How does Ukash work?
Ukash is electronic money. It enables you to exchange your
physical money for a voucher code which represents electronic money
of the same value. You can then use this money on the internet.
Ukash is a secure way to pay, as when you give your voucher code
to a genuine Ukash merchant we assure the payment to them, in the
knowledge that you used physical money to get it.
But you should treat your Ukash voucher code in the same way as
you treat your cash. Keep it safe and don't give it to anyone else
because, once used or lost, the value cannot be easily
recovered.
This is because Ukash is different to a bank account or a
wallet, such as PayPal. Your Ukash value is not held centrally in
an account that is linked to your identity; instead, the voucher
value is linked to the voucher code. Put simply, anyone who knows
the voucher code and the value can spend that value online.
The Ukash voucher
Let's take a closer look at the Ukash voucher:
This is the Ukash voucher code. It is unique to each voucher and
can only be used once. It is made up of 19 digits which you will
type into the payment page of a website to spend or send money.
This is the value of your Ukash voucher. It represents the
amount of electronic money that you have obtained. You will need to
type the voucher value, along with the voucher code, into the
payment page of a website to complete your transaction.
This is the Use By date. You will no longer be able to use the
voucher code after this date, typically 12 months, but always check
the voucher to make sure.
Voucher limits
Ukash is regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the UK
and operates under license across 6 continents.
To ensure we meet our regulatory requirements, Ukash is only
issued up to a maximum of EUR250 or £200 per voucher. The maximum
number of vouchers you may hold at any one time is 5 and the
maximum Ukash value is EUR1,250 or £1,000.
Managing your vouchers
Because we have designed your Ukash to work like cash, you can
also combine and split your Ukash voucher value into different
amounts. You can even convert your voucher value into a different
currency. This is all done via the Ukash Tools, for which you must
register on www.ukash.com .
You might want to combine multiple vouchers to create one larger
one to pay for a more significant item. Or, conversely, to split a
voucher into smaller amounts to use across multiple websites.
Either way, this is another flexible feature of Ukash
vouchers.
Using your vouchers
There are an ever increasing number of ways in which you can use
your Ukash voucher.
Spending it!
If you want to spend your voucher online at any of several
thousand sites, ranging from Games to TeleComs, then check the full
list here.
Loading it!
You can also use your voucher to load value into other online
accounts, e-wallets and prepaid cards. Check out the full list here.
Expanding it!
You can even convert your voucher into a Ukash NEO virtual
prepaid MasterCard®. The MasterCard® number is emailed to you
immediately and can then be used to spend anywhere that MasterCard®
is accepted online. Get your Ukash NEO card now.
Sending it!
Finally, you can send the value on your Ukash voucher to friends and
family in other countries. We are adding new ways of doing this all
the time so check out the options here.
There are also some things you should never do with your voucher
code. These include:
Sending it to someone else to settle an account or to pay a
fee
Using it to pay sellers or as an escrow service on sites like
Gumtree or eBay
Getting it from websites that are not listed on www.ukash.com
Spending it at websites that are not listed on www.ukash.com
All of these may lead to you losing your money as, with Ukash,
there is no buyer protection. You can see even more information on
our Security
Tips page.