Skip to content
English
Go to PAY.NL
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

WERO, All Your Questions Answered

This document brings together the most frequently asked questions about Wero, the new European payment method from the European Payments Initiative (EPI).

General Information about Wero

What is Wero?

Wero is a European payment method developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI). Payments run directly from account to account (account-to-account) via SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst). Wero is being launched in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Consumers pay via the Wero app or via a Wero wallet built into their own banking app, with strong customer authentication (SCA).

How does a Wero payment work?

Every Wero payment goes through four steps:

  • Consent: the customer approves the payment in the wallet.
  • Authorization: the customer's bank authorizes the payment and issues a payment guarantee to the acquirer.
  • Capture.
  • Settlement: processing in real time via SCT Inst.

For the customer, the process works as follows:

  1. Select Wero at checkout.
  2. Open the Wero wallet via a link or QR code.
  3. Check and approve the payment.
  4. The payment is complete.

Which payment types does Wero support?

Single Immediate Payment
A one-off, direct payment. This is the most commonly used type and is comparable to an iDEAL payment.

Event-dependent Payment
The payment is executed as soon as a pre-agreed event occurs, such as shipment or delivery. The amount is reserved for a maximum of 10 days and then automatically debited.

Subscription
Recurring payments (weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually). Consumers manage their subscriptions and consent themselves in the wallet.

QR Payments

  • Dynamic QR codes (valid for 10 minutes).
  • Payment links and invoice QR codes (valid for 12 weeks by default, maximum 24 weeks).
  • Offline QR codes (single-use, do not expire).
  • Static QR codes (reusable, for example for donations, vending or EV charging).

Is the payment status available immediately, as with iDEAL?

Yes. The payment status is available immediately and does not depend on a reconciliation status, unlike Pay by Bank.

Availability and Coverage

Who can currently pay with Wero if I enable it?

Currently mainly consumers from Germany and customers of a few Belgian banks.

In Germany, the largest banks are connected, including Deutsche Bank, DZ Bank and Sparkasse. As a result, coverage there is already high. In Belgium, coverage is still limited.

Advice: currently activate Wero mainly for webshops (specifically) targeting Germany. For the Dutch market, iDEAL remains the most suitable payment method for now.

Can business account holders pay with Wero?

No. Wero is currently only available for consumers.

Still unclear: it is not yet known when business accounts will be supported.

Can high-risk merchants use Wero?

Not yet. Wero is currently only available for regular (low-risk) merchants.

For high-risk merchants, additional certification of the PSP via EPI is required. Onboarding of high-risk merchants is possible from 1 July 2026

 The list of high-risk categories can be found on the WERO detail page. 

What is Wero's conversion rate at the moment?

WERO is currently still in an early adoption phase. As a result, a lower conversion rate compared to established payment methods such as iDEAL is not unusual. Many consumers still need to activate WERO in their banking app, and not all banks support the payment method yet.

In addition, WERO is currently used mainly in Germany, a market where online payment conversion is traditionally lower than for iDEAL in the Netherlands. As a result, a direct comparison with iDEAL is not yet representative at this time.

As iDEAL is increasingly processed via the WERO infrastructure (EPI) and adoption among banks and consumers grows, a more reliable picture of performance and conversion will emerge.

At this time, no representative market-wide reports or benchmarks are yet available for WERO conversion.

Rates and Payout

Where can I find the Wero rates?

 For merchants with an existing iDEAL pricing agreement or iDEAL commitment, the same commercial terms apply to domestic Dutch payments as for iDEAL. As a result, the rates for Dutch payment transactions remain unchanged. 

How long do the incentive rates apply?

The incentive rates apply up to and including December 31, 2028.

Why is there a rate difference between transactions above and below €50?

The costs for WERO are partially capped. Above a certain transaction amount, a fixed rate therefore applies instead of a percentage. To keep the rates clear, we have incorporated them into simple and transparent all-in rates.

This rate structure does not depend on the country in which the payment takes place. WERO's principle is to ultimately apply the same rate structure in all participating countries.

