If the average minimum deposit is a little out of your price range or you don’t want to use your debit card to play online bingo, you’ve come to the right place. In this Boku bingo site review, we’ll tell you how you can pay by mobile in a safe, secure and efficient way.
Now, we understand that mobile bingo sites might not be for everyone. There are people who love accessing PayPal bingo sites via their PC, for example. There are also people that don’t want to pay anything at all, which is why no deposit bingo sites are popular. However, among this sea of options, Boku bingo sites sit as an island of innovation.
We’ve described them in this way because that’s exactly what they are. Boku is something of an outlier in the industry for two reasons. Not only is a fairly new payment option, it’s completely unique. When you play bingo using Boku, you’ll be making deposits in a way you’ve never done before.
Fortunately, we’re here to guide you through the process and explain why this is a great way to pay. So, if you’re ready to learn more about online bingo sites that accept Boku, let’s get to it.
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What is Boku?
Before we can talk about Boku bingo sites, we need to explain what this payment processor is and how it works. The system itself has been described as a method for “unbanked” consumers. Basically, if you don’t have a bank account and/or debit card, you can use Boku to make online payments. However, in reality, it’s for anyone who wants an easy way to pay.
The mechanics of Boku are fairly simple. Instead of debiting money from a bank account or an eWallet, Boku charges it to your mobile phone bill.
For example, let’s say you want to pay by mobile and make a minimum deposit of £10. You’ll go to the cashier page of a Boku bingo site, select this payment option and enter £10. At this point, you’ll be asked to input your mobile number.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll be sent a message that asks you to authorise the transaction. When you’ve authorised the payment, £10 will be credited to your bingo account and Boku will charge £10 to your phone bill. This charge is listed as a premium service.
If you’ve ever called a premium-rate phone number or sent picture messages not covered by your monthly plan, you’ll have probably seen these charges. If not, it’s simply a charge that’s added to your bill.
Can I Make a Boku Bingo Payment If I’m a Pay as You Go Customer?
Yes. Boku can make charges to all mobile billing plans. If you have a monthly contract, the charge is simply added to your bill.
For example, if you pay £25 and make a £10 Boku bingo deposit, your monthly bill will be £35. If you’re a pay as you go customer, the charge is deducted from your available credit. So, if you have £30 in credit and make a £5 deposit, your balance will go down to £25. Naturally, if you don’t have enough credit to cover the transaction, it will be declined.
That’s actually a nice inbuilt safety feature and one of the benefits of using Boku bingo sites (more on this later). For now, however, you just need to understand that this payment option works by charging money to your phone bill.
And, if you haven’t worked it out yet, this means Boku can only be used for deposits. The system can only make charges to your phone bill, it can’t add money to it. Therefore, it’s a deposit-only bingo payment method.
Does Boku Work on My Mobile Network?
Yes. Boku is an international company that works with more than 300 mobile carriers. So, in the UK, that means you can play online bingo using Boku if you’re on EE, Vodafone, O2 or any other major mobile network. The only issue you may have is that Boku isn’t available at every top-rated online bingo site.
For example, Paddy Power Bingo accepts Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Neteller and a variety of other payment methods. However, it doesn’t accept Boku (yet).
This may change. In fact, it probably will because pay by phone bingo is becoming extremely popular.
However, in the grand scheme of things, it’s still fairly new. That means bingo brands and, in turn, players aren’t as familiar with it as other deposit methods. Therefore, you will find that Boku bingo sites aren’t as common as PayPal bingo sites, for example.
Boku Bingo Sites and Bonus Offers
The best Boku bingo sites online give you the option to pay by mobile and, in almost all instances, give you something in return. As you’d expect, that “something” will vary from bingo room to bingo room. However, the main types of Boku bingo bonus offers are:
Boku Bingo Welcome Bonuses
Any online bingo site worth your time and attention will have a welcome bonus. These promotions are only available to new customers and you’ll often have to meet certain terms and conditions to unlock them. These conditions may include a minimum deposit and a promo code.
The most important condition, however, is that you have to be a newbie. If you already have an account, you can’t get a welcome bonus. If you can get a welcome bonus, there’s value aplenty. From bonus cash and extra game tickets to free spins, the best Boku bingo bonuses aim to give you as many extras as possible.
