Giropay is a German online payment method which is based on the idea of online banking. The company was founded by the German Postbank, Star Finanz, Fiductia IT and GAD, and was introduced as a payment method in 2006. It works similar to the Dutch payment method iDeal, where the customer pays via bank transfer from their bank account to the online retailer they are shopping with.
Giropay uses real-time bank transfers, which means that all payments are 100% guaranteed as the money is transferred straight from the consumer's bank to the retailer.
Who can use Giropay?
Griopay can be used by German consumers who already have the facility to use internet banking with a bank that supports Giropay. Currently, over 1,500 German cooperative banks and Sparkassen allow their customers to use Giropay. This means that approximately 85% of all German customers can choose to pay with Giropay, and about 17 million German online banking customers.
If your bank does not support Giropay, there are many alternative ways to pay for your flights on Alternative Airlines.
How does Giropay work?
When at the checkout, you will be able to select Giropay as a payment method for your flights. The customer will then be able to select their bank from the list of German banks that are offering Giropay. Make sure that your flight search is in Euros.
They will then be able to review and check the payment details which have been pre-filled by the merchant, such as who is being paid and how much. Customers will then have to authorise the transaction, either by a transaction number sent via SMS, or by entering their PIN and account number.
The bank will then authorise this transaction in real-time, meaning the money is taken straight from the customer’s account and into the merchants account.