Does Amazon Accept Skrill In 2026? (Your Full Guide)
Skrill is a popular digital wallet and online payment platform, widely used for gambling, gaming, and online shopping. But does Amazon, one of the world‘s largest retailers, accept Skrill as a payment method?
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about paying with Skrill on Amazon, including:
- An overview of Skrill and how it works
- Skrill‘s availability and market presence
- Benefits of using Skrill for payments
- Why Amazon currently does not accept Skrill
- The likelihood of Amazon ever taking Skrill
- Major retailers that accept Skrill payments
- Tips for paying on Amazon without Skrill
- And more!
Let‘s start by understanding exactly what Skrill is and how it allows users to store and transfer money online.
What is Skrill and How Does It Work?
Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, is an online wallet and payment processing service that allows users to send and receive money quickly over the internet. The Skrill wallet can be funded via bank transfer, debit cards, or other payment methods.
Here’s a quick overview of how Skrill works:
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Users sign up for a free Skrill account, adding personal details and linking a bank account or card to fund the wallet.
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Money can then be transferred into the Skrill account wallet from the linked bank account or card. Transfers are usually instant or within a few hours.
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Each Skrill account has an associated email address, account number, and IBAN for sending/receiving payments.
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To make payments, users simply log into their Skrill account online or via mobile app, enter the recipient‘s email/Skrill account details, and send money.
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Transferred funds can be held in different currencies, allowing easy international payments. Users can hold multiple currency wallets.
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Skrill charges relatively low fees for transfers and payments compared to bank wire transfers.
Overall, Skrill provides a quick and convenient way to store funds electronically and make payments worldwide. It‘s particularly popular for online gambling, gaming, marketplaces, and international ecommerce.
Skrill‘s Global Availability and Market Presence
Skrill is available in over 120 countries worldwide, with the ability to send payments in over 40 currencies. It has its highest adoption in Europe, but has been expanding globally over the past two decades.
Some key stats about Skrill‘s market presence:
- Has over 20 million registered accounts worldwide
- Processed $147 billion in payments in 2020
- Supports 120 payment options and 40 currencies
- Holds authorization/licensing as an e-money institution in the UK and European Union
- Used by over 150,000 merchants and businesses online
While smaller than giants like PayPal, Skrill holds significant market share in the digital/mobile payments space globally, particularly for online gaming, gambling, and entertainment sites. It continues to grow steadily as digital payments increase in popularity.
Why Use Skrill for Online Payments?
Skrill offers several benefits that make it an appealing online payment platform, including:
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Fast transfers – Send and receive money instantly or within hours, avoiding long bank wire transfer waits.
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Low fees – Skrill has competitive fees ranging from free to under 2%, much lower than typical bank fees.
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Multi-currency accounts – Hold and send funds in different currencies using the same account. Useful for international transfers.
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Payment processing integrations – Skrill has plugins and APIs for easy integration into merchant websites, marketplaces, and mobile apps.
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Security – Uses modern security like two-factor authentication and encryption to protect user accounts and transaction data.
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Consumer protection – Funds held in Skrill accounts have certain protections and insurance coverage in case issues arise.
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Mobile app – Android and iOS apps allow monitoring accounts and sending payments on the go.
The combination of fast transfers, easy integration, improved security, and mobile accessibility makes Skrill a preferred choice for certain segments like online gaming.
Does Amazon Accept Skrill Payments?
Now that we’ve covered the basics of Skrill, let’s get to the key question – can you use Skrill to pay on Amazon?
Unfortunately, Amazon does not currently accept Skrill as a payment method for any Amazon purchases.
Amazon only accepts major debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, and their own proprietary payment platforms like Amazon Pay. Skrill is not listed anywhere among the available payment options when you go to check out on Amazon.
This applies across all of Amazon‘s sites and services globally. So whether you are shopping on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon India or any other Amazon platform, Skrill cannot be used to pay for your purchase.
Why Doesn‘t Amazon Accept Skrill Payments?
Amazon has not officially commented on why Skrill is not supported, but we can make some educated guesses based on Amazon‘s business model and priorities.
Here are some likely reasons Amazon does not take Skrill:
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Focus on mainstream payment methods – Amazon caters to the mass market, so they support popular payment methods used by most consumers like Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, and bank transfers.
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Prioritizing own platforms – Amazon wants to encourage adoption of its own branded payment platforms like Amazon Pay rather than third party processors.
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Processing costs – Adding support for Skrill may not generate enough additional sales to be worthwhile for Amazon given implementation and processing costs.
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Smaller user base – Skrill has only 20 million accounts compared to Amazon’s 197 million customers worldwide. Limited crossover between user bases right now.
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High risk sector association – Since Skrill is commonly used for gambling sites, Amazon may see it as higher risk.
