ACH, the Automated Clearing House, is a financial service that was started in 1972 by the Federal Reserve Banks. This was to meet the needs of local ACH associations members. Today individuals, businesses, government organizations, and financial institutions across 50 states in the United States, the US territories, and Canada use the ACH Network as an electronics payment network. Online poker players are enjoying ACH on poker sites that accept ACH for the costs are lower compared to traditional paper payments and the cash management capabilities are better.

ACH electronic payments come in handy when you want to transfer money between two US checking accounts. This means only US checking account holders are allowed to use ACH. You use an ACH direct bank transfer or electronic check. For online casino players, it is both a deposit and withdrawal method.

You complete the payment procedure by first voiding a check from your checkbook and copying the checking account number, check number, and routing number to an electronic check. You write the check in the normal way but then make it invalid by adding VOID. This check becomes your receipt. You then get an electronic check from the online casino by providing the required info on your voided check, which will usually depend on the casino’s banking interface. The basic info is your full name, address, type of checking account, transfer amount, check number, and your bank’s routing number or 9 digit ABA. You will find these numbers located on the bottom of the voided check. You may be asked to email or fax a copy of the voided check.

In 3-5 business days, your ACH direct bank transfer should be cleared and available in your ACH poker site. Some casinos that accept ACH credit accounts instantly while others credit them after clearance of the transfer. For withdrawals, the transfer has to be cleared first.

A big advantage ACH has over Bank Wire is that there are no fees charged for using ACH electronic payments.