Trustly-style bank payments
Cardflo integrates directly with Trustly-style bank payment networks, offering a secure and immediate alternative to card transactions. This method facilitates direct transfers from a customer’s bank account, reducing fraud risk and chargebacks for merchants.
It streamlines the payment process, enhancing conversion rates.
- Category
- Methods
- Capabilities
- 10
- Available on
- All plans
The overview
Trustly-style bank payments, categorised as Account-to-Account (A2A) transfers, operate by bypassing traditional card scheme infrastructure.
Instead of relying on a cardholder's primary account number, these systems utilise Open Banking frameworks and PSD2 APIs to initiate credit transfers directly from a consumer's bank account to a merchant's account.
This architecture removes the necessity for card-linked intermediaries, potentially reducing the cost of acceptance for merchants by avoiding interchange and scheme fees. The technical flow involves a redirected authorisation where the payer authenticates through their bank's own secure portal, typically using biometrics or multi-factor methods.
Because the transaction is a push payment rather than a pull request, the merchant receives real-time confirmation of the transfer initiation.
This method is prevalent in Europe and the UK, integrated into the checkout flow as a primary alternative payment method for sectors prioritising high-value transactions or lower dispute rates.
How it works
Customer selects bank payment
During the checkout process, the payer chooses the bank transfer option. The merchant gateway triggers an API call to the provider, which presents a list of supported financial institutions.
The user selects their specific bank, initiating a secure redirection to the bank's digital interface or mobile application for identity verification.
Strong Customer Authentication flow
The bank requires the payer to complete Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) according to local regulatory standards. This usually involves a biometric scan or a one-time passcode.
Credential entry occurs within the bank's own environment, ensuring the merchant or third-party processor never handles sensitive online banking login details directly.
Direct credit transfer initiation
Once authorised, the bank initiates a SEPA Instant or Faster Payments transfer depending on the region. The funds are moved via the clearing house from the consumer's seat to the merchant's designated IBAN or virtual account.
This process occurs without the risk of card-related failures such as expired credentials.
Real-time status notification
The payment provider sends an immediate notification via webhook to the merchant's backend system. This verification confirms that the transfer is successful or pending.
This allows for instant order fulfilment, mimicking the speed of a card authorisation while ensuring the funds are technically committed by the issuing bank.
Why it matters
Mitigation of chargeback risk
Unlike card schemes that allow for Extensive dispute rights via the chargeback mechanism, A2A bank transfers are generally considered final. Because the payer must actively authorise the push payment through their bank, the capacity for 'friendly fraud' or claim for non-receipt is significantly curtailed.
This provides merchants with greater certainty regarding their final settlement figures and reduces administrative overhead associated with representment.
Optimization of processing costs
By circumnavigating the card networks, merchants can avoid the multifaceted fee structures involving interchange, acquirer markups, and scheme fees. Bank-led payments typically operate on a flat fee per transaction or a significantly lower percentage-based model.
This makes the method particularly attractive for high-ticket items where typical percentage-based fees would otherwise erode a substantial portion of the merchant's margin.
Higher successful authorisation rates
Traditional card payments may fail due to credit limits, expired cards, or aggressive fraud filters applied by the issuer. Bank payments rely on the actual liquidity available in the customer's current account.
If the balance is sufficient and the authentication is successful, the decline rate is typically lower than that of credit or debit cards, aiding overall conversion.
Use cases
High-value retail purchases
Merchants selling luxury goods or electronics utilise bank payments to avoid the high interchange costs associated with premium credit cards. The method also bypasses the lower daily spending limits often found on standard debit cards.
Travel and hospitality deposits
Airlines and booking platforms favour A2A transfers for large itinerary totals. The immediate confirmation allows for the instant issuance of tickets while ensuring the payment cannot be easily reversed via a card dispute once the service is rendered.
Financial services and wealth
Brokerages and investment platforms use these transfers for account funding. The direct integration with the user's bank allows for rapid deployment of capital into trading accounts, providing a more efficient experience than manual wire transfers or card deposits.
Subscription and recurring billing
While traditionally a one-off method, modern implementations allow for the setting up of mandates similar to direct debits, but with the benefit of instant verification and reduced failures compared to legacy clearing systems.
