Bamberg - 13.7.2021 - Over 100 million girocards are in use - but so far only in brick and mortar retail. With Apple Pay, the popular debit card is now also coming to online shops for savings bank customers. Computop, the leading payment service provider in German e-commerce, has set up the new payment method for the first retailers.
Customers can use Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac to make faster and more convenient purchases in store and also in apps or on the web in Safari without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information. This procedure is particularly practical for online shopping on mobile devices, which, according to a study by the IfH Cologne 2020, has outstripped shopping via desktop computers with a share of 55%, as data no longer has to be entered individually.
Every Apple Pay purchase is secure because it is authenticated with Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode, as well as a one-time unique dynamic security code. In addition, Apple Pay fully complies with the PSD2 standard.
The first retailers where online purchases with the girocard are possible via Apple Pay include the the jeweller christ.de and mediamarkt.de (consumer electronics). It is already possible to use over 40 million girocards from the savings banks in Apple Pay. This means that merchants who include Apple Pay in their portfolio can tap into an interesting customer group and benefit from the favourable merchant conditions of the girocard.
As a certified girocard network operator, Computop can process the transactions with Germany's most-used card directly and merge them with payments from stationary retail via its omnichannel payment platform Computop Paygate. The company also offers this service to banks and other payment service providers.
Stephan Kück, CEO Computop on the launch of the girocard in e-commerce: "The girocard in e-commerce, in combination with Apple Pay, is another important step for secure and contactless payment in Germany. As with the initial launch of Apple Pay, we are pleased to be able to accompany this step as one of the first payment service providers."
Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. When customers use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the Secure Element, an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store the payment information safely on the device.
Apple Pay is easy to set up. On iPhone, simply open the Wallet app, tap +, and follow the steps to add credit or debit cards. Once a customer adds a card to iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac, they can start using Apple Pay on that device right away.
For more information on Apple Pay, visit: www.apple.com/de/apple-pay/