Giropay Review & Best Giropay Casinos
Last updated: 19 April 2021
Believe it or not, the biggest breakthroughs in online banking don’t come from one-time inventions, nor are they the product of a single flash of inspiration. In reality, eBanking has gotten to the point where it is mainly because of collaborative efforts. When multiple institutions join forces, there is no barrier that can’t be broken. German powerhouse Giropay is a clear example. The first decade of this century was pretty much the Wild West when it came to online security. German banks saw this issue as the foremost obstacle standing between them and the expansion of the whole industry. Thus, they joined forces in creating a payment method that protects users’ information, all while providing the desired level of efficiency.
Giropay turned out to be a hit, especially amongst casino players. Our job today is to see where this platform stands in 2020, whether it’s a viable way to make deposits, and if you should use it. Our in-depth Giropay review should cover that, including the best online casinos offering this particular payment method. Once you’re done reading, you’ll know if this is the platform for you. Good luck!
Top Casinos That Accept Giropay Deposits
Giropay has certainly grown more popular in the last few years, giving us no other option but to thoroughly test casino sites accepting this payment method. We rounded up 30+ Giropay casinos and tested them on all the key aspects such as legitimacy, licensing, game quality, and much more. The list below contains only legal sites that have satisfied our criteria. You can’t go wrong with either one, so just pick your poison and prepare to have some fun!
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Company Background
Founded in 2005, Giropay has become a true German success story. Initially, the brand was the result of a joint effort by Postbank (the retail division of Deutsche Bank), the German Savings Banks Group, and the German Cooperative Financial Services Network. Right off this bat, this collaboration put Giropay above most other fintech brands. Bank consortium are far from a rarity nowadays, but the situation was far different in the early 2000s. Not too many traditional banks were willing to go online, as many people were still sceptical when it came to using the internet for their banking needs.
However, the existence of various online casinos and early eCommerce stores made online transfers a necessity for some. The problem mainly revolved around revealing one’s information, as existing security solutions were unable to prevent credit card fraud, hacks, and other kinds of cybercrime. Giropay quickly stepped in to tackle these issues and their approach became an instant hit amongst Germany’s online dwelling population. In 2014, the company merged with Austria’s leading online payment system eps-Überweisung. This made the Giropay service available in both countries, opening up a potential market of 45 million users.
2019 saw another big breakthrough for the company, mostly due to its new PSD2 interface (X2A). This technological advancement allowed Giropay to be used by customers of non-member banks. The result was near-total bank coverage in Germany, and more banks joining the fold in the last few months. Currently, around 1,500 Austrian and German financial institutions have signed contracts with Giropay. We love seeing things like this, as availability is the best ability when it comes to casino banking methods.
Target Markets
Giropay is, at the time of this review’s writing, only available in Germany and Austria. The Austrian part wasn’t initially planned but came as no surprise given the close relationship between the two countries and their financial institutions. So, how do we feel about this? Generally, we believe that payment providers should always strive to make their product(s) available in as many countries as possible. Great platforms should always be accessible to anyone who might deem them useful. Sharing technology is, after all, one of the biggest reasons why technology even ‘grows’ in the first place.
In Giropay’s case, we don’t believe they should be admonished for not making their platform available across the world. This is, obviously, a consortium of German banks, with cross-border cooperation with Austrian ones. Nowhere have seen Giropay or any of its bank members claim that this payment method is an international one. Obviously, local payment options are still a thing, and Giropay has a plethora of them for German and Austrian citizens. The brand is a major part of online life in these two countries, and its benefits shouldn’t be ignored.
If you live in this part of Europe, or if you find yourself in these parts, we would recommend Giropay, and not just for playing at the best online casinos. Cumulative value matters, too. Everyone likes making their payments in a simple and straightforward manner, regardless if it’s table games or shopping for groceries. Giropay accomplishes this pretty stellarly, if you ask us.
How to Set Up a Giropay Account: Step by Step Guide
No account required
Integration is a word that’s seldom used in modern fintech, even though it should be a large part of the way we view and judge payment platforms. One of the main obstacles on the road to complete integration is the need to create an additional account.
While having a username and a password is a must for everything you do online, the increasing amount of information we have to memorize is more often a hindrance than not. Fortunately, Giropay has managed to accomplish this integration without the need for creating a new account.
You do need bank account number and PIN
To start using this payment method, you only need your account number and PIN, along with a valid phone number to which a transaction authentication number (TAN) can be sent. We personally love this, as Giropay didn’t just eliminate a notable nuisance that plagues casino players, but they also added an additional security measure.
Make hassle-free payments with Giropay
Payment providers rarely manage to score points on the simplicity scale, but Giropay did it in addition to making sure they’re not sacrificing anything during the process. Great job, really. This company obviously cares about usability and we commend it.
