Qiwi is an e-wallet and virtual credit card provider with a large presence in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Russians have been using Qiwi for years now to pay bills, make secure online purchases and receive payments from merchants. A variety of loading options, including cash deposits via 180,000+ sales outlets and ATMs, make this one of the most versatile payment methods for players in the Russian region.
Best Qiwi Betting Sites
The company was originally formed in partnership with Visa and that alone indicates Qiwi is a legitimate business enterprise. Visa does not just join forces with anyone. Furthermore, the company has a long history in the payments business and has proven itself over time to be a safe and reliable deposit option for gamblers.
If you’re interested in giving Qiwi a try, you can visit the official website here to sign up for an account. They will ask for your mobile number during the initial registration and then send your login details via SMS. From here, you have a number of options for actually loading your account and making payments.
The next step is to fund your Qiwi wallet with real money. You can do so by logging in to your account and then choosing a loading method from the list of options. Qiwi wallets accept payments via credit card (Visa), bank transfer, mobile phone, in-person cash deposits at Qiwi outlets and more. Other loading methods include transfers from other account holders, WebMoney, Mail.ru, SpryPay and Paybox. Just choose the one that looks like the best fit for you and then they will give you instructions for completing the deposit.
Once you have money in your virtual wallet, the rest is easy. Just log in to your gaming account and choose Qiwi as your deposit method. You will then be asked to log in to your account to verify the payment and choose an amount. In most cases, payments are credited to your betting account instantly.
Qiwi also offers “pay later” invoices if you do not already have a balance in your wallet. Choosing this option will create an invoice that you can then go pay later in person at any of the many physical shops that dot Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. You also have the option to pay the invoice instantly with your personal credit or debit card.
Prepaid Visa Cards
One of the other services Qiwi has on offer are prepaid debit cards branded with the Visa logo. You can order a physical card if you plan to shop in the real world or get an instant virtual Visa card that can be used online. In either case, you can make payments anywhere Visa is accepted.
Prepaid cards come in handy because they can be used to deposit at almost any gaming site that accepts customers from your part of the world. If your favorite site does not accept normal Qiwi deposits, you can usually just use your prepaid Visa card to complete the deposit.
Can I Withdraw From Betting Sites with Qiwi?
Withdrawals back to Qiwi are possible, but it depends on where you play. Most gaming websites prefer to send your money back through some other method such as a bank transfer, credit to your Neteller or Skrill account and credit back to your debit or credit card. However, it is generally safe to assume that you will NOT be able to withdraw back to your account unless your betting site says otherwise.
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher, and analyst in the legal online betting industry and is co-founder of OnlineBettingSites.com. Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.