a month, so make sure to account for that too when looking through options.

Payments, Deposits & Withdrawals

Understanding how to make payments is essential for a satisfactory online gameplay experience, but learning how to make the most of it will definitely get you one step further. In the dilemma between QIWI and Neteller, this means having in mind all the ways to fund your account, where you can use it, and how to cash out with it in the most effective way for your online gambling needs.

Visa QIWI

The Visa QIWI e-wallet allows...

... its account holders to store funds on the account, as well as the accompanying products that have been provided since the partnership with Visa. For this purpose, users have all but to choose from the list of eligible options to fund their account – bank transfer, kiosks, land-based terminals, or other e-wallets. Just bear in mind that due to the specific currency (Rubles), all transactions made in a different currency will be subject to exchange rates and fees.

All the while, Visa QIWI is a lot less open for withdrawals – ...

... while users can cash out fund from their account, getting them there from the respective casino site where they’ve owned them is trickier business. So far, there are a lot less casinos which accept it as a withdrawal method, but if you are really into comprising all your online casino banking under QIWI, you should be able to find operators that will make this happen.

Neteller

For Neteller users, there is an abundance of options when it comes to making online casino payments. All you need to do beforehand is to choose from the extensive list of funding options and put value into the account, so you can use it later as a bankroll. Bear in mind that all transactions to the Neteller account come with a 2.5% charge, and include anything from bank transfers and money services, all the way to the top popular online payment processing options: Paysafecard, iDeal, Trustly, Neosurf and more.

Considering that you have cashed out some winnings...

... and you are looking to use them, Neteller alternatively provides a range of cashout options. Players are normally free to withdraw winnings to their Neteller account as long as the service is available on their site; the fact that the service solely caters to authorized casinos from licensed and regulated jurisdictions is one more advantage for the players.

When getting the funds out of your Neteller account, there are no land-based terminals, but there is the standard bank withdrawal at a 10.00USD flat fee. Member wire transfers are charged 12.75 USD, while money transfers come with a 1.45% fee, starting from 0.50 USD.

User Benefits

In the spirit of keeping the industry as competitive as it can, online payment processing services have largely taken to distinguishing their service from the rest. Different businesses take their own approach towards doing so, but it mostly comes down to the range of player benefits and rewards distributed based on their traffic volume and other activities.

Visa QIWI

Unlike its contender Neteller...

... Visa QIWI has been considerably less time in the business of payment processing. Hence, its users are much less likely to expect any big rewards for the traffic they produce there; the service is convenient in itself as it is, especially for the initial target pool Russia.

Neteller

Neteller users, on the other hand, are able to benefit from a fully fledged VIP Loyalty program consisting of five different ranks. Tier 1 – Bronze is available for all players who managed to pass the $10,000 annual overturn threshold. Silver rank is given to those that reach the $50,000 threshold, $100,000 – Gold and $500,000 – Platinum. The Diamond tier is specifically intended for those that make annual payments of a value amounting to $2,000,000 or more.

Each of these tiers bears its own set of features and privileges, starting with a more personal and convenient service. Higher limits for deposits and withdrawals are also offered, as well as lower exchange fees and other charges, among other account features.

Physical Card Availability

The availability of an actual plastic card has been identified as essential for the survival of any one successful online banking method. While the point of revolutionizing online payment processing consisted of coming up with a new digital way of handling funds, the deeply rooted practice of a plastic card eventually turned it into a must-have option.

Visa QIWI

The Visa QIWI service...

... has responded to the need for a physical card being available for all account holders. Considering that the partnership has made issuance all the more easier, thanks to the reputability of Visa, players and users alike have been extremely eager to get this convenience.

The card is the same as any other issued by Visa, containing the regular personal information and details that would be necessary if you are looking to make online casino deposits or other payments. Just make sure to keep in mind the 2% fee for ATM cashouts. Luckily for Russia residents, there are dedicated terminals that will do the job free of charge. One other thing to look out for is keeping to the 100,000 Rubles limit per cashout, and you shouldn’t have to worry about anything else.

Net+ Prepaid MasterCard

Neteller has taken to the plastic card practice just the same, partnering with another credit and debit card processing giant – MasterCard for this purpose. The card can be ordered free of charge and received in a timeframe of 2-10 days with a one-time 10 USD handling fee. Currency exchange fee is the same as with the regular account – 3.99%, although users are normally offered up to 4 currencies per account, so you should have no trouble making payments in any of them without conversion fees.

The option of Virtual Net+ Prepaid MasterCard is also available – up to 5 such accounts can be linked to your card free of charge, and every following account at a charge of 3.00 USD/2.5 EUR/2 GBP.

Security

Making sure your funds will be safe and protected at all times may be last on our list, but is no less important than the previous features mentioned. Bear in mind that checking for authorization, legal compliance, as well as expert and user reviews for the particular payment processor of your choosing is bound to provide some useful insight, as we have done for the two options on the table.

Visa QIWI

QIWI’s dedication to security...

... is evident from the start – casino players and other interested users have no obligation to share detailed personal info with the service. Login is actually performed with a simple phone number, and the password is sent to the number at each session. Other than that, users will need to provide details of the banking service they are planning on using for funding.

All this aside, the presence of Visa is proof enough of the reliability and security of the service. After all, the giant does not mix with any one provider if they aren’t tested and proven fair and legal in all jurisdictions where they operate.

Neteller

The Neteller service is also dedicated to ensuring secure transactions. They are licensed and authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and further approved by international online banking standards. Compliance has been achieved at all fronts, but Neteller refused to stop there and even introduced some solutions that put some of the protection into the account holders’ hands.

In this regard…

… users are given the dual-factor authorization option which sends them a one-time use code each time they request to log in or perform a major operation at the account. The code is normally sent to a phone number or other account (email) linked to the banking service, just to make sure it is the holder’s identity.

Secure ID has also been introduced lately as a suitable alternative – users are provided a unique 6-digit code that they need to enter per each login and major operation. While it functions much like the dual-factor authorization, it is important to keep it safe, avoid losing it or sharing it with anyone.

Conclusion

The services presented so far are some of the top popular banking methods across online casinos nowadays. Their differences are more gradient than they are discrepant, which makes it all the harder for online casino players to choose.

Ultimately...

... the best course of action would be to take some time to get the hang of both options with minimum investment. Make sure to try out as many functions of the banking method and at the same time, consider the top requirements for the casino where it is offered (licensing, game selection, bonuses, customer support). With top payment processing services such as these, it shouldn’t be too hard to get it right and enjoy each moment of your online casino experience!

Related banking method reviews:

• Neteller Casinos
• Visa QIWI Casinos

Written by: Shelly Schiff