Essentially, supporting Skrill does not provide enough incentive for Amazon based on their strategic priorities and massive scale. Unless Skrill sees massive growth, Amazon is unlikely to spend resources adding it as a payment option.
Will Amazon Ever Accept Skrill?
Based on Amazon‘s history, it seems unlikely that they will add support for Skrill payments in the foreseeable future.
Amazon is generally slow to adopt newer or smaller payment platforms unless there is a very compelling incentive to do so. For example, Amazon only started accepting Apple Pay in 2022 despite Apple Pay being around since 2014.
For a new payment method to be considered by Amazon, it would need to reach mainstream adoption with strong consumer demand across Amazon‘s global customer base.
There are a few scenarios where Amazon may eventually accept Skrill:
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Skrill gains exponential growth – If Skrill‘s user base and payment volume expands significantly, Amazon may add it to tap this new pool of potential buyers.
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Partnership incentives – Skrill could potentially incentivize Amazon through promotional offers, discounted processing rates, marketing funds etc.
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Competitive pressure – If major competitors like Walmart and Target add Skrill as a payment option, Amazon may follow suit.
Barring these types of factors, Amazon is likely to stick to the status quo of prioritizing established payment methods and its own payment platforms when considering any new payment options.
Major Retailers That Accept Skrill Payments
Since Amazon does not accept Skrill, what other major retailers can you use it with? Here are some of the top merchants that accept Skrill as a payment method:
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eBay – Online auction and shopping platform owned by eBay.
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Etsy – Popular online marketplace for creative/handmade goods.
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Target – Major big box retailer also offering online shopping at Target.com.
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Walmart – World’s largest retailer by revenue that also operates the Walmart.com shopping site.
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Home Depot – Leading home improvement retailer that takes Skrill for online purchases.
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Wix – Website builder allowing customers to pay for premium plans via Skrill.
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Zynga – Mobile gaming company accepting Skrill for in-game purchases.
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Zynga Poker – Skrill supported for deposits/withdrawals on their real money poker app.
In addition to these, Skrill also lists over 150,000 merchants across multiple categories that accept their payment system. So Skrill account holders do have options for major online retailers even if Amazon is not one of them.
Other Popular Skrill Integrations
Aside from major retailers, here are some other popular platforms, services, and use cases where Skrill is accepted as a payment method:
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Online casinos – For gambling deposits and withdrawals. For example, BGO, Casimba, and Monster Casino.
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Sports betting – Depositing on sites like Betway, 10Bet, and Betrally.
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Cryptocurrency exchanges – Buying crypto assets on platforms like Coinbase, Kraken, and BitPanda.
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Forex trading – Making deposits for trading on Forex.com, Plus500, and eToro.
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MMO gaming – In-game purchases for MMOs like Guild Wars 2 and Elder Scrolls Online.
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Marketplaces – Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Envato for freelancers/creators.
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Streaming media – Subscription payments on sites like Twitch and Uscreen.
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Adult entertainment – Used by many camgirl/camboy sites for payments.
As you can see, Skrill has wide integration beyond just gambling sites into other digital entertainment, services, and marketplaces.
How to Pay on Amazon Without Skrill
If you frequently use Skrill and want to shop on Amazon, what payment methods can you use instead?
Here are the most common ways to pay for purchases on Amazon:
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Debit cards – Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club debit cards are accepted.
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Credit cards – Any Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Diner‘s Club, JCB, China UnionPay credit card will work.
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Gift cards – Redeem gift cards from Visa, Mastercard, or Amazon.
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Amazon Pay – Use your Amazon account balance or linked bank account/card.
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Amazon Store Card – Apply for the Amazon credit card to get 5% back.
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Amazon Secured Card – Build credit with security deposit and get 5% back.
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Amazon Rewards Card – Earn points on Amazon purchases with this Visa card.
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Buy Now, Pay Later – Amazon supports Affirm, PayBright, and Zip installment plans.
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SNAP EBT (select areas) – Use SNAP/EBT card on eligible grocery orders.
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FSA / HSA accounts – For eligible health products.
So Amazon does offer plenty of convenient payment options even if Skrill is not supported. The most popular choices are major credit cards, Amazon‘s own cards/balance, and debit cards.
Does Amazon Accept Skrill? Conclusion
While Skrill is a popular digital wallet and payment platform, especially among online gamblers and gamers, it is not currently accepted as a payment method on Amazon.
Amazon only supports major credit cards, debit cards, and their own branded payment systems like Amazon Pay. Skrill does not have enough incentive for Amazon to implement based on its smaller user base and niche usage.
It seems unlikely that Amazon will ever accept Skrill unless it sees massive growth or adoption among mainstream consumers. But Skrill users still have plenty of other online retailers that accept it, like eBay, Etsy, Target, and Walmart.
For Amazon purchases, typical payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, gift cards, and Amazon Pay can be used seamlessly instead. But the door is not completely closed should Skrill substantially expand its reach among online shoppers.