Amex Online Poker Accepting US Players

Amex Accepted Poker Sites American Express, AMEX for short, is the hardest credit card to use when depositing from the USA. The company accounts for a sizable portion of all credit card volume in the United States, making up close to 25% of all transactions in the country but very little is used for online gambling. Why? Because with Amex it’s easy to claim ‘fraud’ and you get your money back, thus online poker sites don’t use them until they really, really know the customer. But, there are options as I will soon explain.

American Express’ origins weren’t in financial services or payment processing. The company began as an express mail business in 1850 in Buffalo, New York. Today, AMEX is worth an estimated $15 billion. However, when it comes to online poker markets, American Express takes a distant third to Visa and MasterCard. The latter two cards are much more accessible at offshore gambling sites, due to their higher success rate.

Luckily, those who want to use their AMEX card for online gambling deposits have two excellent choices in BetOnline.ag Poker and SportsBettting.ag Poker.

Depositing with AMEX

Depositing into an online poker room with your AMEX isn’t a complicated process. Buying poker chips at an online room is as easy as purchasing a product with an online merchant using your card.

If AMEX is an available option, it will be listed under the cashier section, next to any other debit or credit card options, such as Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Select AMEX as your deposit option and proceed to enter your information. Personally, when I see a site use Amex I know they are legit… most of the time.

Unlike like other cards, the CVV number on American Express cards is the last four digits on the front of the card, not listed on the back. Entering your information exactly as it appears on your account is important, as it has a much better chance of your deposit being successful.

Other Recommended Banking Options

If Your Deposit Fails

American Express cards, more than any other credit company, have excellent fraud protection. Some have issues with too many fraud alerts, and they are quick to flag your account and lock your card if there is a suspicious transaction. Depositing at an online poker room is usually enough to trigger their security team.

AMEX’s security and fraud team can’t be seen as a negative, particularly for someone who may have had issues with identity theft and fraud in the past. When a member’s card is flagged, an AMEX representative will typically call the customer to verify the charge.

If you are contacted by a representative after trying to make a deposit at an online poker room, simply approve the charge. The charge will be disguised, due to UIGEA regulations [A], and won’t be related to online gambling. Of course, it’s also important not to mention that you’re trying to deposit into an online poker room.

If there are still issues with your deposit, you may contact the poker room’s support staff. They may have access to other processors. However, it’s likely that if your card is denied, and you can’t get the charged approved by AMEX support, you’re probably out of luck.

Another option is an American Express prepaid card. These are available at most supermarkets and gas stations. They may have a slightly higher success rate compared to a normal AMEX card.

If you’re out of luck with your personal AMEX and prepaid cards, we recommend using another card type. Visa cards are the most widely accepted cards at offshore poker sites and have the highest success rate.

Withdrawing via American Express

Amex Withdraws Not Accepted Unlike MasterCard or Visa, those who want to withdraw from online poker rooms with American Express won’t have such luck. Credit and debit card withdraws are relatively new to the offshore industry, and at this point, they’re mostly available for just Visa cards.

Those who deposit with AMEX will almost certainly have to choose another withdrawal option when the time comes for payout. Check withdrawal is available at every online poker room servicing US players, and most sites usually offer one free withdrawal request per month.

In almost all cases, before you can withdraw your funds, sites will ask you for scanned copies of your identification. This is for fraud protection and is standard practice across the industry.

Regulated Markets

In the three states where online poker is state-licensed and regulated, (Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada) American Express is not available as a deposit option. Offshore poker rooms can get past this by disguising the transactions, but AMEX policy [B] doesn’t allow the use of cards for gambling transactions, regardless of jurisdiction or legality.

In Closing

Those who want to deposit using American Express for their online poker play may have an uphill battle depending on where they want to take their action. They’re almost always going to have their card flagged, and will have to manually approve the transaction. It’s definitely possible to deposit using AMEX at offshore rooms, but players will have a much easier path with Visa and MasterCard.

References and Citations

[A]

UIGEA Regulations/Legislation

[B]

Amex Merchant Reference Guide – United States