BANKpay+ for WooCommerce

Business email address
IBAN for receiving payouts
Business registration details (name, address)

The wizard validates everything in real-time, so you'll know immediately if there are any issues.
Can I test before going live?
Yes! The plugin includes a full sandbox environment. You can test unlimited transactions before accepting real payments. Simply enable "Test Mode" in the settings.
What if a customer wants a refund?
Process refunds directly from the WooCommerce order page—just like you would with any other payment method. Refunds are sent back to the customer's bank account within 1-2 business days. The refund amount is automatically deducted from your next payout.
Which countries are supported?
BANKpay+ works across all SEPA countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Customers in any of these countries can pay using their local bank account.
Do customers need a BANKpay+ account?
No! Customers pay directly from their existing bank account using their banking app (like N26, Revolut, or their regular bank's app). No registration, no new account creation—just instant authentication and payment.
Is there a test mode?
Yes, the plugin includes a sandbox mode for testing before going live. Test mode uses separate API credentials and doesn't process real money.
What happens if a payment fails?
If a customer's bank declines the payment or they cancel during authorization, the order remains in "Pending" status. The customer can try again or choose a different payment method. You'll see the failure reason in the order notes.
Can customers save their payment info?
Yes! Returning customers can enable one-click payments. Their bank selection is remembered (stored locally in their browser), making future checkouts even faster. This is optional and controlled by the customer.
How secure is BANKpay+?
BANKpay+ uses bank-grade security:

All payments require authentication through the customer's banking app
No sensitive data is stored on your server
Webhook signatures prevent tampering
Rate limiting protects against abuse
GDPR compliant

Does this work with WooCommerce subscriptions?
Currently, BANKpay+ supports one-time payments only. Subscription support is planned for a future release.
How does IBAN validation work?
The plugin validates IBANs using the MOD-97 algorithm for 70+ countries. Optionally, you can configure an ibanapi.com API key for enhanced validation with bank details. Without an API key, local validation still works perfectly.
Is customer bank data stored?
By default, bank selection information is stored only in your browser's localStorage (on your device) to enable one-click payments on return visits. This includes your bank name, logo, and masked IBAN. No data is sent to our servers unless you explicitly create a user account and opt-in to cross-device sync.

You can remove saved bank information at any time by clicking "Forget this bank" during checkout, or by clearing your browser data. Data automatically expires after 90 days of inactivity.
Does this plugin work with my theme?
Yes! BANKpay+ works with any properly coded WordPress theme. The plugin integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce's standard checkout flow.

If you notice styling issues, you can customize the appearance with CSS. We recommend Storefront or any WooCommerce-compatible theme for best results.
Is SSL required?
Yes, an SSL certificate (HTTPS) is required for production mode. This is mandated by PSD2 banking regulations for secure payment processing. Most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt.

Test mode can work without SSL for local development, but all production payments must use HTTPS.
Is this compatible with High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS)?
Yes! BANKpay+ is fully compatible with WooCommerce's High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS, also called Custom Order Tables). We officially declare HPOS compatibility in our plugin headers.
What are webhooks and do I need to configure them?
Webhooks are automatic notifications sent from BANKpay+ to your store when payment status changes. The plugin handles webhook configuration automatically—no manual setup needed!

Webhooks are secured with HMAC SHA-256 signature verification and include:

Rate limiting (50 requests/minute per IP)
Replay protection (timestamp validation)
Automatic retry with exponential backoff for failed deliveries

Your webhook URL is automatically configured as: https://yourstore.com/?wc-api=wc_gateway_bankpay_plus
Can I customize the plugin behavior with hooks and filters?
Yes! The plugin provides numerous WordPress action and filter hooks for developers:

Key Actions:

bankpay_plus_payment_complete - Fires when payment completes
bankpay_plus_payment_failed - Fires when payment fails
bankpay_plus_refund_completed - Fires when refund processes
bankpay_plus_webhook_received - Fires on webhook receipt

Key Filters:

bankpay_plus_gateway_title - Customize payment method title
bankpay_plus_gateway_description - Customize checkout description
bankpay_plus_checkout_data - Modify checkout session data
bankpay_plus_api_timeout - Adjust API request timeout

For complete documentation, see the "For Developers" section below.
Where can I find API documentation?
API integration documentation is available in:

Plugin directory: See API_INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md
Developer guide: See DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md for architecture overview
Online: Visit https://docs.bankpay.plus/api

The plugin uses RESTful JSON API with dual authentication (Bearer token + API key) and HMAC signature verification for webhooks.
How do I debug payment issues?
Enable WooCommerce logging:

Go to WooCommerce > Status > Logs
Look for logs starting with bankpay-plus and bankpay-plus-webhook

Common debugging steps:

Verify API credentials in settings
Check Test Mode vs Live Mode configuration
Confirm SSL certificate is valid
Review webhook delivery in logs
Check for plugin conflicts (disable other plugins temporarily)

For detailed troubleshooting, see: TESTING_GUIDE.md in the plugin directory
What are the rate limits for API requests?
The plugin implements intelligent rate limiting:

Webhook endpoint: 50 requests per minute per IP address
IBAN validation: 10 requests per minute per IP address
API requests: Cached for 5-15 minutes to minimize redundant calls

Bank connector list is cached for 24 hours, and analytics queries use transient caching to optimize performance.
What is SEPA Instant payment and how does it work?
SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) is the European standard for real-time bank transfers. Unlike traditional SEPA payments that take 1-3 business days, SEPA Instant settles in under 10 seconds, 24/7/365.

