What merchants should know about account-based checkout payments
Online customers expect a checkout that works quickly, feels familiar and avoids unnecessary friction. At the same time, merchants need payment methods that are reliable, efficient and economically viable, especially when larger basket values, digital business models or platform payments are involved.
Pay by Bank brings familiar bank payments directly into the online checkout. Customers pay through their usual online banking, while merchants receive quick clarity on the payment status after authorisation. This makes the payment method an interesting addition for online shops, platforms, marketplaces, as well as crowd and investment models.
What is Pay by Bank?
Pay by Bank is an account-based online payment method. The payment is prepared in the checkout and then authorised in the customer’s online banking. The required payment information is automatically transferred from the online shop. The customer does not have to create a bank transfer manually, copy an IBAN or enter payment details by hand.
How Pay by Bank works in the checkout
The payment process is simple for customers:
- The customer selects Pay by Bank as the payment method in the checkout.
- They then select their bank.
- They are redirected to their bank’s online banking.
- Amount, payment reference and recipient details are already pre-filled.
- The customer checks the details and confirms the payment via TAN or banking app.
This clearly distinguishes Pay by Bank from traditional advance payment. With advance payment, the customer has to create the bank transfer manually. With Pay by Bank, the payment details are transferred automatically, reducing input errors.
Benefits of Pay by Bank for merchants, platforms and crowd models
For merchants, platform operators and crowd models, the following points are particularly relevant:
Fast payment confirmation: After successful authorisation, the merchant receives timely feedback on the payment and can continue processing orders, reservations or digital services.
Less manual effort than with advance payment or SEPA: Amount, payment reference and recipient details are automatically transferred from the checkout. This reduces input errors and can have a positive impact on conversion.
No traditional credit card chargebacks: Pay by Bank is not a card payment. This means there is no additional chargeback risk from the credit card process itself. Statutory consumer rights, such as withdrawal rights for online purchases, remain unaffected.
Suitable for higher individual amounts: Credit card payments may be subject to limits. Pay by Bank is based on the possibilities and requirements of the payer’s bank and can therefore be particularly relevant for larger amounts in crowd, investment or platform contexts.
Cost-effective addition to credit cards: Especially for higher amounts or larger transaction volumes, Pay by Bank can be more cost-effective than a card payment. Credit cards remain important, especially in European and international business; Pay by Bank complements the payment mix where direct bank payments are a better fit.
Who is Pay by Bank suitable for?
Pay by Bank is particularly suitable for business models where direct bank payments, fast payment confirmations or larger individual amounts play an important role.
These include:
- Online shops with larger basket values
- Platforms and marketplaces
- Crowd and investment platforms
- Providers of digital services
- Business models that want to reduce advance payment or manual SEPA processes
For traditional online shops, Pay by Bank can be an alternative to manual advance payment. For platforms, marketplaces and crowd models, the main advantage lies in the combination of direct bank payment, quick feedback, lower costs and suitability for higher amounts.
Integrating Pay by Bank with secupay
With secupay, merchants and platform operators can add Pay by Bank as an additional payment method in their checkout. The payment method is available through existing integrations, including Shopware, WooCommerce and JTL. Platform operators, marketplaces and individual business models can also connect Pay by Bank directly via the secuconnect API. The solution is based on Open Banking and PSD2; the technical implementation is carried out in cooperation with Mastercard.
Transaction data can be managed and processed as usual via secuOffice, the secupay user backend.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Pay by Bank
Pay by Bank is an online payment method that allows customers to pay directly via their own online banking.
No. With traditional advance payment, the customer creates the bank transfer themselves. With Pay by Bank, amount, payment reference and recipient details are automatically transferred from the checkout.
Pay by Bank can be a more cost-effective alternative to credit cards for merchants and platforms, especially for higher amounts or larger transaction volumes. The specific costs depend on the respective contract and integration model.
Pay by Bank is not a card payment. This means there is no traditional credit card chargeback from the payment instrument itself. Statutory consumer rights, such as withdrawal rights for online purchases, remain unaffected.
Pay by Bank is particularly suitable for online shops, platforms, marketplaces, as well as crowd and investment platforms. The payment method is especially relevant where direct bank payments, larger individual amounts and fast payment confirmations are important.
Integration takes place via existing shop modules, for example for Shopware, WooCommerce and JTL, or directly via the secuconnect API.
