Play Poker for Real Money Using eChecks
Available in Canada and US.
An eCheck is an electronic check which allows you to make safe, secure and immediate electronic fund transfers (EFT) directly from your bank account to your PokerStars account.
eChecks work the same way paper checks do. When you deposit using an eCheck, the amount of your deposit is requested from your bank just like when a paper check you've written is deposited. Once the check clears, the funds are transferred from your bank
account to PokerStars.
Funds deposited via eCheck are immediately available in your PokerStars account even though the funds aren’t received from your bank account instantly.
As it can take up to 10 days for the funds to be received from your bank, your deposit is in an ‘uncleared’ status at PokerStars for 10 days after you make an eCheck deposit. While a deposit is uncleared, you may not cash out or request cash transfers unless you have a balance that is greater than the total of your uncleared eCheck deposits. Any portion of your balance that is more than the total of your uncleared deposits may be used normally including cashouts and transfers.
If an eCheck deposit is not honoured by your bank and is returned as unpaid, other restrictions will apply to future eCheck deposits including not receiving your funds instantly and instead only receiving your funds once your eCheck deposits clear.
How secure is eChecks?
eChecks is a highly secure and widely used method of electronic funds transfer. eChecks is compliant with strict processing rules. The security measures include ID verification, 128-bit SSL encrypted communications and industry standard data encryption of your personal information.
How can I make purchases at PokerStars using eChecks?
The eCheck deposit option is fully integrated into the PokerStars Cashier screen. To make a deposit using an eCheck, login to your PokerStars account and visit the Cashier. Choose the 'Buy Chips' option and select the 'Instant eChecks' button. You can then follow the instructions shown to complete your deposit. Enter the amount you'd like to deposit. Canadian players will be able to enter the amount of deposit in CAN$, which will be automatically converted to USD equivalent using the current exchange rate. You will need to have a personal check with you to complete the deposit as you'll need to type in the numbers along the bottom of your check.
Once you've filled in the information requested, click the 'Submit' button to process your deposit. By clicking on 'Submit', you agree to the Terms and Conditions for using eChecks. Your eCheck is then deposited via our eCheck processors.
We recommend that players print all transaction data, rules, etc. for future reference.
What are the deposit limits for eChecks?
If you have not made a previous eCheck deposit, the starting eCheck deposit limits are:
- US $25 - minimum purchase
- US $100 - maximum amount to purchase within 24 hours
- US $300 - maximum amount to purchase within 7 days
- US $600 - maximum amount to purchase within 30 days
- There is a limit of one (1) eCheck deposit allowed within 48 hour period
NOTE: Once your first eCheck deposit successfully clears your bank 10 days after your deposit request, your eCheck deposit limits will be automatically raised to the following:
- US $25 - minimum purchase
- US $600 - maximum amount to purchase within 24 hours
- US $1,000 - maximum amount to purchase within 7 days
- US $2,000 - maximum amount to purchase within 30 days
- There is a limit of three (3) eCheck deposit allowed within 24 hour period
If you would like to receive an increase in your PokerStars deposit limits, after you’ve had your starting limits raised automatically, please email us at support@pokerstars.com.
What about my cashouts?
Until an eCheck deposit has cleared, the amount of your eCheck deposit cannot be cashed out. eCheck deposits clear 10 days after the date of deposit.
Once you've made an eCheck deposit which has cleared, you may choose to receive your funds credited back to your bank account on the Cash Out screen. This option will be available to you after we've credited all cashouts back to other methods you may have used to deposit which require automatic processing.
Please note that US players can only request one eCheck cash out every 72 hours for a maximum of $2,500 per transaction.
Please visit our Cashout Policy page for more details on how cashouts at PokerStars are processed.
What will it cost me to use eChecks at PokerStars?
There are no fees for using eChecks at PokerStars as long as your eChecks clear when they're deposited. Players are responsible for any fees charged by their banks as well as fees incurred for eChecks that don't clear due to non-sufficient funds.
If you have any further queries, feel free to contact us at any time at support@pokerstars.com.
