Paysafecard is a Vienna-based, prepaid online shopping system similar to Ukash. Prepaid cards in specific denominations may now be purchased at any one of thousands of retail outlets in different parts of the world. Playsafecard lists retail outlets in Canada, the United States and Mexico, but it is not clear whether pre-pay cards purchased there can be used for online gambling. The system is most widespread and strongest, of course, in the UK and Continental Europe as well as Argentina.

Once a customer buys a card at a retail outlet, he or she scratches the face of the card to reveal the code, and enters it into the appropriate field or payment window at an online merchant, together with a second number, or pin, also found on the card. Just that quickly, a payment has been made! There are no fees for users. The transaction is anonymous. No personal information need be given.

The paysafecard rapidly became popular with online gamblers, and it is still one of the main uses of the pre-payment system.

Denominations go up to £75 or the equivalent, and several can be combined (up to 10) to pay a larger amount. If not all of a paysafecard is used on a transaction, the remainder is still valid for use at another time. Transfers occur instantly, like cash. And, like cash, if you don’t have the money, you cannot gamble it away.