ePassporte bonus results

[Izaak_Walton]

OK, I've been putting it off, reading all the threads pertaining to these bonuses both here and on bonuswhores.

After emailing "customer service" at Party, talking to the ePassporte guy on the phone, etc., I decided to just grab the easy money and run.

1. Opened ePass account via Party's server and deposited $500 with code EPASS. $47.50 bonus credited immediately (but had to work off 5x hands).

2. Deposited $500 from Neteller so I'd have money to play off the hands with.

3. Withdrew $500 to ePassporte. Deposited to next Party skin. Immediately credited with $50 bonus (5x play-off requirement).

4. When finished with required hands at Party, withdrew all to NT, moved $500 (to play with) to next skin.

5. Repeated steps 3 and 4 until all Party skins except Eurobet have been covered. Cashed out all to Neteller.

Reward= $47.50+ ($50x4)- $25 = $222.50 bonus with no hassles.

Note #1: Some people got an additional $50 bonus from some of the skins but I didn't want to go round-and-round with Manoosh, so I didn't even bother trying.

Note #2: Apparently there is a $5 annual charge if I keep the account open. I have not cancelled it yet, however, because the Visa card they offer is definitely from an offshore bank and may be better than the Neteller card. I will be posting another thread for info on a competitive comparison of the two.

GRAB THE EASY MONEY AND RUN!!!!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[itsmarty]

I've gotten the EPASS at Empire and PokerNow. If you can't get Netteller (restricted in some states), ePassporte seems like a better option than Firepay so far.

Cashouts get to the card extremely quickly, and you can get money out at ATMs. I made an Empire cashout this week and had cash in hand from the ATM in an hour ($300/24hr withdrawal limit, unfortunately).

Attempts to use the card at grocery stores for purchase are thus far unsuccessful.

Martin

[Izaak_Walton]

If you have the hard plastic card, with the VISA logo, what reason is the grocery store giving for not accepting it?? Thanks

[itsmarty]

Both were fairly generic "card not accepted" messages, but both were small family type grocers. I'm going to try it again tomorrow at a national chain and will update this thread.

The virtual visa (not the plastic card) was rejected at NewEgg.com for drawing from a foreign bank.

Martin

[busguy]

Did you guys read the charges page ?? Looks like they (epassporte) charge $5 per $100 when loading the card with no max (so like $50 on a $1000) withdrawl.

Am I missing something or does that seem a little steep ??

/images/graemlins/blush.gif busguy

[itsmarty]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I missing something or does that seem a little steep ??

[/ QUOTE ]

Both /images/graemlins/smile.gif The fee is high, but it's a deposit fee so you only have to pay it once.

You load the card with $55, paying the cost. You make a minimum deposit to a poker site, at which point you can use ePassporte for withdrawals and you shouldn't have to pay another deposit fee again.

Use the money you withdraw from the first skin to deposit at the other skins, now depositing $500 each time to take advantage of the full bonus.

Martin

[Izaak_Walton]

To clarify a point:

"deposit fee" of 5% applies EVERT TIME you put $$ into ePass from your regular credit or debit card(s). It is a one-time-only fee ONLY IF you never again load from your regular cards. Cashing out at a poker site into ePass is NOT considered a "deposit" for purposes of the 5% fee.

[Freakin]

Izaak-

So to load the $500 onto your epass card to make your initial deposit to party, you had to pay $25? So your initial bonus was really only $22.50? Or did party take care of the initial card load fees?

Freakin

[Izaak_Walton]

I deposited $500 to Party with code EPASS. Since ePass deducted $25 loading fee, that means my effective deposit to Party was $475. That's why the Party bonus was $47.50 instead of $50. The others are all $50.

[peregrine]

What am I missing? Wouldn't that make the bonus $25 if you pay $25 for a $50 bonus? Also, isn't there a fee from the credit card company for a cash transfer?

[itsmarty]

[ QUOTE ]
Wouldn't that make the bonus $25 if you pay $25 for a $50 bonus?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. Fortunately you can do the bonus at multiple skins, and assuming you're a withdrawer rather than a depositer, all bonuses beyond the first are $50 net.

I took the alternate route of making my first deposit very small, therefore throwing away nearly all of the bonus from the first site, because I'd rather skip a bonus (and the associated raked hand requirement) than pay out most of it in fees.

Martin

[Freakin]

That was my thinking exactly. Since you can set up the epassport account for free, just load it from party instead of from your account. How much did you load it with? Is there a minimum?

Freakin

[itsmarty]

[ QUOTE ]
Since you can set up the epassport account for free, just load it from party instead of from your account

[/ QUOTE ]

At the time I set it up, they wouldn't cash out to the card until you'd deposited with it once. I believe this is still the case, but if not, it would be a small savings in time and fees.

I loaded it with $55, because I thought the minimum deposit would be $50 and I wanted to cover the fee, but it turned out there wasn't a minimum deposit. I assume that's still true, but I'd check before relying on that fact.