Customer authorizes payment through their banking app
Bank instantly verifies funds availability
Money is debited from customer's account
Funds are credited to your account within 7-10 seconds
Payment is final and irrevocable (no chargebacks)

Benefits over card payments:

Instant settlement (vs 2-7 days for cards)
Lower fees (0.5% vs 1.5-3.5% for cards)
No chargebacks (bank transfers are final)
No monthly fees or hidden costs
24/7/365 availability

SEPA Instant is available across all 24 SEPA countries with 3000+ participating banks.
What is Account-to-Account (A2A) payment?
Account-to-Account (A2A) payments are direct bank transfers between customer and merchant accounts without card networks or intermediaries.

Traditional payment flow:

Customer → Card Network → Acquiring Bank → Your Account
(Multiple intermediaries = higher fees + longer settlement)

A2A payment flow:

Customer Bank → Your Bank (Direct)
(No intermediaries = lower fees + instant settlement)

No card network fees (Visa/Mastercard take 1-3%)
No acquiring bank markup
Payments can't be "charged back" fraudulently
Works with any bank account (no card needed)
Enabled by Open Banking regulations (PSD2)

What is Open Banking and PSD2?
Open Banking is the EU regulatory framework (PSD2 - Payment Services Directive 2) that allows licensed third parties to securely access banking services with customer consent.

You (merchant) requests payment
Customer selects their bank
Customer authorizes payment in their secure banking app
BANKpay+ (licensed Payment Initiation Service Provider) initiates the transfer
Money moves directly from customer to your account

Security features:

Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) required
No card details or passwords shared
Bank-grade encryption (TLS 1.3)
Multi-factor authentication via banking app
Regulated by European Central Bank and national supervisors

Your data security:

We never store bank login credentials
No sensitive payment data on your server
Webhook signatures prevent tampering
GDPR compliant by design

Why can't customers chargeback BANKpay+ payments?
Bank transfers are legally final and irrevocable under EU payment law (SEPA Rulebook). Once a customer authorizes payment through Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) in their banking app, the transaction cannot be disputed or reversed.

Contrast with card payments:

Cards: Customer can dispute for 120+ days after purchase
BANKpay+: Payment authorized with bank-level authentication, legally binding

Customer protection still exists:

Customers must authenticate in their secure banking app
Unauthorized transactions are bank's responsibility
Normal consumer protection laws still apply

For merchants, this means:

No fraudulent chargebacks
No chargeback fees (typically €15-25 each)
Predictable revenue (no surprise reversals months later)
Lower fraud rates (bank-level authentication required)

How fast is "7-second settlement"?
BANKpay+ uses SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, which guarantees settlement within 10 seconds. In practice, most payments settle in 7 seconds or less.

Timeline breakdown:

0-2 seconds: Customer authorizes in banking app
2-5 seconds: Bank verifies funds and processes transfer
5-7 seconds: Money arrives in your account
7-10 seconds: Confirmation webhook sent to your store

Compare this to traditional payment methods:

Credit cards: 2-7 business days
Debit cards: 1-3 business days
PayPal: 1-2 business days (or instant for 1% fee)
Bank transfer: 1-3 business days
BANKpay+ SEPA Instant: 7 seconds

Real-world impact:

Customer completes checkout at 14:30:15
Money in your account at 14:30:22
Order can ship immediately
Same-day access to revenue

Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Major banks include:

Germany: Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Sparkasse, N26, Revolut
France: BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale
Netherlands: ING, Rabobank, ABN AMRO
Spain: Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank
Italy: UniCredit, Intesa Sanpaolo
Austria: Erste Bank, Raiffeisen
Plus digital banks: N26, Revolut, Bunq, Trade Republic, Wise

Requirements:

Customer must have an account at a SEPA Instant-enabled bank
Most major EU banks support SEPA Instant (as of 2025)
EU regulation makes SEPA Instant mandatory for all banks

Feature
BANKpay+
Credit Cards
PayPal
SEPA Transfer

Settlement Time
7 seconds
2-7 days
1-2 days
1-3 days

Transaction Fees
0.5%
1.5-3.5%
2.9% + €0.35
Free (slow)

Monthly Fees
None
€20-50
None
None

Chargebacks
No
Yes (120 days)
Yes (180 days)
No

Setup Complexity
Easy
Complex
Medium
Manual

Customer Friction
Low
Medium
Medium
High

Coverage
EU (SEPA)
Global
Global
EU (SEPA)

Success Rate
95%+
70-80%
85-90%
Manual

Best for:

European B2C ecommerce
Digital products needing instant delivery
High-value transactions (lower fees)
Businesses tired of chargebacks
Cash flow optimization (instant settlement)

Not ideal for:

Global sales outside Europe
Businesses needing payment plans
Customers without bank accounts (rare in EU)