Available Currencies
EUR
Casino Deposits and Withdrawals
One of the main reasons why Giropay is so popular is because it’s easy to use. Upon its release, it was notably picked up by many people who had no previous experiences with online banking. As such, we believe this payment method to be a great choice for those that aren’t as tech-savvy as it is the norm today.
Nowhere is this insistence on simplicity more evident than when making Giropay deposits at online casinos. To fund your account, just follow these steps and you’re pretty much good to go:
- Go to your preferred casino site and head over to the Banking/Deposit/Cashier section. Once you’re there, select Giropay as your desired deposit option.
- Just input the amount you want to deposit and click on Deposit/Proceed/whatever the box says in these situations. Upon doing so, you will be redirected to Giropay’s transfer page.
- Select your bank, enter your credentials, and click ‘Continue to pay’.
- All you have to do now is grab your phone and wait for the TAN to arrive.
- Type it in, confirm the transaction once again, and that’s it! You will be immediately returned to the deposit page, where you will see a change in your account balance.
Simplicity and security really are a match made in heaven. We had fun depositing with Giropay, as it was an unusual experience due to the lack of account creations requirements. Despite the usual steps being out of the equation, the 2FA really hit the nail on the head when it came to reassuring users of the safety of their data.
Just as we were quick to praise the depositing process, we must also address the elephant in the room. Giropay doesn’t allow for withdrawals. It’s not because they don’t want to or don’t need to. No, it’s simply because this payment method is not an eWallet. You can’t hold funds in a virtual account or use them independently of your bank account. This of Giropay as a protective shield, designed to obscure your credit card information from casino sites and various other online merchants.
As a result, we can’t really fault Giropay. However, this is still a big flaw from a player’s standpoint. If you prefer omni-directional payment methods, we suggest you pick an eWallet or go down the usual bank transfer route. If you don’t mind this inconvenience, you can withdraw your winnings using any other available platform.
Detailed Overview of Transaction Fees
What’s the point in imposing fees if you don’t even offer a viable withdrawal option? Giropay made a bad decision by imposing fees, which consist of flat fees, and a fluctuating percentage that DECREASES as the deposit amount rises. Yes, that’s right, Giropay has implemented regressive fees, something which is completely illogical if you ask us.
This would make sense if Giropay was a platform that caters towards high-rollers only, but this is not the case. Charging your customers more, the less they choose to spend, is just plain ridiculous. It’s also worth pointing out of all the payment methods centered around bank-approved fast transfers, Giropay is the only that imposes fees on its users. All the other companies just charge the merchants a cut of every transaction, which is pretty much standard nowadays. Get your act together, Giropay. Please.
Timeframes for Giropay Payments at Online Casinos
All Giropay transfers are processed immediately, in real-time. What this is means is that casinos get a confirmation for the transaction right away and you can see a change in your balance almost instantly. We love payment methods that provide this feature, as it can be pretty annoying to wait for your bank transfer to clear.
You should also note that some online casinos have a special identity verification process in place. This is enforced by requesting players to provide a document scan/photo upon making their first deposit. Some sites clear new depositors fairly quickly, but you should realistically hope for a 24-36-hour delay. This rarely happens when depositing and is more common when you are requesting your first withdrawal.
Deposit and Withdrawal Limits
As far as we were able to determine, Giropay casinos don’t impose irrational transfer limits on their customers. Like we’ve already mentioned, the very nature of Giropay isn’t suitable for high-rollers, so most sites that offer this payment method usually have a minimum deposit requirement of €10, with a few odd exceptions doubling this threshold to €15-€20.
The maximum limit varies much more, as there are no concrete standards when it comes to the more lucrative part of the transfer spectrum. Our research led us to conclude that you can hope for a number in the €5,000 range. However, this limit can be even higher at casinos that have loyalty programs with multiple levels. All in all, nothing unusual.
Best Giropay Casino Bonus
The thing about regionally-oriented platforms such as Giropay is that they are insanely popular amongst their somewhat limited user base. As a result, online casinos are more than happy to capitalize on the opportunity and offer some juicy promotions. Many German and Austrian sites have Giropay as one of the staples of their bonus roster. We were aware of this, so we took extra precautions and tested the best bonuses from our top casinos. The result of our little testing spree is the list below. It consists of only fair promotions, ones that are lucrative, but at the same time, devoid of any unreasonable wagering requirements. They’re all great, so it’s up to you to decide and pick one that suits your needs. Have fun!