Martin

[busguy]

[ QUOTE ]


Both /images/graemlins/smile.gif The fee is high, but it's a deposit fee so you only have to pay it once.


[/ QUOTE ]

I guess I should have been clearer. I wasn't really looking at it for the bonus. I was more thinking of it from the epassporte Visa card that you could withdrawal from Party onto, and then use it to pay for things on-line or in the real world. It was my understanding that whenever you did a withdrawal from Party this would be "loading" it and subject to the $5 per $100 fee. As I said if this is the case then a $50 fee on a $1000 withdrawal would seem a tad steep.

Anyone know if I am reading this correctly ??

/images/graemlins/confused.gif busguy

[itsmarty]

There's no fee for withdrawing to the card, only for depositing from your CC.

Martin

[Freakin]

So if I understand this correctly, the card (when loaded through a 3rd party, like PP) lets you have a virtual visa + real visa/debit card that you can use? And the only fees you will be paying are when you withdraw the money through an ATM?

We need a report from somone who has one of these cards on whether or not they work in the following locations:
1) B&M Merchant that accepts Visa
2) B&M Merchant that accepts Debit - And card must be run as debit
3) ATM

Additionally, it would be helpful to know if Epassporte assesses any fees for the general use of their card, not just the loading. From the way it looks now, this could be an excellent alternative to both Neteller EFT and the Neteller debit card, especially if the Visa works properly.

Has anyone attempted to use the Virtual Visa at any place other than Newegg.com with success?

Freakin

[itsmarty]

[ QUOTE ]
Has anyone attempted to use the Virtual Visa at any place other than Newegg.com with success?

[/ QUOTE ]

I intended to mention this earlier and got sidetracked, but the virtual visa is pretty crappy.

Fortunately the NewEgg purchase was just an impulse add-on and the whole new PC, because the charge they attempted to make (for $132) is now an unavailable part of my balance for 30 days. Unless the merchant sends them a letter on company letterhead, the charge remains pending.

Needless to say, I'm discouraged from trying it elsewhere and am sticking to the ATM. I still plan to try the PIN purchase at Costco tomorrow and will let the forum know what transpires.

Martin

[emonrad87]

Two questions.

1. What is the epassporte ID that you enter into the cash out page on Party? Is it the same name that you login to the account on the epassporte site with?

2. Does anyone know if the virtual visa works to deposit to other poker sites, such as the crypto sites?

[umdpoker]

if it works for at least 3, i will try it out. firepay sucks so much, that i might try it out anyways. party, empire, multipoker, intertops, and pokernow are the skins i know of. does it work for all 5? also, am i missing any?

[crockpot]

i made two deposits of $500 at each skin, in order to attempt to max out the $100 bonus. my first $50 bonus was credited immediately for the first deposit at the five skins you named. i emailed each one requesting a second $50 since they offer a $100 bonus but you cannot actually deposit enough to get it. four skins gave me the second $50 (pokerNOW did not). eurobet gave no bonus on either.

so it looks like your best outcome is $450 in bonus: $100 each on party, empire, intertops and multi; and $50 on poekrnow.

[umdpoker]

$450 total! merry christmas to me. thanks for telling me i could do the 2 deposits of $500 at each site. also, thanks to the original poster.

[itsmarty]

1) It's the name you use to log in to the ePassporte window

2) William Hill has the Visa Electron (ATM card) as a deposit option, but I haven't played there so I can't verify that it works. I haven't checked any other Crypto skins.

Martin

[CUonCRUISE]

I just depositted 500 on party with code EPASS and got no bonus. Is it account specific? any help thanks.

[itsmarty]

Email them. I had to email PokerNow and it was entered within minutes.

Martin

[umdpoker]

did you use epassporte to deposit?

[CUonCRUISE]

thanks both of u 4 help. i emailed party and they told me i got it when i made my 1st deposit a year ago, no good. ill try it on skins now.

[CUonCRUISE]

This ihs great it has worked for first half of bonus on skins. Now I'm emailing them for second half. Are there any requirements for this? I see the money went straight into my account. It looks like a total freebee. Thanks to all!!

[itsmarty]

The Visa Electron card (physical Visa logo card from ePassporte to be used at ATMs and Point of Sale) was rejected at Costco this morning with the message "contact bank".

It's now been rejected for POS at a gas station, two local grocers, and a national chain (Costco). Pretty discouraging.

It's worked at Riggs Bank ATMs to get cash, so along with the speed of cashouts I still rank it above Firepay (even with the $35 fee to get the Visa Electron card). With the $300 limit (technically $320, but you have to allow for fees), it's a close call. Netteller isn't available in my state, so I have no comparison there.

Martin

[Izaak_Walton]

Good info--thanks. What state?

[moondogg]

[ QUOTE ]
It's now been rejected for POS at a gas station, two local grocers, and a national chain (Costco). Pretty discouraging.


[/ QUOTE ]

I though Costco never took any VISA cards. Don't they only accept AMEX?

[itsmarty]

[ QUOTE ]
I though Costco never took any VISA cards. Don't they only accept AMEX?