By the numbers
Typical reduction in transaction fees compared to standard credit card processing, depending on the merchant's existing interchange-plus arrangements and average transaction value.
Industry observation for bank-direct payments, assuming the customer has sufficient funds, as this method avoids many common card-specific decline reasons like expiry or theft flags.
Typical time for payment confirmation via SEPA Instant or Faster Payments, though actual availability of funds in the merchant account depends on the PSP's settlement cycle.
Related terms
Talk to our team about a live rollout on your acquiring stack.
What you get with Trustly-style bank payments
- Supports SEPA Instant and UK Faster Payments for near-instant liquidity and settlement.
- Reduces operational costs by eliminating interchange and scheme fees from the payment flow.
- Minimises dispute management requirements as bank transfers rarely support traditional chargeback procedures.
- Increases transaction security by utilizing bank-grade biometric and multi-factor authentication protocols.
- Improves mobile conversion through seamless redirection to a customer's banking application.
- Facilitates larger transaction values that often exceed standard credit or debit card limits.
- Provides a deterministic payment status to the merchant, allowing for immediate digital goods delivery.
- Eliminates the risk of failed transactions due to expired, lost, or stolen plastic cards.
- Enhances trust by allowing customers to pay within their own bank's familiar interface.
- Simplifies cross-border reconciliation through unified API endpoints for various European banking markets.
A short scoping call, then a written plan for your MIDs.
Questions about Trustly-style bank payments
What is the primary difference between Trustly-style payments and standard bank transfers?
Standard bank transfers often require the customer to manually enter payment details, such as an IBAN and reference number, into their banking portal, which is prone to manual error and slow reconciliation. Trustly-style payments use API-led Open Banking technology to automate this process.
The payment details are pre-populated, the connection is established via an authorised provider, and the merchant receives a real-time notification of the transfer. This automation allows for immediate order processing, whereas traditional transfers might take days to be manually verified by a finance team.
How does the chargeback process work for bank-led A2A payments?
In the card industry, the chargeback mechanism is a consumer protection feature that allows cardholders to dispute transactions through their issuer. For A2A bank payments initiated via PSD2 or Open Banking, there is no equivalent scheme-wide chargeback right.
While a consumer might contact their bank to report fraud, the 'push' nature of the payment means the funds are transferred with explicit consent.
This makes the transactions significantly harder to reverse, providing merchants with a higher level of finality compared to credit or debit card transactions.
Are there limits on the amount a customer can send via this method?
Transaction limits for bank payments are generally determined by the specific bank's own transfer limits and the underlying clearing system, such as the €100,000 cap for SEPA Instant in the Eurozone.
However, these limits are often substantially higher than the daily transaction or credit limits imposed on retail payment cards.
Merchants processing high-value orders find this beneficial as it reduces the likelihood of a 'limit exceeded' decline, though the actual available liquidity in the customer's account remains the primary constraint.
Does this payment method require the merchant to have an account at each bank?
No, the merchant does not need an account at every bank. The payment provider or PSP acts as a technical layer that consolidates these connections.
The funds are typically collected into a settlement account managed by the provider or sent directly to the merchant's existing corporate account.
The provider handles the complex task of integrating with thousands of different bank APIs across various jurisdictions, presenting a single integration point for the merchant's checkout and reporting.
What is the impact on checkout conversion when adding bank payments?
Adding bank payments can improve conversion by catering to demographic preferences, particularly in markets like Germany, the Netherlands, or the Nordics where card usage for e-commerce is lower than elsewhere. By offering a familiar banking login, merchants reduce the friction of entering long card numbers.
However, the redirection to a banking app can sometimes lead to drop-offs if the bank's interface is not mobile-optimised. Generally, for high-ticket items, the added security can increase trust, leading to a net positive effect on completed sales.
Is a Trustly-style payment considered a PSD2 regulated service?
Yes, these services are typically classified as Payment Initiation Services (PIS) under the PSD2 and the evolving PSD3 framework in Europe. The providers must be authorised and regulated by their national competent authority to access bank APIs.
This regulatory oversight ensures that the provider adheres to strict security standards for handling financial data and that they only initiate payments with the explicit, informed consent of the end-user for each specific transaction.
Related features.
Ready for velocity?
Tell us about your business. We'll match you with the right acquiring partners and the right route, typically inside a week.