The number of casino players in India has significantly increased over the past few years. Given the sudden surge in the number of players, the number of iGaming websites has also amplified in an attempt to meet the rising demand.
However, with so many casino websites to choose from, players might find themselves in a pickle while having to stick to one single online casino. This is where important features like payment modes step in to make this process of choosing a lot easier for gamers.
In this particular write-up, we will be reviewing one of the top-notch payment methods available for gambling in India – AstroPay.
The Importance of Good Payment Methods in Online Casinos
When it comes to payment systems for online casinos, a number of factors are at play. Did you know that your payment option can cost you a bonus offer?
There are plenty of payment modes offered by online casinos nowadays. While some come with bonus offers, the others don’t.
And as we know, bonus offers can give you a head start in casino gaming even before you have begun to play. So why give up the golden chance of availing free bonuses?
Moreover, there are a lot of e-wallets available nowadays which allow you to make your deposits and also request for withdrawals, all from a few taps on your smartphone. Imagine not having to go to the bank to make a deposit or opening your laptop/desktop every time you need to make a deposit on your gambling account.
Yes! That is a luxury you too can afford if you choose the right payment option while making your deposits!
What’s more, payment modes should also be reliable and secure enough to be used by the players. This includes the safety of their personal details shared on the casino website like email address, phone number, banking details, and any other document that might have been used for verification.
Another reason why good payment methods are a crucial aspect of any online casino is the secure and successful transfer of funds. No matter how little or small the amount is, any user would expect smooth processing while making deposits or withdrawals.
Therefore, to save users and the sites from incurring a loss from unreliable malicious third-party payment service providers, it is in fact essential for casinos to be affiliated with good payment services.
What is AstroPay?
If you are someone who plays online casino games regularly, then AstroPay can be a very useful tool for you. AstroPay acts as a virtual prepaid card where users can make transactions without having to share personal details while making them.
This is in fact an advantage since you do not risk third parties trying to have access to the personal details you have provided for making monetary transactions.
AstroPay, a UK company, was first launched in the year 2009 initially based in Latin America. Over the years, due to its reliable payment service and good reputation, AstroPay has branched to a number of different countries including India, Mexico, China, Argentina, Colombia, etc.
The AstroPay card enables players to have a smooth casino gaming experience without any interruptions related to payment rejections. If you are an avid casino player, chances are that you have had your fair share of bad experiences with payment rejections.
As frustrating as it can be, it is better to entirely prevent this from happening by signing up to a casino platform that provides payment solutions as secure as AstroPay. Moreover, the card also eliminates further issues concerned with local taxes, credit approval, and fraud.
Did you know that you can make transactions in Indian Rupees using AstroPay?
Not just that, the AstroPay card can also be used for purchasing things online. In fact, users can also use the card for international websites while using the local currency.
Due to the consistency in their top-notch service, AstroPay has been listed under the ‘Available Payment Options’ sections for a bunch of casino gaming websites over the past few years. A lot of casino lovers all over India prefer to make their first deposit at an iGaming platform through AstroPay, solely because of its good status in the payment service market.
How Does AstroPay Work?
With a card like AstroPay in your hand, you no longer need any other international card to make your deposit at any casino gaming platform. These transactions are made instantly without having to wait for a day or an entire week, unlike some other regular casino gaming sites.
The AstroPay card works like a prepaid debit card. Using this card, one can shop at any online website using the local currency. In this case, people in India will be dealing in the transaction in rupees.
AstroPay can easily be the alternative option to problematic payment options available throughout the world. Every day, plenty of businesses and people struggle with fraud or other payment-related difficulties. Moreover, it can also fill up the gap as a reliable source of payment method in larger markets that are in dire need of enhanced payment systems.
Users can make use of the AstroPay card on any merchant or partner websites without having to share any personal details, which they would have otherwise had to share while using other payment options.
Not to mention, the card can be used 24/7 without any difficulty. You do not even have to pause your purchases during bank holidays or any other festive breaks for that matter. The AstroPay card enables users to make transactions at any time of the day, that too faster than any other payment mode available in India right now.
Some features of AstroPay include the following:
AstroPay Mobile
Smartphones have been in use for day-to-day activities for quite some years now. People are so dependent on their phones nowadays, and rightfully so since it is the gateway to some of the best apps that one could ever dream of.
