Sofort payments
Sofort is a direct and secure bank transfer payment method for Shopify Payments. When a customer selects Sofort as their payment method, they need to log in to their account and use a two-factor authorization code to verify the payment.
If you need to use SEPA payments, then you can use Sofort payments as an alternative to SEPA payments in Germany. SEPA payments aren't supported by Shopify Payments.
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Sofort requirements
Sofort is available only to merchants in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Sofort works only when Shopify Payments is active, and it doesn't work when Shopify Payments is in test mode.
Customers can pay using Sofort only when they're making payment in euros, and they're located in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, or Spain. You need to ensure that your store accepts EUR. If you're not already selling to these countries, then you can configure this in your multi currency settings within Shopify Markets.
Regions where customers can pay using Sofort
Merchants in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland can accept Sofort payments from customers in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain.
As of January 1, 2024, Sofort is no longer available as a payment method to customers based in Italy. Learn about Shopify Payments for Italy.
Payments with Sofort
With Sofort, the payment is authorized when a customer places an order and uses Sofort to pay. It can take up to 14 days for a payment authorization to process successfully on Sofort, and during this period, the order payment status is Payment pending.
A bank transfer from your customer’s bank account is initiated after the authorization completes. The bank transfer can take from 2 to 7 days, but usually takes 3 business days. Funds are not guaranteed until they have been received by you. When the payment status in the Shopify admin switches to Paid, the funds have transferred. You can decide whether you want to fulfill the order before you have received the funds, as the customer has in effect already paid the outstanding amount to Sofort.
Refunds and Cancellations with Sofort
If you cancel or refund a Sofort order before the payment is processed, the payment is voided, and then your customer is refunded. Refunding an order before payment capture has the following impact to the order:
- the order payment status is Voided instead of Refunded
- the Timeline section on the order details page displays the message Unable to refund followed by an amount and currency determined by Sofort
- the order isn't counted as a refund or cancellation in your reports and order filtering.
You can cancel or refund an order after the payment status is Paid to correctly refund or cancel the order.
A customer can't cancel a payment with Sofort after the payment has been authorized. The only way to reverse a transaction with Sofort is to refund the order. If you refund a transaction that was processed by Sofort, then you are not refunded the processing fee charged to you by Shopify Payments.
When a customer pays for an order using Sofort, a chargeback can't be filed for that order.
Sofort customer experience
When a customer visits your online store and makes a purchase, Sofort displays as a payment option during the checkout process.
If your customer wants to use Sofort to pay, then they select it in the checkout. When they select Sofort, they're redirected to their Sofort account to complete the purchase.