Milan Rabszski intends to show in detail what Sofort is and why this payment method has received a positive assessment in terms of using it on virtual casino sites.
In this article, the user will learn such information:
- detailed information about Sofort online system; internet banking certification etc;
- ways to use Sofort on the Internet;
- how to use Sofort for various online casino transactions;
- how to withdraw funds using a payment method;
- pros and cons of using Sofort in online casinos by Poles.
What is the Sofort payment method in South Africa?
Sofort appeared on the financial market in 2005 and was called Payment Network. This is a German payment system, the name of which in 2012 was changed to the one we know today – Sofort AG (Sofortüberweisung). This method in 2014 became part of the Klarna Group, which was formed in the same year as Sofort. In 2022, Te Klarna Group can boast of such statistics:
- Total number of active consumers: 147 000 000;
- Number of transactions per day: 2,000,000.
So you need to show how this method chosen by US and other consumers works. Sofort Banking is a payment method that organizes a transaction between you and your customer. Initially, it was designed with one-time payments in mind. This method is most used in Germany, although year after year many South African users also began to pay attention to it. In short, Sofort is a variation of bank transfer payments that allows customers to make payments from multiple countries through a banking environment they are familiar with. About 20,000 European Union banks support this system, which makes it easier for those who want to use payment services using their own banking environment. Currently Sofort Banking is available in the following countries: South Africa, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Australia. Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Finland, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States and others.
| Name of payment method | Sofort |
| Year of foundation Sofort | 2005 |
| operator | The Klarna Group |
| Year of establishment of the Klarna group | 2014 |
| CEO | Sebastian Siemiatkowski |
| Deputy Ceo | Knut Frängsmyr |
| Management committees | There are 5 management committees:credit and fraud, Capital, crisis management and audit and operational risk. |
| Address | Sveavägen 46, 111 34 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Organisation registration number | 556737-0431 |
| Security | Two-layer security system (PIN and TAN) |
| Certification | TUV |
| Investor support | Visa, Silver Lake, Permira, Sequoia Capital, Bestseller Group, Dragoneer, ant Group and atomico. |
| Number of employees in the company | 5000 |
| Availability of services | 25 countries |
| Availability of Sofort banking | Pioneer, Professional, Business and Corporate. |
| Currency | Mainly the euro. Additional currencies: CHF, GBP. |
| Key market | Germany, South Africa, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. |
| Use of payment | E-Commerce, one-time transactions. |
| Monthly transactions | 3 million transactions per month |
| Contact | Employees are available from Monday to Friday (9 am to 6 am) and on weekends from 10 am to 5 pm. You can call this number: 0043(0) 13800190(Austria), 00490 (0) 89248837690 (Germany). Also, you can always send a message to this address: [email protected] |
For which payments can Sofort be used?
Sofort received the support of several hundred different online stores, which allowed the system to carry out a lot of transactions per day. The most famous stores, such as iKea or interspar, use Sofort every day, because its services are free, and having several certificates is a guarantee of safety.
Currently, Sofort is used in such areas as business, shopping and iGaming. As you are going to pay for any product in the store, all you have to do is select the “Pay Now” option, next find your country in the list of all available countries, and therefore select the bank code through which you will make your transfer. The next step is to log in to Sofort and confirm such a transaction. We remind you that the code that will be sent to confirm the payment can only be entered once. All information about consumer purchases is placed in one section. In the case of running a business, the algorithm for using Sofort is similar. Your customers supposedly, as during simple purchases, log in to this online banking by entering their PIN and unique TAN number. Information about the transfer to your online bank account for the services can be seen in the mail, then you will receive a receipt on which will be placed the reference number, the amount and the project number. As for the gambling industry, here it is even more interesting.
You can always ask for help so that the Sofort employee can explain to you how to solve your problem, therefore, in the form on the main page, you should provide such data: your question, Name, e-mail, transaction ID, IBAN, amount (but optional) and describe your issue more broadly.
How to use Sofort in an online casino?
Using Sofort in casinos is a bit different similar to how we shop, but there are some differences. First of all, we want to emphasize that you need to have an account with one of the banking institutions that cooperates with Sofort. For example, Raiffeisen Bank and others. It is also important to check if the casino you are playing at accepts payments from Sofort. This option may not be available in the Payments section. Then you will not be able to deposit, because the casino simply will not accept such a deposit. If you find the Sofort system in the deposit section, select it and we will show you the full algorithm.
Before you start paying at the casino, you must first set up an account at Sofort. It should be done this way:
- Fill in the registration form by entering your personal data. Next, click on The “Register for free” Button and confirm the transaction using the message you will receive on your e-mail;
- When you click on the link in the message from Sofort employees, you will be able to create a password and access your personal account in the Sofort system;
- You already have an account. So, you can make a deposit. We also recommend checking the limits for a specific payment method, which are set individually by each casino. Sign up or log in to the online casino website and also check the bonus Terms and conditions to find out how much SAN you need to deposit to claim your start bonus and start playing;
- Once you decide what the deposit amount will be, select Sofort and enter all the necessary data in the form. Next, you will be redirected directly to the Sofort system, where you will need to enter your PIN and TAN code (you will receive this number when you create a Sofort account, the bank will provide you with all the data).
Withdrawal of funds via Sofort from online casino accounts
An important tip to get started when still deciding whether to use Sofort for casino games or not: we recommend choosing only one method for both deposits and withdrawals. In the case of Sofort, this is very convenient, because the data that you provided during the deposit of funds remain in the casino, and during the withdrawal they will automatically be used to use the system to transfer the winnings to the user's account. The algorithm is very simple:
- Log in to the casino again and select Sofort from the list. Enter the amount of winnings you intend to withdraw and confirm your bank details. Pay attention to the information about the maximum amount that can be withdrawn;
- The time of withdrawal of winnings can take up to several days, it all depends on the speed of verification of your account by casino employees and the amount to be withdrawn.
Security and soundness of the payment system
Everyone asks if using Sofort is safe or not. For the Sofort operator, the issue of safety is really the highest priority. You do not have to worry about this, because Sofort has a two-layer data protection system for its users, thanks to which the consumer himself should use PIN and TAN codes. The TaN Code provides protection against abuse. Also, codes should be entered only in the Sofort method form, and not on other sites (Store or casino). All information is transmitted using the AES 256bit algorithm. You also need to know that data such as PIN and TAN are not stored in the Sofort system. This System is only a provider of transactions between your bank and the institution where you want to make a payment. So, PIN and TAN data can never be seen by third parties. Even the employees of Sofort GmbH do not know about them.
In addition, the transaction number is only available once and you will not be able to use it again. When paying with Sofort, all your bank details are encrypted. In addition, it is worth remembering that Sofort is certified by the German company TÜV Rheinland Group.
Summary
We reviewed another popular payment system among Poles – Sofort. This is the so-called e-wallet, thanks to which you can quickly connect your bank account details with the casino and thus deposit the required amount. Based on which casinos accept this type of transactions, we have created a list of casinos so that you can safely choose the best of this ranking and play in safety.
Advantages of using Sofort in casinos:
- high level of security (PIN and TAN codes). Codes are disposable;
- transaction speed;
- creating an account in Sofort does not require personal data;
- the use of Sofort is free.
Disadvantages of using Sofort on gambling brand sites:
- not in all European countries this method is accepted;
- the withdrawal time is much longer than the Deposit time;
- not all casinos allow you to withdraw funds by using Sofort.
