InstaDebit is an online payment system that acts as an intermediary between your bank account and a merchant. It acts as an e-wallet mode, however, a big difference strikes in between as shall be seen in this guide. The payment option describes its services as paying a ‘cheque’ online giving a basic idea of its operations. This is one of the most experienced payment systems in the world but its popularity is by far underwhelming.
Its annual transaction is placed at an estimate of $11.8 million signifying a middle-size payment service. One sector that has contributed a lot to this revenue is the gambling industry with many Canadian casinos accepting payments from InstaDebit. Many reasons are attributed to this. One, the payment service offers instant deposits and withdrawals to players, payments are very secure, and in some specific casinos, there is a special bonus tailored for players who make InstaDebit deposits. Its popularity amongst casino players has soared high over the years despite other alternatives existing in Canada. Read More
However, some of the downsides associated with InstaDebit besides its accessibility is the limitation of currencies to only two i.e. Canadian Dollars (CAD) and United States Dollar (USD). Additionally, the InstaDebit casinos are limited to a figure above 50. That notwithstanding, the payment system has evolved with the current trends, and with the bank account aspect in the picture, players can now buy and sell bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies via InstaDebit.
InstaDebit has been in service since 2003 when it was founded in Toronto, Canada. The payment service instantly plunged into a Canadian industry that was dominated by other instant payment options that acted as intermediaries. However, this did not stop it from gaining its foothold and currently, it’s one of the most-used payment providers in Canada.
There exists no information on any partnerships that may have been forged in the past but there are many reasons attributed to its growth in the country. All Canadian banks and financial institutions support the payment method and while at it, there is the promise of easy, quick, and secure payments.
A first-timer doesn’t require account activation or verification before processing a deposit. However, several benefits come with verifying your account including raising your deposit limits.
In its inception, there existed other payment methods such as ecoPayz, PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill that were accepted in Canada and functioned almost similarly to InstaDebit. Other Canada-only payment methods including Interac were available. Today, while more payment methods such as iDebit have been added into the mix, InstaDebit still holds a sizeable customer base in Canada having been adopted in all banks and financial institutions and continued addition of its merchants.
InstaDebit gets its huge status from several aspects including easy, convenient, fast, and secure deposits. Easy in that a few banking details will be required to process the payments, convenient in that all Canadian banks and financial institutions support the method, fast in that the payments are instant, and secure in that the payment method has centred the section on four main features:
Before any transaction, it is important to understand how InstaDebit works:
Remember, InstaDebit is an online payment system acting as an intermediary between your bank account and merchant (online casino). However, while it works like other e-wallet methods, a major difference strikes in. No funds will be deposited on your InstaDebit account. The payment system will only be used to facilitate the transaction process.
To use the payment service, the following will be required: Bank account, InstaDebit account and Merchant (such as online casinos).
Creating an account with InstaDebit is purely free and you can start processing transactions before your account is activated or verified. Any player who is over 18-years-old and has a bank account on any financial institution in Canada can use InstaDebit.
An account can be created in two ways. One can create as part of the first transaction or pre-register on their main website. The information required to complete this process include:
Verifying your account will help increase any limitations placed on your account and the following details will be required SIN (last 4 digits).
After a successful InstaDebit account creation, a small deposit of less than $2 will be made on your bank account reflecting within 3-5 working days. After knowing the exact amount deposited, you can verify your bank account on the option ‘Verify Bank Account’ on your InstaDebit account.
Once all the above is completed, depositing will be easy. With your accounts verified, the deposit limit will be increased. However, the payment system also has another downside with charges of $1.95 CAD placed on deposits made from the bank. However, it is important to note that deposits made from the InstaDebit Balance account will not be charged. A quick deposit process:
Remember to meet the deposit limit caps set by the casino especially on the minimum deposit where many require a deposit ranging from $10 CAD-$30 CAD. The maximum you can deposit with the payment service is quite high favouring high-rollers. The limit is placed at $50,000 CAD.
Another highlight about the payment method is that withdrawals are allowed. In a bid to ensure accountability of the funds, limit fraud cases, and improve the general security, many casinos recommend the ‘same-method’ transactions where the method you used to deposit should be the same while withdrawing. The withdrawals are also instant but one major downside is that a $2 CAD charge will be placed on those who wish to transfer the withdrawn funds from the InstaDebit balance account to their bank accounts.
A point to note is that if you wish to withdraw bonus money or any subsequent winnings, one needs to meet the wagering requirements set on the respective terms and conditions under the bonus. Only then can the winnings be withdrawn. Here is the process to follow to initiate a withdrawal:
Note: Since 2019, no funds can be stored in your InstaDebit balance account for more than 28 days. A player should either use the funds or withdraw via their bank account.
The payment option is widely accepted in many Canadian casinos and as a consequence, players can expect to find a variety of casino bonuses to claim. An occurrence that is common in some casinos is that payments from e-wallet options such as Neteller and Skrill will not be eligible to claim any bonus. This is not the case with InstaDebit. On the contrary, some casinos including Casino.com offer special casino bonuses for those who deposit via the option. The deposit bonus is low in value in the range of 10% to 30% but it’s worth it.
Other popular casino bonus types to expect include:
Existing players are also awarded a variety of casino bonuses and through this, the online casinos manage to retain them. Among the bonuses include the refer-a-friend bonuses that award existing players who recommend the casino to their friends. Once the friend joins via a personal link generated by the casino, makes a deposit, and in other cases plays, the bonus is triggered.
Additionally, with InstaDebit allowing a maximum of up to $50,000 CAD deposit, high-rollers can expect to find VIP programs on the casinos. Depending on the number of deposits they have made and how consistently they play, they will be placed in different tiers. Each tier will have better and bigger rewards than the preceding one. Among the benefits include exclusive bonuses.
All the mentioned bonuses will have terms and conditions offered and players are recommended to always adhere to them. They will range from the minimum and maximum limit caps placed on deposits or payouts, eligibility, the validity of the bonuses, and wagering requirements. Also referred to as rollover requirements or playthrough requirements, wagering requirements require that the bonus, deposit, or both are played a set number of times before the bonuses and subsequent winnings can be withdrawn.
The payment method is accepted in over 50 Canadian casinos allowing players to access huge portfolios of games from the operators. Moreover, the casino games allow both low-stake and high-rollers to play with the payment option accepting all sorts of payments (low or high). Players will have a selection from some of the leading casino software developers including Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, Play’n Go, BetSoft, NetEnt, and Playtech.
From the selection, players can enjoy instant games, scratch card games, keno games, and:
Slots. Enjoy top slots selection in either category (classic, video slots, jackpots) and trigger features including free spins, multipliers, cascading reels, stacked wilds, gamble feature, and progressive jackpots. Get huge max payouts with some slots going up to 10,000x.
Table & Card Games. Enjoy a selection of popular table & card games provided by providers such as Microgaming. Try out the different Blackjack, Roulette, and Baccarat variants as you access different betting options including side bets
Video Poker. Enjoy a top selection from heavyweights in the industry and try out video poker titles such as Bonus Poker, Aces and Faces, and Deuces Wilds. Adjust payouts to 2 hands (The Full House and The Flush) on Jacks or Better among other games.
Live Casino. Enjoy low and high-stake live table & card games with improved graphics enhancing the experience reminiscent of that of your favourite offline casino. Evolution Gaming has dominated this section and most of the casinos are powered by the provider.