When it comes to choosing a payment method to use, Canadian players across online casino sites have several good international options, available locally, such as QIWI. This is an alternative method, an eWallet, that has managed to get players’ attention worldwide. The solution has partnered with many popular names, VISA included, which helped it get the international attention it deserved and got it spread across the online gambling industry. What is QIWI and why choose it as your online casino payment method?

About QIWI

QIWI is, as introduced, an alternative payment method that emerged in Russia in 2007. When it was first launched, it was for Russian users only, offering them a more convenient way to pay off their loans, fund their phones with it, pay their bills and government expenses and all other kinds of banking transactions. It was a solution that could be used across 150,000 terminals, kiosks and agencies for users to perform payments, and that made it quite popular across the country.

As its popularity grew and the potential for expansion became obvious, its owner QIWI Group PLC understood that it needed to associate the solution with a big name, a popular name that could take the solution globally. The powerful ally that partnered with the solution was none other than VISA. The partnership was signed in 2009, two years after the solution went live, and with that, the solution went global.

Considering the potential for massive global expansion and the fact that at that moment, online funds transfers were becoming increasingly popular, QIWI and VISA relaunched the solution as an eWallet, an online banking service, that could reach anyone, anywhere. Soon after, they even launched the plastic QIWI VISA card, available anywhere where VISA cards were. This only further contributed to the solution’s success. In 2015, the two companies’ joint contactless smartphone payments service was announced with a massive launch, only further strengthening its position in the market.

Needless to say, the eWallet is one of the safest solutions to use out there, considering it has VISA behind it and all of its high-end security measures. VISA’s well-established position and reputation across global markets made the eWallet one of the most known all over the world. Naturally, the solution managed to get a solid position across the online gambling industry, too. It became a solution offered across the finest online casinos, the very best Canadian casinos included. Therefore, stay with us to learn how to get started with it and use it to get the most seamless online casino transactions with it.

Getting Started with the Solution

When you go to QIWI’s official website, you’ll see that it is in Russian primarily, and you can switch to English with just one click. The first thing any user needs to do is check whether the solution is available in their country; to save you the trouble, yes, it is a solution available in Canada. So, the next step you’d need to do is to click on the right-top Create Wallet button, while on the site.

The solution will ask for your mobile phone number. Provide it and you’ve successfully done the first step. Compared to other methods, eWallets like PayPal, or Skrill, for instance, you won’t need to share personal details, nor create credentials for accessing your account at this point. Your mobile phone number is sufficient, as it will be your key, something like your username when logging into your account. When it comes to the password, the service automatically creates one and sends it via SMS for each session. You automatically get access to your account after you enter the password.

On that note, to get access to your account even faster, you can also download the app, via any iOS or Android-powered mobile device. Just download it from Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and you’ll be able to log into your account with a few taps on your device, any time you want.

Finally, you should know that to top up your account with funds, you can use many other eWallets such as PayPal, but also any credit/debit card, online bank transfer, direct bank transfer, etc. Russian users have the further benefit of being able to fund their accounts at ATMs, kiosks, terminals and agencies. But players from Canada can make use of the other methods easily, and start using their accounts right away.

Speaking of which, stay with us to learn how to use the eWallet for making the smoothest deposit and withdrawals across online casinos.

Depositing and Withdrawing

The first thing you need to know when it comes to QIWI is that it is accepted across hundreds of online casinos accepting players from Canada. Therefore, you won’t need to search forever to find a site that accepts it that you’d like to join. Just look for the best sites and at least two of them will certainly offer it, so join one and you’ll be ready to start using it.

To make a deposit with QIWI, you would need to go through the following steps:

1. Head over to the casino’s Deposits/Banking/Cashier page.
2. Look for QIWI’s logo on the list of offered payment methods.
3. Enter your mobile phone number, wait for the password to arrive on your SMS and log into your account.
4. Specify how much you’d like to deposit at the casino and confirm the transaction.
5. In no time, the money will arrive in your online casino balance!

Deposits with this eWallet are instant, as you would expect, but so are withdrawals, of course, after the casino approves them. The ask for a cashout, you’d need to repeat the same procedure more or less. You’d need to look for the solution on the Withdrawals page, request a withdrawal and wait for the casino to do its part. As soon as the casino accepts your request, the money will be on its way. You can choose for the money to arrive on your plastic card, another eWallet or bank account.

Applicable Fees

When it comes to online payments, QIWI is a solution that is completely fee-free. You can use it for everyday transactions not worrying about any additional costs. Thanks to all the partnerships and collaborations with e-commerce platforms and other financial brands, it has managed to sustain itself and provide users with a fee-free service when it comes to online payments.

Now, Russian users who get access to some additional services, do need to pay some fees. Information on these fees is available on the website, but it does not concern you as a Canadian player. What does concern you is the fact that you’d need to pay a currency conversion fee for using the solution since the default currency is the Russian ruble.

Accepted Currencies

As just mentioned, the default currency, considering this is a payment method founded in Russia, is the Russian ruble. You would need to pay a currency conversion fee for each transaction you make with it.

You can use Canadian dollars, as well as other currencies such as US dollars, euros and British pound sterling, however, the money will be converted into Russian ruble automatically and a fee will be charged.

Coverage

We said that QIWI has gone international. This means it is literally accepted all over the world, thanks to its collaboration with VISA.

In addition to Russia, of course, as said, you’ll find it in Canada, but also Turkey, the US, China, Japan, the UK, South Korea and most of the former Soviet Union countries. The list of accepted countries continues growing, and so does its user pool.

Customer Support

Russin users get to use a toll-free phone line, 8 800 707-77-59, to get in touch with the solution’s Customer Support team. They can also explore the website in the search for answers, as well as the specific Help page, which is in Russian.

As a Canadian user, though, you might find it difficult to get in touch with the team, as the Help page is in Russian. You’d need to click on the Не нашли ответ на свой вопрос? Мы здесь, чтобы помочь вам! Связаться с нами button, and then choose the Опишите свой вопрос и мы ответим вам по email в течение 24 часов, to write the team a message on the on-site contact form. You’d need to explain your problem/question and wait for an email from them. The team is available 24 hoursa day and will respond as soon as possible.

Whenever you run into a problem, of course, you can always contact the online casino’s Customer Support. They are, too, trained to help out players with depositing/withdrawing issues and questions.

Conclusion

QIWI is a solution that comes with perks and downsides, and that’s evident. It is a global method, accepted in Canada, which has partnered with VISA, a giant whose name resonates with trustworthiness. It is available across the top Canadian sites, for both deposits and withdrawals, and it is super easy to use. You can even download an app to use it on your smartphone, so that’s an added bonus.

Now, we cannot avoid the currency conversion fee, which might concern Canadian players. And we cannot neglect the fact that the site is mainly in Russian and Canadians can’t get all the information they need before they start using it.

Therefore, consider all the pros and cons and decide whether this is a solution you’d use. Remember that VISA’s got its back, so it is, after all, a solution you can put your trust in.

QIWI FAQs