The activation of the Girocard or old German “EC card” for Apple Pay, which was carried out by the savings banks almost a year ago, is now significantly upgraded with the addition of e-commerce. Previously, the stored cards could only be used in brick-and-mortar stores, but this restriction is no longer applicable , use local public transport or when parking in the city. When Apple Pay was introduced by the savings banks in August 2020, the integration was only designed for payment at the terminal in stationary retail as an alternative to the card.
The savings banks jumped on the Apple Pay train relatively late with the Girocard compared to many direct banks and credit cards, although Helmut Schleweis, President of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association, has a different opinion. “With the e-commerce capability of the digital girocard in Apple Pay, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe is once again underlining its innovation leadership in mobile payment products, which it impressively demonstrated with the market launch of Apple Pay at the end of 2019 and the integration of the girocard in August 2020 he said today.
Girocard for online shops and local transport
For customers of the savings banks, the change specifically means that the Apple Pay payment service can now also be used in online shops and within apps with a Girocard as a stored payment method. From the start, Flixbus, MediaMarkt, Bolt, Wolt, TooGoodToGo, GetYourGuide and Lieferando accept Girocard payments via Apple Pay. For the local transport companies, the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV), the Schleswig-Holstein Local Transport Association (NAH.SH) and VAG Nuremberg were brought on board. Further integration with Booking.com, Juwelier Christ, Cyberport, dm Drogerie Markt and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), among others, is in prospect for the summer.
Support also on iPad and Mac
The support is not limited to the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac are also included. Every payment is approved using Face ID, Touch ID or the device code. On a Mac without Touch ID, payment is released via the iPhone or Apple Watch, provided the Mac is signed in with the same Apple ID. On a Mac with Touch ID, support is limited to Sparkasse credit cards; this is not yet possible with Sparkasse debit cards.
Savings banks offer buyer protection
The extension is accompanied by online buyer protection for payments with the Girocard, which can be used, for example, if the goods ordered were not delivered, were damaged or got lost in transit. A separate website provides information about which individual services can be used with which card and what needs to be done to get the purchase price reimbursed.
Further payment service providers planned
The integration of Apple Pay support via Girocard in e-commerce is initially offered by the Payment Service Providers (PSP) Adyen, Computop and LogPay their online retailers. PAYONE, a joint venture between Worldline and the DSV Group, will join shortly after the market launch. Further PSPs are to be integrated as part of an extended market launch phase by the end of 2021.