What is the difference between Single Immediate Payments and Advanced Payments?

Single Immediate Payments
One-off, direct payments (comparable to iDEAL or donations).

Advanced Payments
Future functionality for, among other things:

  • reservations;
  • deferred payments;
  • repeat payments.

Higher rates apply to these functionalities.

What is the payout schedule for Wero transactions?

The payout schedule is part of the commercial agreements and can be found in your dashboard.

Payment Guarantee, Chargebacks and Disputes

Is a Wero payment guaranteed, just like with iDEAL?

Not entirely. An authorized Wero payment does come with a payment guarantee from the bank to the acquirer, but – unlike iDEAL – it does support chargebacks and disputes.

This means a consumer can dispute a payment afterwards.

How does Wero's dispute process work?

Wero uses a pre-dispute process.

  • A consumer can start a pre-dispute within 120 calendar days (up to 540 days for some MCCs).
  • This applies to transactions from €10 (with exceptions for certain MCCs).

The merchant and consumer are then given 30 days to reach a solution together.

The merchant can:

  • accept the claim;
  • issue a full or partial refund;
  • offer a replacement;
  • offer an alternative (for example a voucher);
  • request additional information.

Escalation to a chargeback is possible when:

  • the merchant rejects the claim;
  • the merchant does not respond within seven days;
  • no agreement is reached within thirty days.

Common dispute reasons include:

  • product or service not received;
  • product defective;
  • product differs from the description;
  • refund not received;
  • unauthorized transaction;
  • duplicate charge or incorrect amount.

A fully refunded transaction can no longer be disputed.

Does PAY receive the disputes and forward them to the merchant?

Yes. This works the same way as with credit cards, Klarna and PayPal. 

What about refunds?

Refunds are fully managed by the merchant via the PAY Dashboard.

EPI does not impose a maximum period within which a refund must be issued, nor does it set a maximum amount.

Refunds are processed via SCT Inst (SEPA Instant Credit Transfer). As soon as the refund has been processed, it is immediately visible in the consumer's bank account or wallet, depending on support from the bank. 

Does the chargeback right apply to all merchants and all types of payments?

No.

EPI has two categories of exemptions:

  1. MCCs for which no disputes are possible at all.
  2. MCCs for which only fraud and duplicate-payment disputes are possible.

Invoice payments fall outside the regular commercial chargeback process.

You can find the relevant MCC codes in the disputes article. 

Can Dutch consumers already start commercial disputes now?

A transitional arrangement applies to Dutch consumers.

Until January 1, 2028 they cannot start commercial disputes.

Fraud and duplicate-payment disputes remain possible.

Still unclear: this transitional arrangement is still awaiting final confirmation from EPI.

Who ultimately decides in a dispute?

A dispute is assessed by the payer's bank, which can determine, based on the conversation with the recipient, whether the dispute is converted into a chargeback. From that point on, PAY will determine whether this chargeback is approved, or whether we object on behalf of the recipient. Ultimately, it is EPI that gives the final decision in the event of disputes. 

Who bears liability when a chargeback is awarded?

The expectation is that the merchant loses the amount within the payment flow, while the underlying claim continues to exist legally and must be collected outside the payment system.

Technology and Integration

Do I need to technically adjust my integration with PAY for Wero?

No, not immediately.

Wero also works via existing integrations.

At what level is Wero activated?

Wero is set up at sales location level. Wero can be requested and activated per sales location because MCC codes can differ.

Do I get insight into the IBAN used by the payer?

Yes. PAY retrieves the IBAN and adds it to the transaction afterwards, so it is visible to the merchant. According to WERO's rules, it is not permitted to use this IBAN data for anything other than processing the payment. Using this data to set up direct debits for memberships or other validations is therefore not permitted. 

Do physical payment terminals need to be replaced for Wero?

Probably not, Wero is also being developed for physical payments. Modern Android payment terminals are expected to receive support via a software update. At this time, Wero is not yet available on physical payment terminals