[/ QUOTE ]

They don't take credit cards other than AMEX, but they take Visa check cards (PIN entry required). I use my regular credit union Visa check card there all the time.

Martin

[itsmarty]

[ QUOTE ]
What state?

[/ QUOTE ]

Netteller doesn't give out cards to Maryland residents.

Martin

[Izaak_Walton]

Ok, so I initially followed the procedure laid out in the first post of this thread. Figured it was easier to just take the initial $50 from each of the skins that offer ePass. (Eurobet is definitely not in on this)

Naturally I was enraged (as any dedicated whore would be) to hear that others had received the 2nd $50.

Consequently I sent this email to each of the 5 skins:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>
Hello--

Last week I contacted you regarding the terms and conditions of the EPASS bonus.

Since the maximum bonus is $100, it appeared that I would have to make a $1000 ePass deposit in order to get it.

Since the transaction limit on ePass is $500, I asked if I could make 2 consecutive deposits of $500 each, which together would constitute a $1000 deposit, thus qualifying me for the full $100 bonus.

You told me NO. Accordingly I just deposited $500 and got a $50 bonus.

This morning I read on 2plus2 Internet Poker Forum that several people have just gone ahead and made the 2 $500 deposits (as I was going to do until you told me NO) and were credited with the second $50 of the $100 bonus after sending you an email request.

This is BLATENTLY unfair discrimination!!!

Consequently I would appreciate it if you would either:
(1) allow me to made another $500 EPASS deposit and credit me with the other $50 bonus; or
(2) explain to me why other people can get it and I cannot.

Thanks, regards, HERO
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>

Jane at PokerNOW initially "assured me that I would be satisfied" and then (next email)insisted that I must supply the PokerNOW usernames of at least 2 people who have gotten the bonus and then she would "assess the situation". Apparently she "forgot" about the initial promise that I would be satisfied (her modus operandi according to affiliates who have dealt with her). Bottom line: although people have said that they got the second $50 from PokerNOW, nobody wants to call attention to themselves and perhaps some hapless PokerNOW employee by stepping forward. I don't blame them. Anyway, write off PokerNOW.

The 4 remaining sites responded with messages like:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>




> Dear HERO,
>
> Thank you for contacting us.
>
> We understand your concern and request you to go ahead and make an other
> deposit of $500 and we will go ahead and issue you the remaining part of
> the bonus amount.
>
> We request you to write back to us once the deposit is made so that we can
> go ahead and assist you further.
>
> If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to
> contact our Customer Care Department at any time. We are here 24/7 to
> assist you via email.
>
> Thank you for choosing us as your online gaming site!
>
> GOODGUY
> Poker Customer Care
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>
OK, so I proceded to deposit another $500 to each of the 4 sites (one at a time) using code EPASS. Upon verifying that
the $$ was in my account at the site, I followed up with this email AS A REPLY TO GOODGUY'S email:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>

Hello--

In accordance with your instructions, I have just deposited $500 with EPASS.

Please credit my account with the $50 bonus.

Thanks, regards, HERO

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>

Of the 4, 2 responded like this:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>

Dear HERO,

Thank you for contacting us.

As already promised I am going ahead and issuing the bonus into your bonus account.

I would like to inform you that you have got a bonus of $50 in your bonus account.

To get this bonus, you have to play 250 raked hands by 06-JAN-2005 10:23 hoursEST.

We do not take rake for every single hand. Rake taken in a hand (if any) will depend on the following:
1) The stake of the table you are playing on
2) The number of active players on that table
3) The size of the pot in the hand you are playing

If the pot does not reach the minimum amount required to take the rake, there will not be any rake taken.

Please note that you have to play real money live games to accumulate your raked hands. Rake is not collected in tournaments. Be cautious about the expiry date and the number of raked hands to be played in order to get your bonus.

You can always check the status of your bonus and how many raked hands you have played, just by clicking on the **Cashier** option on our Lobby, and then clicking on **Bonus Account**.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Department at any time. We are here 24/7 to assist you via email.

Thank you for choosing us as your online gaming site

GOODGUY
Poker Customer Care
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>

I went ahead, played out and cashed out on these two.

From the remaining two, I received replies like this:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>

Hi HERO,

We are sorry for the wrong information given to you in our previous email. Please note that the EPASS bonus is a bonus of 10% maximum upto $50 and not $100. And we also see that you have already recieved the complete $50 for making deposit thru ePassport. Therefore, we will not be able to issue another $50 for another deposit thru ePassport.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Department at any time. We are here 24/7 to assist you via email.

Thank you for choosing us as your online gaming site!

BADGUY
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>

Upon receipt of the "badguy" messages, I simply resubmitted and received the "Yes, OK" reply after the first resubmission in both cases. (Note: when resubmitting after a rejection, do NOT "reply" to the rejection. Start as though you had not received the rejection.)

BOTTOM LINE: Another $200 for a net grand total of roughly $422 in bonus money. /images/graemlins/smile.gif MERRY CHRISTMAS, WHORES!!!!!!!!
/images/graemlins/smile.gif