SEPA Direct Debit
This page outlines the basics of using SEPA Direct Debit via Netaxept and gives you instructions needed for a successful implementation.
Before you start
Before you start integrating and accepting SEPA Direct Debit payments, you need an agreement with PPRO which is our partner providing the local payment methods in the European region. Nets are handling the application to PPRO, please contact your Account Manager or Support at Nets to get started. Once your agreement has been processed, Nets will activate SEPA Direct Debit as a payment method to your Netaxept Admin Portal Account.
Functionalities
| Functionality | Details |
|---|---|
Payment type | A2A |
| Currencies | EUR |
| Countries | DE |
Refunds | ✅ |
Partial refund | ✅ |
Cancel payment | ✅ |
Subscriptions | ✅ |
User journey
When your customers choose SEPA Direct Debit as a payment method, they are directed to the Netaxept payment window to enter their IBAN number.
Alternatively, you can allow your customers to enter their IBAN on your website and bypass the payment window. In that case, you must send the IBAN with the Register call.
In both case, the customer then gets directed to the page where they must approve the mandate for you to debit their bank account (SEPA mandate). Your customers will also receive a pre-notification before their bank account is debited. Both, mandate and pre-notification, are mandatory. After approving the mandate, the customer will be redirected to the redirectURL as specified in the Register call.
Finally, the customer´s bank account is debited, and the payment is settled to your account. All funds are handled via PPRO so you get the payout from PPRO. In case of a chargeback, PPRO deducts chargeback amounts from your unpaid settlements.
Payment flow
Generally, the payment flow follows the sequence of steps as described in the payment flow outline section. The main difference is that with the Terminal call’s status=OK reply, Netaxept triggers an AutoSale to process the transaction.
The Process(Credit) call works similar to Process(Credit) for regular card payments. Other operations are not supported for SEPA Direct Debit.
For SEPA Direct Debit, there are a few additional parameters you need to send along the Register call (see below). Also, if the customers choose the payment method on your website, you need to send the payment method name PproSepaDirectDebit with the paymentMethodActionList parameter, to indicate the selected payment method.
Required Register call parameters for SEPA Direct Debit payments
When using SEPA Direct Debit as a payment method, the following Register call parameters are required.
Transaction amount and currency
Supported currency is EUR and it needs to be sent with the currencyCode parameter. Minimum transaction amount is 0,10 EUR.
Customer IBAN
The customer IBAN number is mandatory if you expect your customers to enter their IBAN number in your website. In that case, it needs to be sent in the customerAccountNumber parameter. If not sent, the customer is asked to enter their IBAN number on the Netaxept payment window during the Terminal phase.
Customer information
Customer email address, first name, last name and country are mandatory and need to be sent with the customerEmail, customerFirstName, customerLastName and customerCountry parameters.
Mandate and pre-notification
To be compliant with the regulatory requirements on SEPA Direct Debit, there must be a valid mandate and pre-notification in place for you to make a SEPA Direct Debit payment.
There are two options how to handle it; mandate and pre-notification can be managed either by PPRO or by you as a merchant. Indicate the party responsible for mandate and pre-notification in the pproSepaMandate parameter. Valid values are:
• MANAGEDBYPPRO = Mandate and pre-notification are managed by PPRO.
• MANAGEDBYMERCHANT = Mandate and pre-notification are managed by you. In this case, the parameter pproSepaMandateUrl also becomes mandatory indicatating the URL where you have placed the mandate.
Language
If mandate and pre-notification are managed by PPRO, you can indicate the desired language of these in the language parameter.
Dynamic descriptor
Description that appears on the customer bank statement. This is optional information and can be sent in the pproSepaDynamicDescriptor parameter. Description sent to Register call is reused for credit.
It is up to each bank how many characters will be displayed on customer bank statement. The bank may also ignore the description altogether.
Additional Query response parameters
Planned due date
Planned due date is the earliest day when the money will be debited from the customer´s bank account. This information is returned by PPRO and you can find it in the Query response ('DeliveryDate' parameter) and in the Admin portal´s Transaction Details tab.
Chargeback amount
ChargeBackAmount indicates if the transaction has received a chargeback. Read more about chargeback handling below.
One-off and recurring SEPA Direct Debit payments
Both one time and recurring transactions are supported for SEPA Direct Debit. With recurring functionality, you can initiate one or more future transactions without any customer interaction, based on the consent provided by customer.
First payment in recurring series
These Register call parameters become required for the initial transaction of a recurring series:
• recurringType=S
Apart from that, the flow is similar to the standard payment flow.
Get the panHash
Send the Query call to get the mandate reference from the parameter panHash. Store this value on your database's customer profile.
Subsequent payment in recurring series
These Register call parameters become required, for subsequent transactions:
• recurringType=S
• panHash: the stored mandate reference from the initial transaction
• paymentMethodActionList: "PproSepaDirectDebit" must be included
The payment window is omitted in the customer's payment flow, but you must send the Terminal call after having sent the Register call nonetheless, so that Netaxept can run AutoSale to process the transaction.
Chargeback handling
In a context of SEPA Direct Debit, chargeback is a disputed transaction where customer disputes a purchase and requests money back, claiming that the transaction was fraudulent or made without their knowledge or permission.
Chargebacks are different from refunds, but both can result in the customer receiving a credit. Chargebacks are deducted from your unpaid settlements and customer gets the money back to their bank account, paid by PPRO.
Netaxept´s role is to only display the chargeback information to you via API and in the Admin portal. __The actual financial processes will happen outside of Netaxept between customer, PPRO and you.
Chargeback is considered as a final state for the transaction: if the transaction has received a chargeback for the full amount, you are not able to further process the transaction. If the transaction has received the chargeback for a partial amount, you can still further process that part of the amount which hasn´t been charged backed.
In addition to normal chargeback situations, there are also other reasons for chargebacks, for example:
• Insufficient funds: Customer does not have sufficient funds in their bank account to complete the transaction.
• Non-existing IBAN: IBAN number used in the transaction does not exist.