American Express Online Casinos

Online casino players can’t go wrong using a banking method like American Express to fund their casino account. Amex has been around for 160+ years and is the 22nd most valuable company in the world – worth nearly $15 billion dollars. American Express is safe – it has no incentive to take your money and run.

Almost as important, among credit cards, American Express is the gold standard for cashback and other rewards. That being said, not all online casinos support Amex deposits, so you won’t be able to use it on every site — especially in the US gaming market. Read this guide to Amex online casinos to learn where you can deposit, which rewards are available, and whether it’s better for your online gaming than Visa or MasterCard.

So they’re a good option for casino players. More than being safe and sound, though, when you use American Express your funds will be available instantly. That means you don’t have to wait to play blackjack. At select casinos you can also withdraw to your Amex card. This takes 2-5 days, which is slower than most e-wallets, but is faster than bank transfers and paper checks. Amex is an ideal option for high rollers, too, as most casinos I’ve come across allow Amex users to deposit large sums of money; as much as 20 grand or more.

However, that’s only one side of the coin. The good side.

On the other side you have a credit card that’s not available in as many locations as it’s competitors, Visa and MasterCard. That’s even truer for online casinos. This isn’t a huge hiccup for international players, since they have a shopping list of deposit options to choose from. It’s a kick to the groin for Americans, though, as their options are limited enough as is.

Because there are fewer casinos that accept American Express, I’d recommend trying another credit first. Visa and MasterCard are accepted at more casinos and they’re both just as safe as Amex. But if you’re hell-bent on earning points on your Amex card, and you don’t mind spending some time finding a casino that will accept your card, the rest of this page will serve as your guide. Read on to learn what casinos accept Amex, how to get started and the pros and cons of using this iconic blue piece of plastic.

Based on my research American Express is not as widely accept as MasterCard, and both aren’t even close to the number of casinos that accept Visa. From what I understand online casinos aren’t as excited to accept American Express because they have higher fees, which are to cover processing and the various discounts and rewards that they give to their members.

That said, I’ve noticed a lot of gambling portals that mention that so-and-so casino accepts American Express, yet when I investigated closer I didn’t see any mention of it. So this means one of two things; the website is mistaken, inaccurate or lying, or two, the casino doesn’t mention that they accept Amex on their website, but it’s available once you log-in.

So what I would recommend doing is signing up for a free money account at the casino(s) you’re interested in joining, and just checking out their cashier. You’ll see right away whether or not the casino accepts Amex for payment.

Making a deposit with Amex is simple. If you’ve ever made a deposit to a casino using a Visa or MasterCard, or shopped with any of the 3 online, such as at a store like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Overstock or QVC, then you’ll know what to do.

For everyone else, here are the steps that you need to take:

• Log-in to the casino.
• Go to the cashier.
• Choose Amex / American Express.
• Enter your card number, expiration date and security code.
• Enter how much you want to deposit.
• Enter a bonus code (if applicable).
• Hit submit.

Credit card deposits clear fast, so your funds should be available within minutes.

Some casinos will let you withdraw your funds to your Amex card, too, while others won’t. It’ll be hit or miss. However, to receive a withdrawal to your card you’ll have to of used it at some point for a deposit, and in some cases, the casino will make your withdrawal to an alternative source first, if you’ve ever used one of their alternative sources as a deposit method in the past. This will vary from casino-to-casino, though.

Assuming you can withdraw using Amex, the process will be the same (or similar) to making a deposit. And your funds will take 3-5 days to process.

Like any other banking method, there are pros and cons to using Amex. We’ve listed our thoughts below. Give them a read to determine if Amex is the right choice for you.

Pros

Funds are available instantly. Deposits from credits are available within minutes of hitting submit. You don’t have to wait hours or days to play.

US players can use Amex. Unlike many other methods, like Neteller or Moneybookers, US players will be able to find a casino that they can sign up to that also accepts a payment method they can use.

Low fees or free. The larger casinos usually cover the fees for credit card transactions, and others might charge 1-3 percent. This is low, or on par, with options like Neteller, Skrill and PayPal, and for Americans, it’s cheaper than using a service like Moneygram or Western Union.

American Express is safe. The company has been around 160+ years. The last thing I think you need to worry about is whether or not your money is safe.

Cons

Amex isn’t readily available. There are fewer casinos that accept Amex compared to Visa or even MasterCard.

Amex relies on credit. Unfortunately, the only way to get an Amex card is to have a (decent) credit score. So if you’re young (like 18, 19, 20, etc) and have no score, or worse, you’ve destroyed your credit, then this might not be an option you can use. That said, you may be able to pick up an Amex prepaid card instead.