Giropay is an instant banking system founded in Germany in 2005 by a consortium composed of Postbank, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe and Fiducia & GAD IT AG financial group. Since it’s a local German payment method available mainly to Germans at the moment, Giropay aims to provide all users in the country with efficient and safe payment method services. Giropay transactions are conducted almost instantly, there are no significant fees charged and you don’t even need to register for the service. Since it’s not like the payment is available everywhere, here’s the most updated list with all the top Giropay online casinos out there.
Which Banks Allow Giropay Casino Transactions?
Giropay is used by over 35 million users in Germany and is quite popular on German casinos. The company has partnerships with various banks and credit institutions resulting in a coverage of over 85% of the consumer market and almost all banks operating in Germany except for some from the private sector. As Giropay Sparkasse came from a collaboration between Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, Postbank and IT service providers of Volksbank and Raiffeisen bank, it goes without question that you can use the payment with these banks.
Giropay is also accessible via DZ Bank, Comdirect and DKB. As announced by Giropay, Deutsche Bank and HypoVereinsbank are expected to jump the bandwagon soon and join numerous other banks supporting Giropay casino transactions.
Moreover, Giropay agreed on an interoperability merger with the Austrian EPS Online-Überweisung payment system in 2014, so now both systems can operate on a single interface, thus expanding Giropay’s reach to Austria.
No time-consuming registrations
One of the most significant advantages of Giropay is that you are not required to set up an additional account. If you want to make a deposit in an online casino, you will be automatically redirected to your bank’s online account page by Giropay. There, you will enter your bank account data and PIN to finalize the transaction. For deposits over €30, you will be required to enter TAN (Transaction Authentication Number) as well.
Giropay via Postbank: A step-by-step transaction example
Let’s take the well known German institution, Postbank as an example of how to complete a deposit via Giropay:
- First, head to your preferred online casino and log in with your casino details.
- Find the Cashier section of the casino where you can make deposits to your casino account and choose the amount you want to deposit.
- Click on the Giropay tab in the Cashier section.
- You will be redirected to Giropay’s payment page where you will choose Postbank and be further redirected to the bank’s login page.
- Input your login credentials and confirm the transaction by inserting your PIN/TAN. (TAN is required for deposits over €30)
- Your funds will immediately and directly be transferred from your bank account to the casino.
All transactions are processed immediately and the minimum deposit limit is set at €20, while the maximum is capped at €5,000.
Online casinos with Giropay: Do they charge any fees?
When it comes to Giropay fees, there aren’t any from the part of the online casino. However, there is a flat fee of €0.08 attached to all Giropay transfers that the payment charges but it’s considered a low fee compared to other payments. Also, some banks might charge an additional processing fee (between 0.9% and 1.2%) of the transferred amount but you will need to contact your own institution to be sure.
Lowest Fees Giropay CasinosMy casino doesn’t offer this payment: What alternatives are there?
In case your casino doesn’t offer Giropay, there are other options that you can use. Some of these alternatives are highly popular in Germany and among local players, including Klarna (Sofort) and PayPal.
Topping up Paypal via Giropay
The Giropay-Paypal cooperation is one of the greatest advantages of this payment method as you can use Giropay to fund your PayPal account and then fund your casino account from PayPal. You can transfer between €50 and €1,000 from Giropay to PayPal instantly and free of charge.
Giropay vs Klarna (Sofort)
Giropay and Klarna (Sofort) are online payment systems that operate on much of the same principles, with a few minor differences. For example, when making a transaction with Giropay, you don’t have to provide your PIN or TAN to a third party service provider. On the other hand, with Klarna (Sofort), you won’t be redirected to the bank’s site to perform the transaction, so you have to provide your PIN/TAN to an intermediate, meaning the casino. Klarna is available in more countries than Giropay which, at the moment, is solely present in Germany, with planned expansion to Austria and other countries in the region.
Giropay vs Bank transfer
Compared to the traditional bank transfer, Giropay is a much faster method for funding your casino account since the transactions are almost instant. In contrast, bank transfers usually take considerable time to complete. Also, with Giropay, you don’t have to provide any bank data to the casino provider, while depositing straight through your bank requires you to divulge your bank account number and possibly even your CVC code.
Should I choose to play with Giropay or not?
In case it’s not clear to you by now whether this payment is worth your time or not, we decided to give you the bird’s eye view on what it has to offer. We break down below all the positives and negatives of it, so that you can make a more informed decision.
Advantages
Giropay is very popular among the casino gambling community in Germany thanks to the many advantages it offers. It is a safe and secure payment method that operates on SSL-encryption with extended validation certificates, plus PIN and TAN protective layers. Also, the transactions are performed with banks directly, which adds to the safe environment of Giropay.
Furthermore, you don’t need to register an account at Giropay to make payments — everything can be completed with your existing online banking account from the majority of German banks that already participate in the program. In addition, the casinos don’t charge fees for deposits, so you don’t have to worry about splashing your money around.
Disadvantages
However, there are some drawbacks when using Giropay. Namely, only players from Germany and Austria can use its services to make deposits in online casinos. Also, even more off-putting is the fact that Giropay is not available for withdrawals. If you wish to withdraw your winnings, you’ll have to turn to other methods.