Joined: Mar '14
Location: Japan
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 8946
Important changes to your prepaid card
We are writing to advise you of some changes in the availability of our ecoCards and ecoVirtualcards.
We have been directed by Mastercard to cease issuance and support of any cards outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). As a result of that decision, we are sorry to inform you that on August 6, 2018 we will have to permanently cancel your ecoCard(s) and/or ecoVirtualcard(s).
What does this mean?
Right now you can continue using your card(s) as usual. On August 6 your card(s) will stop working, but your ecoAccount remains fully operational and your balance is unaffected. You can still withdraw funds to your bank account or send money to another ecoAccount holder or online business accepting ecoPayz.
We are sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate you using our services.
In the meantime, we’re working on improving your ecoAccount and adding more services to give you an even better experience, so stay tuned.
Should you have any questions or require further information please contact our 24/7 Customer Support Team.
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6787
And another one bites the dust. They can "add more services" all day long. A card issuing business, that can`t issue cards, will be gone rather fast. So they should seek a replacement for Mastercard, or face extinction.
Joined: Mar '14
Location: Japan
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 8946
Deposit and withdrawal options are becoming increasingly limited for players residing in certain countries. The worst case scenario is your money gets locked up in your ecoPayz account and there is nothing you can do about it.
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6787
If they left their money there. I guess most players will just withdraw all their money prior to the August 6 deadline, and search for other options (Bitcoin?) to move their money around on the net.
Joined: Mar '14
Location: Japan
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 8946
Not every ecoPayz user has an ATM card, and some banks outside the EU do not accept payment from ecoPayz. The rumor is that not all ecoPayz users will be able to withdraw their funds from ATM machine or via bank wire transfer. The bright side of the matter is that there is an approximately 60-day transition period for the users to find an alternative method of funding.
Joined: May '08
Location: Lithuania
Age: 40 (M)
Posts: 10090
well to be honest I have never heard of such option like ecopayz, I guess te fact that they are closing is not a good thing to those who were using this service actively, but then again I am sure there some other services left which you can use as an alternative. but yeah generally speaking- the more options the better.
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14195
I have heard of them a couple of times. As i read they are only stopping the issuing of cards outside europe. Probably some regulations or laws again that forcing mastercard to do so. At least there are a couple more reliable services like this. For now, that is
Joined: Mar '14
Location: Japan
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 8946
Hi, frnandoh. Welcome to the forum. Most, but not all ecoCard and/or ecoVirtualcard owners currently residing in a country outside of the European Union will be forced to find an alternative payment processing company before August 6, 2018 if they want to keep playing online poker/casino games. It's really hectic, isn't it?
in Russia this system no longer works ... although there was a time when it worked ... just a few years ago ... those who managed to get a card can use it ... but now some strange laws have been adopted for me that it is possible and those people who have this card will not be able to use it
Joined: Oct '14
Location: Serbia
Age: 34 (M)
Posts: 4358
well I was a lot desapointed when they cancel neteller mastercards in my country, because it served me so good... I use that mastercard anywher... I could withdrow money anytime I need at ATM, I could pay anything in store with it, and I didnt have to wait for withdrow like now... hope that serbia will soon enter europian union so I can use them again
Joined: Mar '14
Location: Japan
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 8946
Neteller and Skrill exited the Japanese market in late 2016 and Internet gamblers living in Japan now have a quite limited number of methods to deposit and withdraw money. I guess Internet gambling will be banned altogether in Japan in the near future.
