How to Deposit into PokerStars for US Players: Now that eChecks is no longer an option

UPDATE: It worked! I bought a Visa All-Access Gift Card NetSpend card. It is the NetSpend card only! You activate it online and deposit it into PokerStars!

Since the US blocked eChecks and I can not reload with Click2Pay, I asked PokerStars for help. Below is the excellent response. I will let you know if I have any luck.

I am sure PokerStars is looking for another alternative since the ones below are limiting. They must be losing a lot of money given the Attorney General in New York probably lost a bunch of money playing online poker and is taking it out on other poker players. These attorneys really hate freedom, don't they?

Here is the email:

Dear Mitchell,

I apologize for the troubles you have experienced, these things sometimes feel more difficult than they should be.

Due to processing problems, our eCheck option is currently unavailable.

Please try using another deposit method to fund your PokerStars
account. I recommend to you to use an All Access pre-paid VISA and MasterCard gift cards to deposit money into PokerStars.

Although pre-paid cards have become a popular deposit option for many players at PokerStars, there are a limited number of pre-paid cards that are working with us. One such card available in the US is the "All Access" pre-paid card.

You can buy "All Access" pre-paid cards at many local stores or gas stations. Please visit https://www.netspend.com/account/index.m to see a list of locations near you where you can buy either a gift or re-loadable card (please keep in mind that All Access ATM cards will not work on our site).

The "All Access" re-loadable card charges up to $1.00 for purchases made with it. When depositing with a re-loadable card, please try for $1.00 less than the balance of the card to account for this charge. There is no charge for purchases made with the gift cards, but they have some fees you may need to consider for balances remaining, phone enquiries and others. To find out more about their fees please visit: https://www.allaccessgift.com/gift/faq.m

****Important notice about the All Access reloadable cards****, please be aware that when you make a deposit using a prepaid reloadable card, the transactions are settled with your card issuer. This usually happens a few business days after the actual purchase was made; a second charge for the same amount may appear on your online statement, leaving one of the charges "On hold" for up to seven days for purchases under $100 and for up to thirty days for purchases over $100. This may occur even if the transaction is rejected.

For online gaming transactions NetSpend, the issuer company of these cards will not remove this hold until the hold expires. Please be aware that this is something out of our control and there is nothing we can do to facilitate the removal of held funds in such cases. Once the hold period expires, the funds will return automatically to your reloadable card balance.

Please keep in mind that in order to use these cards for online purchases they require activation, which can be done at the store, by calling the number on the back of the card or online at https://www.netspend.com/account/activation.m. It will take around 30 minutes for the card to become active.

As we have no agreements with the financial institution that issue these cards, we cannot guarantee that they will continue working indefinitely. Such companies can implement restrictions for on-line gaming transactions without notice.

If you use such a card to make a deposit at PokerStars you will be able to withdraw funds through a Cashier's Check which will be sent according to your instructions.

Regarding your query about click2pay, please note that click2pay are available only for all US players with 800+ LTFPPs and players who held Click2Pay accounts prior January 2007. Since, you are not eligible to use this option you may try to get an All Access pre-paid VISA and MasterCard gift cards for you to be able to make a succesfull deposit into PokerStars. Please note that since the law againts online gaming transaction had been passed in the US most Poker companies had changed their merchants status in order for them to get a deposit from a credit or debit cards that has a restriction in the US. That is the reason why your card was able to work on the other sites because they are not coded with online gaming business.

In the case of PokerStars we are coded as an on-line gaming business and therefore the majority of financial institutions have imposed restrictions regarding credit card purchases at our site.

PokerStars prides itself on its high standard of integrity, which includes compliance with the applicable laws in the countries where we operate. This, along with holding a license from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, is intended to give our customers confidence in the integrity of our games, as well as the safety of their money.

If you would like information on any of our other deposit options, please visit:

http://www.pokerstars.com/realmoney.html

Beginning June 1, PokerStars is giving you the chance to play as many "$300,000 Reload Freerolls" as you want by simply reloading your account.

Once you complete your deposit and enter the code "RF300", you will automatically be issued with a tournament ticket that will allow you to enter multiple daily freerolls. If you finish in the top 400 positions in one of the daily freerolls, you will win cash, plus entry into one of five June 28 finals.

There will be five freerolls daily from June 8th - 27th at 10:30, 13:30, 16:30, 19:30 and 22:30 ET; each with a prize pool of $2,000.

Follow this link for further details:
http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/reload-freerolls/

For further deposit related assistance, please send your phone number and an appropriate time to call, to dad@pokerstars.com.

Thank you for choosing PokerStars.

Regards,

Edelyn F
PokerStars Deposit Assistance Team