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Security
Honestly, there aren’t many companies, not just fintech companies, but actual companies, that invest this much effort into keeping their customers’ data safe and sound. First of all, we love the fact that Giropay doesn’t send any email invoices or confirmations. They don’t just restrain from the entire practice, but they’re more than vociferous in voicing their concern about this. Fraudulent emails, sent by criminals pretending to be banks or bank employees, are one of the main dangers of online banking, so kudos to Giropay for tackling this.
In addition to this, Giropay also uses 256-bit SSL encryption and all pages related to the brand begin with ‘https.’ Even though many security experts view this as a standard, many payment providers fortify only their transaction pages. Giropay goes above and beyond the norm, that is for sure. We also have the beautiful combination of PIN and TAN, which makes it impossible for anyone to make transactions, even if they somehow get their hands on your credentials. Now that’s what we call dedication to security.
Customer Support
Mon-Fri: 08:00-20:00
Weekend: 08:00-20:00
No
Right off the bat, we were disappointed to see that Giropay doesn’t offer its users the ability to contact them via live chat. Even the most obscure eCommerce sites have ZenDesk at their disposal. A company as advanced and digitally conscious as Giropay should have paid attention to this, but it’s not the end of the world.
One great thing is the 12-hour availability (even during weekends), which isn’t something most payment platforms have. Usually, you can only reach agents before 4-5pm, so Giropay is a fine option if you like playing online casino games after work. The agents themselves are very polite and fluent in both German and English. They had no problem answering even our most annoying questions, both via phone and via email.
And frankly, in most cases, you won’t even need to contact customer support! Giropay’s FAQ section is very impressive and excellently balances brevity and informativeness. Chances are, most problems you might face have their solutions explained there.
Player Experiences
Since Giropay is available only in two countries, which are coincidentally German-speaking, most reviews and recollections we found were in German.
The general consensus is that Giropay is a great payment provider, with the biggest amount of praise coming from casino players that were defrauded using another platform in the past. Everyone lauds the use of PIN and TAN, as the combination of these two authentication methods isn’t just simple, but also incredibly effective and virtually impenetrable.
While most reviews are positive, we did see a couple of one-star ones. Most of them can be considered overreactions, as players have the habit of blaming Giropay for things they can’t influence, such as measures implemented by some casinos.
Overall, we didn’t find any blemishes on Giropay’s record. The company hasn’t been involved in any shady dealings, so you can rest assured that your money and bank credentials are in safe hands.
Extra Features
Giropay doesn’t really have a lot of extra features, as they’re mostly devoted to their niche. However, there are features that supplement the basic functionalities of this payment provider, the most significant of which is Giropay ID.
Basically, this system is used to confirm that you are 18 or older. This is incredibly useful for casino players, as identity verification can take a while and prevents you from playing right away. With Giropay ID, you can use your bank information, confirmed by PIN/TAN, to verify your age in a matter of seconds.
It’s worth mentioning that this feature doesn’t require any extra steps, other than visiting the Giropay ID page upon visiting a site that requires identity confirmation for you to use its features. Currently, the situation is a bit unstable, mainly because most banks haven’t adopted the Giropay ID system. Nevertheless, it’s still available and incredibly useful when needed.
Mobile Capability
In terms of mobile capability, Giropay is a perfect fit for everyone living their life online. Even if you’re playing at mobile casinos, the transaction page is scaled down in a way that accentuates all the important information.
Too many times have we seen payment providers come up with haphazardly-designed mobile versions of their services, so Giropay’s performance is a breath of fresh air. It works excellent even on older devices, given the fact that the UI is incredibly lightweight and down to the point.
Interesting Facts
- Giropay is a member of the German E‑Commerce and Distance Selling Trade Association, one of the country’s most notable organizations devoted to curating and developing the online trading market.
- In addition to this, Giropay actively collaborates with the research department at the University of Regensburg.
- You can also use Giropay at many big German sites, such as Lufthansa, Deutsche Post, and Event.
- Some banks don’t require a TAN if the deposit amount is less than €30.
FAQ
Is Giropay safe to use?
Yes, Giropay uses a plethora of different approaches and security features to ensure that all transactions are safe from any third-party, whether it’s the government or a cybercriminal.
What do I need to make Giropay deposits at online casinos?
To use Giropay at casino sites, you need a valid bank account at any member bank. You can see the full list on Giropay’s official website.
Do I need to give personal information to Giropay?
No. You don’t need anything other than your bank account number, name, and PIN to use Giropay for playing casino games.
Can I withdraw using Giropay?
Unfortunately, Giropay cannot be used for withdrawals. It’s merely a platform that integrates a number of different banks and facilitates safe transfers.
Does Giropay allow you to request a return if you don’t receive an item or a service?
Technically no, but they do state that you contact customer support if you run into an issue with a merchant.
Where is Giropay available?
Currently, you can only use Giropay in Austria and Germany, and only if you have an account with one of the member banks.
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