Bank payments and local methods · Payment methods
Bancontact for online stores: how Belgian shoppers pay
Checked
Bancontact is Belgium's everyday online payment, tied to a Belgian bank account. At checkout the shopper enters their Bancontact card details or scans a QR code with the Bancontact app, approves, and the result comes back instantly. It works in euros, cannot be charged back through the bank, and can be refunded for up to 730 days. Bancontact does not support recurring charges, so it suits one-time orders rather than subscriptions.
- Type
- Bank redirect (card or app linked to a Belgian bank account)
- Where it works
- Belgium
- Currency
- EUR, minimum €0.50
- Confirmation
- Immediate
- Refunds
- Full or partial within 730 days; usually 2–5 days to arrive
- Disputes / chargebacks
- None: the bank sends the shopper back to you
- Recurring payments
- Not supported
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC checkout does not show Bancontact today; Belgian shoppers can use a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal in euros, or Klarna for one-time orders up to €10,000.
How a shopper pays with Bancontact
The shopper picks Bancontact and is taken to a Bancontact page. On a computer they type their Bancontact card details or scan a QR code that opens the app; on a phone they tap through to the app. They have one hour to approve, and Bancontact confirms success or failure immediately before returning them to your shop.
What it means for your store
- No chargebacks: the shopper authenticates with their bank, so Stripe says funds are never pulled from your balance for a dispute.
- Refunds arrive as a separate credit, not a reversal, and are not labelled as a refund on the bank statement. Tell the customer when you send one.
- A refund cannot be cancelled once sent.
- Not for renewals: Stripe lists recurring payments as not supported.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Belgian shoppers dispute a Bancontact payment?
- No. Stripe says Bancontact has no standard dispute process; if a shopper contacts their bank, the bank directs them back to you for a refund.
- How long do I have to refund a Bancontact order?
- Stripe allows full or partial refunds within 730 days of the payment. Money usually reaches the customer in 2–5 days.
- Can I charge Bancontact for a subscription?
- No. Bancontact is single-use on Stripe and recurring payments are not supported.
Sources
- Bancontact payments — Stripe
Related
- iDEAL — Dutch bank payment, now branded iDEAL | Wero; moving onto Wero by the end of 2027.
- Wero — European bank-account wallet from EPI, the successor to iDEAL; shoppers approve in the Wero app.
- SEPA Direct Debit — Euro bank debit across the EU: the shopper gives an IBAN and signs a mandate; you collect later.
- BLIK — Poland's 6-digit bank-app code: the shopper types the code, then approves in their banking app.
- EPS — Austria's online bank transfer: shoppers sign in to their own bank and approve the payment.
- Przelewy24 — Polish payment aggregator: shoppers pick their bank and pay by online bank transfer.
- Trustly — Pay-by-bank provider: shoppers approve a payment from their bank account in their bank app.
- Pay by Bank — Open-banking payment: the shopper picks their bank and approves the payment in its app.