AstroPay’s mobile app is one such gateway for people residing in India. With the availability of the AstroPay app on the phone, you can take care of your daily business without having to make a trip anywhere.
AstroPay Web App
Like the AstroPay mobile app, users can also make use of the AstroPay web app. It also has plenty of things to offer, like the loyalty program, which you too can be a part of using AstroPay’s web app.
AstroPay Visa
With an AstroPay visa card, users can have access to more than 30 million locations from all over the world.
AstroPay in Online Casinos
Online casinos require a bunch of facilities that they can work with for their users. For example, when you sign up at an online casino, you expect a great user interface as you should. This is because you are paying for an hour or two of recreational activity. And in order for that to go smoothly, the website has to function without any glitches.
Likewise, if there is no secure payment option provided by an online casino website, there is a good chance of fraudulent activities taking place. This can easily incur a monetary loss for the casino as well as its users.
For example, if the casino you have joined is not affiliated with a good payment system provider, then there is a good chance that your personal details entered on the website are at the mercy of third-party illegal activities.
Just think about the loss that you, as well as the casino, would incur if a fraudulent third party were to run away with all of your deposit money along with the personal details.
Moreover, as mentioned above, a lot of A-grade casinos in India offer enticing bonus offers for players who opt for their preferred payment modes. These offers are irresistible enough to not let players think of any other bonus offers which they might be bombarded with when visiting other casino websites online.
Therefore, if you opt for any other regular casino website, you may be robbing yourself of the opportunity to cash out the next big wins. Some examples of casino bonuses for using AstroPay may include – Free Spins, Match Deposit Bonus, VIP Programs, No Deposit Bonus, Refer-a-Friend Bonus, etc.
This is why if you sign up for casino websites that offer flexible payment options like AstroPay, you can avail a bunch of bonus offers even before you have tried out your luck on your first slot game.
What’s more, you can use the AstroPay card to make deposits to the casino whenever you want. Even if you are playing in the middle of the night, all you need to do is grab your phone and deposit the money to the iGaming platform. It will only take seconds before you are able to play your preferred choice of casino game.
Lastly, every transaction you make through AstroPay is SAFE. Since you do not enter personal details, you remain an anonymous user who has purchased something from a website.
Additionally, you do not need to worry about the money that you have sent using AstroPay. Since it is an internationally recognized payment provider, you can rest assured that no one is going to use the app to scam you.
How to Get AstroPay?
In order to be a holder of an AstroPay card, you will be required to register first. These are the steps that you should be following in order to register for AstroPay in India:
Step 1
For starters, you will be required to create an AstroPay account on their official website.
Step 2
The second step is to locate and fill in the registration form. You can access it by using the AstroPay website or the mobile app version.
Step 3
After the registration process is complete, you will be required to choose AstroPay cards that hold different values ranging from ₹1700 – ₹34,600. At first, you need to determine the card amount and then find out if it really works for you or not.
Step 4
For the fourth step, you will have to put money in the AstroPay card. Now you really do not need to bother yourself with this as the card will be funded in Rupees.
Step 5
For the final step, the AstroPay card will be sent to you using your email id or the AstroPay app.
However, you have to keep in mind that once registered, the card will have to be renewed after 12 months.
How to Use AstroPay?
When you head to any gambling website, the first thing that you are required to do after creating an account is set the deposit and withdrawal.
Deposit
Without making a deposit, casino players are never allowed to play on an iGaming website. Therefore, if you want to try your luck with numerous slot games, you will have to make a deposit.
Firstly, you have to head to the official website of the online casino. From there, you will be required to locate the payment section. Once you press on it, you will be landed on a new page where there are details about making the deposit.
Here, you have to select from a large list of payment modes available for the website and you will be opting for the one you think is the best. In this case, we will be choosing AstroPay.
Once you have chosen AstroPay, you will be asked to enter the AstroPay Card Number, Expiry Date, and card details. After you have placed these answers in the correct order, you will need to press on ‘deposit.’
One good thing about the deposit option through AstroPay is that the process is instantaneous.
Withdrawal
Sadly enough, AstroPay does not allow its users to make withdrawals. Hopefully, in the future, they will add this feature for online casino players who are already a fan of the deposit option.
Advantages & Disadvantages of AstroPay
Now that we have an overall idea of how the payment system works, let us take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of AstroPay for users based in India.
