Useful Tips for Using the Sofort Payment Method

One of the best things about Sofort is that it makes online payments a whole lot easier. With this payment method, transactions are fast and easy to carry out, plus your bank details aren’t required. Everything’s smooth, seamless and hassle-free.

To help you get the most out of Sofort, we’ve put together some tips. Have a read through these and use them so that you’ll benefit more from Sofort.

Make Sure You Can Use Sofort

If you haven’t already started using Sofort, you should make sure it’s available where you live. Also, you should check if your bank is part of the Sofort network. If it’s not, you won’t be able to use Sofort to make payments.

Banking Details

To make payments with Sofort, you simply need to enter your online banking details. As a general precaution, you should change the password for this every once in a while; several times a year, for example. In fact, you should do this with all your passwords.

The password you use for online banking should be strong. It should be quite long and consist of letters, numbers and characters. When creating passwords, don’t use common words or phrases; make them as random as you can, but still memorable.

Secure online banking.

Computers may ask you if you want your banking details saved. If you agree to this, you won’t have to enter them every time you use Sofort. Your computer will instead remember them and enter them for you. This isn’t recommended because if someone were to access your computer, they could use Sofort to make payments without your knowledge. Therefore, don’t get your computer to save sensitive information like banking details.

Safe Internet Connections

When using Sofort or any type of online banking, you should ensure your internet connection is trustworthy. Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks and other people’s hotspots, if possible. Instead, use your own Wi-Fi and your own data.

With public internet, you never know how safe it is. If you use your connection, at least you know there’s no risk of your details being compromised.

Checking Your Account

With Sofort, you can make online payments without having to directly access your bank account. Many people who use it get into the habit of not checking their balance regularly.

However, this is something you should be doing quite often. Log in every so often and make sure everything’s as it should be. Check your transaction history and make sure you know what all the payments are.

If you notice anything suspicious, change your password immediately and contact the bank. The sooner something is flagged, the sooner it can be sorted. This is why you should be checking your bank account frequently.

Quick and easy online payments with a mobile device.

Remember that Sofort takes money from your bank account. There has to be money in it for you to use Sofort. This is another reason for you to check your account regularly. After all, you wouldn’t want to use Sofort only for the transaction to be declined because of a lack of funds.

Sofort and Klarna

When you use Sofort, you may end up at a webpage run by Klarna. Don’t worry - this isn’t anything out of the ordinary. Klarna is another payment method that merged with Sofort. The company that was formed from the merger is called Klarna, though Sofort’s been able to continue operating without having to change its name.

Should you see the name Klarna anywhere when using Sofort, remember it’s just the company that owns it. Don’t let it put you off or anything.

Transaction Times

It’s worthwhile knowing how long it takes for transactions to happen. Before using Sofort - or any other payment method for that matter - you should check what the deposit and/or withdrawal times are. These can vary depending not only on the payment method but also on the site itself.

Regarding online gambling, Sofort deposits should reach casino accounts straight away. Instant deposit is similar to other payment methods such as Giropay. For more details, check out our detailed comparison between Sofort and Giropay. For withdrawals, however, you may have to wait a day or two. If your money doesn't reach your account within this timeframe, you should get in touch with someone.

First, head to the site that’s receiving the money and contact its customer support team. Hopefully, they should be able to get things sorted. If not, contact Sofort and/or your bank and see what they can do.

If the given wait time hasn’t yet passed, don’t contact anyone. You’ll probably just be told to wait and give the transaction time to reach its destination.

Phishing Attacks

Phishing is where third parties attempt to steal sensitive data and pass it on or sell it. People carry out phishing scams and if you know what these look like, you can avoid them. They do this by sending emails with links to fraudulent websites. They’re able to con people because the emails look authentic even though they’re not.

Sofort’s website mentions two ways you can check an email is from Sofort itself and not a ‘phisher’:

  • It should have a green security certificate at the beginning of the URL. This should have a lock symbol, which confirms it’s secure

  • Its URL must start with https://www.sofort.com/

If you receive a Sofort email and it doesn’t meet these two requirements, don’t open it.

Summary

For the best experience with Sofort, you should be sensible, know what you’re doing and keep on top of everything. Sofort is very reliable and shouldn’t cause you any problems. However, it’s always worth keeping your eyes peeled in case something out of the ordinary happens.