In the Netherlands we use IDEAL for virtually everything. And I notice that some american companies don’t seem to get that supporting IDEAL on your website is a must to get users in the Netherlands, because people here refuse to use credit cards. (amazon and nebula/curiosity stream are the ones I am getting frustrated with.)
this got me thinking, how do people in other european countries pay for monthly subscriptions? do you use credit cards or do you have something similair to IDEAL?
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Direct debit / standing order. I am not sure what IDEAL is, and why I shouldn’t just rely on direct debit through my bank instead?
For online services my answer from [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEurope/comments/rqqsv9/z/hqc8pic) applies, for things like utility companies standing orders (“Dauerauftrag”) or you allow companies to deduct money from your account directly (“Einzugsberechtigung”).
Debit card or direct bank transfer of course.
Yes, we have a similar system, where you choose your bank and are then redirected to your banksite with the payment info pre-submitted, just type pin1 to log in and pin2 to confirm and done. No idea if they have a company name behind it (like your iDEAL), but if they do, they do not market it.
I had forgotten that the default way to pay via a bank transfer is to get a pdf on your e-mail and then fill in the payment by yourself. Some rare cases do want it and I suspect water bills and such actually might, depending on the provider and home details.
That being said, i don’t have any subscriptions. I do have a shared Spotify account that I do not pay for and I suspect that one is from the credit card, right?
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Credit/debit card or at most PayPal but e-commerce is not very popular here. I have no idea of what ideal is too
Card for everything where it is possible. Wire transfer for the rest
Direct debit, mostly. I have a couple of streaming services on my debit card, but there’s a new system in place that allows me to block future payments in my banking app. Some card subscriptions are notoriously hard to cancel.
Monthly bills are paid via _domiciliëring_ which is not the same as a standing order, but similar. Basically you give permission to the creditor to debit your bank account. Unlike a standing order, the amount is not fixed and it is the creditor that initiates the transaction.
Netflix I pay with PayPal although I think they now also have an option for Bancontact/domiciliëring, would need to check.
For foreign subscriptions I use a credit card. I think that I would use it even if a domestic “recurring bill” option was available (but Finland is such a small market that I don’t really expect Adobe to offer our payment methods). For domestic subscriptions and similar I use a mix of credit card, debit card and recurring direct debit type of thing. There are some bills I choose to get that could be automatic transfers as sometimes my partner will pay them or I’ll use another account. It can also be difficult to cancel the payments, you might need to contact the bank and can’t just do it online.
We have an option that sounds sort of like you IDEAL to pay for things online but for security reasons probably all banks require two-factor authentication so it’s not quite as simple. When I make a purchase online I choose my bank and get taken to my bank’s login page. I enter my login number and pin and go to my mobile banking app to confirm it by Face ID or pin. Then I’ll return to the browser, confirm the purchase and often have to go back to the app to confirm it again and then return to the browser again. So not super simple but pretty secure. I can also use a separate booklet of one time passcodes.
I use my credit card to pay for my Netflix and Spotify subscriptions and not much else. Other payments usually go via iDeal.
Debit cards works fine, I don’t need alternatives. Monthly payments are automatic, so they are not a hassle nor I could imagine the process being even more simple than that
Debit/credit card and PayPal. I guess also direct bank transfer but I’m not a fan of it.
Debit card, credit card, pre-paid card
Credit card. I gave up on PayPal when I was living in a different country and learned I couldn’t have a Portuguese PayPal account attached to another country’s phone.
I use Revolut for online subscriptions. I set up a Virtual visa debit card for each online service and should a problem occur I can simply terminate the virtual card and end the service. Helps me keep track of services too.
It largely depends on provider, but for streaming, steam and other such services they usually charge your bank automatically once a month, I normally use Paypal for these, but credit card also might be directly required by some. Locally I mostly login to my bank and it then asks to enter pin code trough a security app on phone, in some rare cases (and not really for any kind of subscriptions) store might ask for credit card details or send a bill.
Usually PayPal or a debit card associated to an isolated account used just for internet with just the needed money.
Debit card or mobilepay (where you also can transfer money to others just knowing their phonenumber, so its already widely used in the everyday life).
Monthly subscriptions are mainly on paypal. Or i just allowed a company to take the money straight from my bnkccount 🙂 (domiciliëring, voor m’n afbetaling, gas, water, licht, … )
To pay eachother back with a QR code we use payconiq, which you can more and more use in stores and so on aswell. If i need IDEAL i use my mom’s (she lives in the Netherlands). I live in Belgium. I think IDEAL is only Dutch 🙂
And Klarna is going to be the more international option 🙂
Revolut – allows you a physical card, a virtual card and a disposable card. I love them
Debit card and Paypal are the two main payment methods used in France.
Debit card.
And for what it’s worth, it works exactly like you described IDEAL: I enter my card details on a site, I get a window prompting me to open my ING app on my phone, I enter my password in the app and I approve the transaction, then the website redirects me to a payment confirmation page.
Maybe because ING is Dutch?! But regardless of the bank and the actual payment workflow, everyone in Romania uses debit cards (or Revolut, which I’d say is also just a debit card).
Debit card. I don’t know but I don’t need any special app to pay for stuff online, just entering my card details will do. I use Mobilepay to pay for 2nd hand items or to transfer money quickly to a friend.
For recurring transactions, credit card. For one-off payment (like “pay for 12 months at one at a discount”) sometimes credit card, sometimes BLIK (Polish bank system instant money transfer), depending on what’s more convenient.
PayPal or Klarna when buying online. I also use a credit card as well as a debit card. I don’t really keep money on my regular bank account, instead I have them on an open account at an interest.
If it’s not more expensive, I add it to Apple/Google Pay. I like having them on a list. If it is cheaper I just use my debit card credentials.