Advantages
- International Markets
One of the biggest perks of using AstroPay is that users can sit at home in India and make purchases from international platforms. Not to mention, they can do this using Indian rupees.
- Secure Payments
AstroPay has state of the art facilities for its users. Therefore, it is a given that it has the best security system set up so that casino lovers can make their deposits without any hindrances. Moreover, you do not have to worry about any scam or fraud related issues while making transactions through AstroPay.
- No Installation Fee
Most users love the fact that they do not have to pay any additional charges in order to get started with AstroPay. Furthermore, there are no added fees for the deposits you make using AstroPay at your preferred online casino website.
- 24/7 Support
For users who might face difficulty using AstroPay and its payment related services, the customer live chat is open 24/7 for them. You can also email them using the following email address – [email protected] . Although given its tight security and solid service, we doubt that you will face any issue while using AstroPay to make your deposits.
- Several Languages & Currencies
What’s more about the facilities provided by AstroPay is that users from all over the world can benefit from it. There are multiple languages added on their website which makes it easy for anyone to navigate through the website.
- Mobile App
Nowadays, everything can be done with a few taps on your smartphone. So why bother having to open up your desktop to get done with your necessary transactions? Use the AstroPay app to complete your deposits on online casino accounts.
- Bonus Offers
Last but not the least, using AstroPay has a number of perks for casino lovers. For starters, they can avail a lot of bonus offers using AstroPay as the preferred payment option.
Disadvantages
- Withdrawal
The only disadvantage of a payment option as reliable and secure as AstroPay is that it doesn’t offer a withdrawal option for its users. However, if they add this feature sometime in the future, there will be more users for AstroPay due to their secure payment transaction service all over India.
Alternatives to AstroPay
In case you do not want to use AstroPay, you can use the following options as an alternative:
RuPay
A brainchild of the NPCI, RuPay is a reliable payment system with more than 1100 banks offering its services throughout India.
Google Pay
Google Pay is another secure payment mode that you may make use of while playing casino games online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although we have noted down all the nooks and crannies related to AstroPay, here are some of the most frequently asked questions that we think you might benefit from:
- Is AstroPay allowed in my country?
Ever since its inception in the year 2009, AstroPay has branched out into several countries to provide its top-notch payment services to casino lovers worldwide.
If you are a player residing in India, AstroPay is a guaranteed payment mode that will be available for you while signing up for any iGaming website. However, if you are from any other country, you should know that AstroPay offers its services in more than 10 countries.
Either way, you can still check out their website to be sure just in case.
- Will I be charged any additional fees for making transactions with AstroPay?
No. Unless you decide to upload your virtual card, you will not be charged any additional fees. In fact, no matter how many times you use AstroPay for making transactions at your online casino account, it will be absolutely free of cost.
- How to receive a welcome bonus with AstroPay?
For this, your first course of task would be to look for online casino websites which offer welcome bonuses upon first deposit. Once you have done that, you can avail the welcome bonus while making your first deposit.
Locate the payment feature on the home page of the casino and click on the deposit option. There, you will be notified about any welcome bonus that the site is offering to its users. Click on the bonus and Voila! You’re good to go!
- What are some of the payment methods that I can use to purchase my AstroPay card?
Here is a list of some of the payment modes you can make use of in order to purchase your AstroPay Card:
PhonePe, Neteller, Litecoin, Bitcoin, ripple, UPI, airtel, Ethereum, freecharge, Gpay, Indian Net Banking, Jio Money, OLA Money, etc.
- What is an AstroPay Card?
This is a card that functions like a virtual prepaid card. You can choose your card depending on the range that is most suited to your purpose. The range is from $25-$500 equivalent in INR. With this card, you can make online purchases, services, or even pay deposits for your online casino games.
Moreover, the AstroPay card comes with multiple advantages, most of which have been mentioned above in the ‘advantages’ section. Like any other debit card, the AstroPay card has 16 digits.
Conclusion
All in all, AstroPay can be a very good payment mode for casino lovers all over India. Yes, it could definitely do a lot better if the withdrawal feature was available. But regardless of that, it is definitely a secure option for players who want to complete their transactions as safely as possible.
Moreover, who doesn’t like using a payment system that shows no issues with payment rejections and is always prompt with every transaction made?
Lastly, AstroPay is accessible to players throughout India. This means that if you are residing in India, you can always opt for AstroPay for your deposits and any other transfer of funds that you may have.