In The Netherlands we are very familiar with the option of iDeal, but abroad other payment methods are leading.
One of these payment methods is Sofort, which is very well-known in Europe and especially in Germany it is often used. How does Sofort work and why is it also the ideal payment method for you?
Fast, easy and often used
Sofort is a typical European payment method that you’ll encounter more and more at an online casino. With more than 20 million users you can imagine how well it works. Where iDeal is almost always offered in the Netherlands, this possibility is often absent at foreign websites or web shops and so you have to look for something else.
Sofort has a similar interface, but is perhaps even more user-friendly than iDeal. The most important elements of your upcoming transaction are already filled in and that is a quick and easy way to work;
- The amount you want to transfer
- The description of the transaction
- The beneficiary or address you are transferring the transaction to
Sofort’s auto-filled interface works faster, but is still very reliable. All you have to do is verify the transaction. If all the details of the transaction are correct, you can quickly proceed to transferring your desired amount.
This prevents you from making human errors such as entering the wrong account number or adding a zero too much to the amount. Sofort is simple, fast and reliable.
Sofort is now also known as Klarna
How does Sofort work?
Sofort is the German word for instant and that’s exactly what you get. Your transaction can take place immediately without too many additional actions. With Sofort, however, you still use four fixed steps:
- 1) You select the country and name of your bank
- 2) Before the transaction can be made, the customer must log in. Then you enter the secure environment of the payment agreement.
- 3) As a customer you confirm the transaction with your pin code or card reader (Reader)
- 4) After completing the transaction you receive a confirmation or proof of transfer
- 5) The transaction is subject to a 0.9% transaction fee on the amount to be transferred, plus an additional 0.25 euros for each transaction
Extra steps to take into account
When you get to the first step, which is selecting your country/region and choosing your bank, you don’t have a time-out value within which you have to have made the choice. This is the case in the second step. From the moment you need to log in you have exactly 6 minutes for security reasons.
Then you press next and you can possibly use a TAN number (Transaction Authentication Number). You will get 5 to 10 minutes to do this before the time-out time starts.
The time-out time within Sofort can vary from bank to bank. In many cases you will be warned about the time-out time within the transaction interface.
In which countries is Sofort available?
Of course, you want to be able to pay with Sofort anywhere and anytime. Although you can use this payment method in the main European countries, Sofort is not yet an accepted payment method everywhere.
Outside The Netherlands Sofort is a valid payment method in the following countries; Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, England, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
Sofort Banking
Sofort Banking is a German payment method that has the TÜV certificate, which is a generally reliable seal of approval to show that the payment method can be trusted excellently, especially when it comes to privacy sensitive information and the retention of personal data.
Payments via Sofort are generally faster than with other well-known payment methods and it is therefore equally reliable. Now you are naturally curious whether your bank also offers the option for Sofort. Good news; the major Dutch and Belgian banks offer you the possibility to settle transactions with Sofort;
- The Netherlands: Rabobank, ING, ABN Amro, Friesland Bank and SNS Bank.
- Belgium: Fortis, Dexia Bank, AXA, KBC and the Belgian ING
Fast and secure
Sofort Banking is, as said before, extremely safe. To this day, no cases of fraud have come to light with Sofort and the ease of use is still very high. If in the future there should be any fraud within transactions that you fulfill, Sofort has taken out insurance for you. In this way you can be sure that you will not lose money unnecessarily as a result of fraud. Payment after a transaction with Sofort takes place within two working days, but often faster.
Advantages and disadvantages of Sofort
- Most of the details of the transaction are already filled in for you
- Available in 12 different European countries
- Data and privacy are kept safe
- Interface within the website where you are doing a transaction, so no redirections
- Not all banks support Sofort
- Relatively high cost per transaction