Boku Deposit Bonuses
Welcome bonuses are also known as first-deposit bonuses because, unsurprisingly, they’re a new customer’s first transaction. Anything after that is called a deposit bonus or reload bonus.
Boku online bingo sites will often run promotions that allow you to get some extra credits by making a deposit. The amount of credits/size of the deposit multiplier won’t be as lucrative as they were for a welcome bonus. However, you can still get some great value as an existing customer.
Boku Free Spins Bonuses
Many of the leading bingo sites that accept Boku deposits offer casino games. When casino games are available, you’ll often get free spins. These might come to you via a deposit bonus or some sort of loyalty reward. Whichever way they’re unlocked, the end result is always the same: you get to play online slots for free.
Boku Free Game Tickets
Otherwise known as “buy one, get one free” (BOGOF) deals, these Boku bingo bonuses unlock free game tickets. You might pay for one ticket and get another one gratis. You might buy one and get 10 tickets free. The deals will vary but the main premise is always the same.
Advantages of Playing Boku Bingo Sites
There are plenty of reasons to use Boku bingo sites. Of course, there are few drawbacks as well. We’ve already discussed the fact that this payment option isn’t available at every bingo site. There’s also the fact Boku can only be used for deposits and not withdrawals.
Another potential drawback for some is that the maximum deposit is often between £50 and £100. This is due to the way Boku works. Charges can’t be excessive, so it’s more of a low-cost method, rather than one that’s suitable for high rollers.
Those are the negatives, but what about the positives? Well, in our opinion, you should use Boku bingo sites if you want the following:
Extra Security
The main reason a lot of online bingo players love mobile phone payments is because you don’t need a bank account. We know that most of you will probably have one. However, you might not want to link it to your bingo account.
All of our recommended online bingo sites are licenced, regulated and extremely secure. But you can never be too careful when it comes to the internet and money. Boku allows you to keep your banking details and bingo shenanigans separate. This is possible because deposits are charged to your phone bill and not taken from your bank or an eWallet.
Small, Fee-Free Deposits
Another great reason to use Boku is the fact you can make microtransactions. The system itself can make charges as low as £2. Of course, bingo operators will set their own minimum deposit but the provisions are there to facilitate smaller payments.
As a general rule, you can expect to make Boku bingo deposits from as little as £5. In contrast, Visa, MasterCard and Neteller bingo sites tend to have minimum deposits of £10.
Simple Payments
Boku deposits are easy to execute. Instead of typing in a debit card number or some sort of code that you can never remember, all you need is your phone number. That is a number you can remember, so it speeds up the payment process.
In fact, after you’ve made your first Boku bingo deposit, you can save the details. That means you don’t have to enter your phone number every time which, again, speeds things up dramatically.
Are Boku Bingo Sites Safe?
Yes, online Boku bingo rooms are extremely safe. The payment method itself is regulated by financial authorities and, in turn, our recommended sites are licenced by gaming regulators. Therefore, you’re protected in every way.
Playing Boku Bingo Sites on Mobile
If there’s a bingo payment method that’s perfect for mobiles, it’s Boku. With a Boku mobile bingo site, you don’t need anything other than your smartphone or tablet.
It doesn’t matter if you use an optimised website or an app for iOS and Android devices, you only need your mobile. That means you can go out without a debit card or any other paraphernalia and play. When you combine this with apps that offer games 24/7, the real benefit of Boku mobile bingo rooms is that you can play when you want.
Alternatives to Boku Bingo Sites
If you don’t want to use mobile payments to play bingo, how about casino games? Our recommended Boku casinos give you access to hundreds of world-class slots and table games. And, thanks to Boku, you can pay to play in a safe, secure and simple way. If Boku doesn’t float your boat at all, what about Neteller or PayPal bingo sites?
These also provide a degree of separation between your bingo and bank accounts. Additionally, they are easy to use, offer speedy transactions and, importantly, they’re extremely safe. Basically, if you want to play online bingo and don’t want to use our debit card, there are plenty of alternatives. Boku is great but don’t be afraid to check out what our top-rated PayPal and Neteller bingo sites have to offer.
