Direct Banking

Unfortunately not. Pay now only works with a bank account that has been activated for online use. If you have not used online banking so far, please contact your bank. Usually, the account can be activated quickly and easily.

Please have the following data at hand: sort code/bank name, account number and online banking details (NOTE: not the 4-digit PIN code of your EC bank card / Maestro card). The transfer is usually authorised by a confirmation code (TAN). This code is provided by your bank e.g. in paper form (as a TAN list), sent by SMS (mTAN) or using a TAN generator. Whichever procedure is used by you or your bank, please have the required information or device (cell phone or TAN generator).

Yes. Pay now with direct banking works without any interim account. The purchase amount is directly transferred from your online banking account to the merchant’s account.

No. You do not have to register to use the Pay now with direct banking service. Simply select Pay now as the payment method in the checkout and let us guide you through the payment process.

Basically, you can use Pay now with direct banking with online-capable current accounts of almost every bank. You can even look up your bank in our payment wizard. Please bear in mind that you can only use your current account to make a payment by Pay now with direct banking – savings accounts, investment accounts, or financial accounts are not supported.

Usually no costs are incurred for using Pay now with direct banking in an online shop. This is also confirmed by the 2012 Online Payment Study carried out by the EHI Retail Institute which concluded that Pay now with direct banking (then known as Sofort Banking) is the online payment method for which merchants are least likely to charge a payment fee.

There are many advantages to Klarna’s direct banking payment method:

• No registration required
• Convenient pre-filling of the transfer form
• Direct payment to the shop as the amount is immediately transferred from the buyer’s account
• Secure payment by multi-level authentication with online banking details and confirmation code
• Merchant has no access to confidential online banking details

The main difference is that you do not have to register or set up a virtual account to use Pay now with direct banking. You just use your usual online banking details and your selected authentication procedure. The purchase amount is directly transferred from your online banking account to the merchant’s account. PayPal, however, is an e-wallet. This means that you receive a virtual account you have to maintain and load with a credit in order to be able to make a purchase.

When it comes to money, security counts above all else. That's why we designed Pay now with online banking to be one of the safest online payment systems possible. The online transfer is made using the established online banking login process combined with a confirmation code (TAN) that offers a high degree of protection from misuse as it can be used only once and then immediately becomes invalid. Entering your online banking login details, such as your PIN and the TAN, takes place exclusively in the secure payment form of Sofort GmbH and not on the merchant's website. This ensures that the merchant does not gain access to sensitive information (such as PIN and TAN). The transfer of data occurs only via connections secured with up to AES 256 bits. Sofort GmbH itself does not store any sensitive information (such as PIN and TAN), but carries out the transaction solely as a technical service provider. The sensitive details (such as PIN and TAN) are never visible to third parties, including Klarna or Sofort employees. To ensure the security of your information at all times, Sofort GmbH relies not only on its own expertise. TÜV Saarland regularly tests and certifies its procedures.