In a world dominated by our phones in so many ways, it’s no surprise that one of the most rapidly growing payment method options at online casinos is the pay by phone method.

A fairly new payment method in comparison to others, this style of payment is becoming increasingly popular amongst players, but for many, it is still a fairly unknown prospect.

So how does pay by phone bill work? Is it better than other methods? What are the upsides and downsides? Let’s tackle these questions and more.

Pay by phone bill is a simple payment method that is more or less explained by its name. If you have a contract phone, then you can set up payments at online casinos to be added to your phone bill at the end of the month.

All you have to do to set this payment option up is select Pay by Phone at any online casino in the UK that offers this payment method.

You should have already added your phone number when you set up your account at the casino site, so there’s nothing more to do except wait for your monthly phone bill, when your casino expenses will be added.

One of the biggest and most obvious benefits to this payment option at online casinos in the UK is simply how easy it is to use. With most other payment methods, there are a certain number of steps to go through, whereas this one just involves selecting that payment method. You may get a security phone call from your provider to ensure you have set this up yourself, but apart from that, there’s nothing else to do.

When it comes to making a payment, you just have to enter the amount at your chosen casino or by SMS, and it’ll be added straight away.

Most UK phone providers offer this service thanks to Payforit, a scheme set up by UK phone providers to allow mobile payments at online casinos. So, whatever phone company you have a contract with, you should be able to pay via phone bill at a range of UK facing online casinos.

Another benefit is the ability to consolidate your bills, instead of worrying about paying for things separately, you pay your owed money at your chosen online casino the same time you pay your phone bill, and it’ll normally be taken automatically, then don’t have to worry about it until the next month.

While there are definite upsides to this payment method, there are some downsides that it’s necessary to discuss, too.

Firstly, this method only works as a way to make deposits at online casinos. As you can imagine, there is little benefit for you if withdrawals are made to your phone bill account, so when it comes to withdrawing money, you will have to set up an alternative method such as PayPal or a credit or debit card.

The second, and perhaps most important disadvantage to this method is that it can make it possible to not pay attention to how much you are spending, leading to quite the shock at the end of the month. Therefore, it is highly advisable to have a deposit limit set up at your chosen online casino to ensure you are never spending more than you can afford, and don’t end up with a phone bill you can’t afford to pay at the end of the month.

There are limits attached as it is, which while useful for some, can also be a downside. The general limit of how much you can deposit via phone bill per month is more than most of us would spend, but for high rollers, this may not be the best choice.

How does the pay by phone option stack up against the other popular payment methods that are around?

eWallets – Neteller, PayPal, and Skrill are probably the three most popular payment methods at this point, and certainly have some benefits in comparison.

The most obvious advantage is the ability to withdraw as well as deposit money. However, there are sometimes fees attached to these wallets, and you have to ensure there is money in the wallet before depositing, making pay by phone a quicker and simpler option.

Credit and Debit card – The old school method of payment, but still one of the most popular, again, this is an option that allows for withdrawals as well as deposits.

Depositing straight from your bank account is still a popular option, but does involve sharing your card details with an online casino site, which some are uncomfortable with.

Several of the most popular iGaming platforms available in the UK provide Pay by Phone as an option at their casino sites, including:

Nektan – Nektan has a huge number of online casinos offering proprietary casino games as well as many titles from high profile developers. As well as eWallets and credit card payments, Pay by Phone options are also available at many Nektan sites.

Progress Play – Arguably the only platform that can challenge Nektan in terms of quantity and the speed of release of new sites, the abundance of different online casinos on this platform have many benefits in terms of gameplay, and Pay by Phone can also be found as an option at most Progress Play sites.

White Hat Gaming – White Hat Gaming, as well as providing a good mix of games and promotions, offers a wide range of payment methods at its casino sites, with Pay by Phone being present at almost every White Hat casino.

While it may only be a deposit method, and not have an option for withdrawal, the spend and simplicity of Pay by Phone makes it a favoured payment method for many iGaming players in the UK, and available at a large percentage of UK facing online casinos.