Accepting payments and understanding pay periods with Shopify Payments in Germany
This article outlines the process of accepting payments with Shopify Payments in Germany. Shopify Payments is a payment solution that allows businesses based in Germany to accept a range of payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, and UnionPay debit cards and UnionPay credit cards. In addition, you can also offer customers Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay payment methods.
Businesses in Germany that use the Shopify POS can also accept Interac debit cards for both contactless tap and chip plus PIN entry methods using the Tap & Chip card reader. Accepting Discover automatically allows your customers to pay with UnionPay and accepting American Express automatically allows yours customers to pay with JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) cards.
Businesses in Germany can also accept payments using Bancontact, and iDEAL.
Businesses in Germany using Shopify Payments can accept payments online and in person with Shopify POS. To accept payments in person with Shopify POS, you can use either of the following options:
- a Shopify-supported card reader with Shopify Payments
- an external card terminal with a third-party payment processor
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Key benefits and features of using Shopify Payments in Germany
Review the following key benefits and features when using Shopify Payments in Germany:
- Accept multiple payment methods: Shopify Payments allows you to accept major credit cards, providing a seamless checkout experience for your customers.
- Automatic setup: When you create your Shopify store with Shopify Payments activated, your store is automatically set up to accept major payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, and UnionPay credit cards and UnionPay debit cards.
- Automatic payouts: Funds from your sales are automatically deposited into your bank account on a regular basis, making it easy to manage your cash flow.
- Flexible card rates: The card rate for your transactions is based on your store's Shopify subscription plan. You have the flexibility to change plans whenever you need, allowing you to choose the pricing structure that best suits your business.
- Integrated with Shopify: As an integrated payment solution, Shopify Payments simplifies the management of your online store by consolidating your payment processing and order management in one platform.
- Secure Transactions: Shopify Payments ensures the security of your customers' payment information through advanced encryption and fraud detection measures, such as 3D secure checkout.
Currency considerations
The currency that your customers use to pay for their orders can be different from the currency of your payouts from Shopify Payments. Your store currency can be different from the currency of your bank account. Learn more about selling and getting paid in different currencies.
Fees for Shopify Payments in Germany
Shopify Payments fees are location-dependent and can vary. To get the most accurate and detailed information about fees, visit the plans and pricing page for Germany. This page provides a breakdown of the rates and fees associated with Shopify Payments based on your selected plan.
The plans and pricing page is accessible only in the language and currency specific to that country. If you need to translate the plans and pricing page, then you can use a browser extension, such as the Google Chrome extension.
View payment rates in your Shopify admin
If you already use Shopify Payments, then you can access information about the specific rates and fees applicable to your store location and chosen plan. For more details about applicable fees, you can access the Shopify Payments Terms of Service from your Shopify admin.
Steps:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
- In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage.
- View the rates that apply to different payment methods.
Pay periods in Germany
Your pay period refers to the amount of time between the date that a customer's payment is captured and the date that those funds are sent to your bank account. The date and time that a customer's payment is captured is recorded in UTC time. Funds from payments that are captured on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are grouped and sent together as one payment. The minimum amount that can be paid out for Shopify Payments accounts in Germany is €1 EUR. If there's a payout for less than this amount, then the payout stays in pending state until more funds are available to pay out.
In Germany, the pay period for transferring funds from your Shopify Payments sales to your bank account is 3 days. The actual timing for when the funds display in your account depends on your bank's processing times. You have the option to customize this pay period to a daily, weekly, or monthly payout schedule. You can't receive payouts on weekends or public holidays.
When you switch from one payout schedule to another, any pending payouts are delayed until the next applicable payout date under your new schedule. For example, if you normally receive payments weekly on Monday and you change your payout schedule to every Friday on the preceding Thursday, then your funds won't be available until Friday of the following week. You should avoid frequent changes to your pay period to prevent delays in receiving your payouts.
Learn more about scheduling your payouts.
View your payouts
You can view your payouts in the Shopify admin and review any transfers that are pending, in transit, paid, or failed.