Starting on Thursday, the 31st of December 2020, all (not only Wolt) mobile and online payments require something called “Strong Customer Authentication”.  This is a mandatory requirement, imposed by EU law, that is coming into effect in Germany.    

What this means for Wolt payments:  

1. When you place an order on Wolt, you might need to take extra steps to verify your identity. 
2. The steps depend on your bank or credit card issuer, and can include switching to the bank’s or card issuer’s app, fingerprint identification, receiving a verification code on SMS, etc. 
3. In practice, all purchases above €30, and every 5th purchase, will require strong authentication. 
4. Your online payment process can become slower and more complicated. While EU legislation is not something we can affect, we are sorry for this. The purpose of the new directive is to make sure your online payments are safe and that there’s less fraud. 

What we recommend you to do: 

1. Check how your bank is implementing the new directive (for example by googling “PSD2 [your bank’s name]). 
2. Install any additional apps and security measures your bank requires.
3. Consider setting up Apple Pay or Google Pay as they already work smoothly in line with the new legislation. 
4. Make sure your Wolt app is up-to-date as older versions may have issues with the new payment processes. You can download the newest version on the App Store or Google pay. 
5. After completing a payment, always return to the Wolt app to check that the purchase went through (in some cases you need to go from app to app to complete the payment). 
6. If your payment on Wolt (or another app) doesn’t go through, please try another card or payment method from another bank or issuer. 

For more info about the PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) directive, please visit European Central Bank’s website here: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/paym/intro/mip-online/2020/html/index.en.html 

Thanks for hanging in there through these changes! 

Questions and Answers: 

Q: What is PSD2 or Strong Authentication? 

PSD2 or EU’s Payment Services Directive 2 is a mandatory requirement for EU-member states that defines how all online and mobile payments must be handled in the EU. The law requires, among other things, “Strong Customer Authentication” (SCA) to make sure that the person making online payments on your credit card is really you. There are many ways to implement Strong Customer Authentication, and can include an extra code app that you need to use to verify a payment, or it may require that you receive a code over SMS, or include your finger print in the payment process. How exactly Strong Authentication is done in your case depends on the bank or payment provider. 

For more information, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_19_5555 

Q: What do I need to do to continue making online payments? 

In practice, every purchase above 30€, or every 5th order must be verified with Strong Customer Authentication. How exactly Strong Authentication is done in your case depends on the bank or payment provider. We suggest you contact your bank for detailed information. You can also set up Apple Pay or Google Pay for your online payments. 

Q: I’ve already included my payment details on Wolt. Do I need to do something more? 

Yes. It’s not enough that you’ve verified your credit card details with our app. From now on, you may need to take extra steps to verify your payment on Wolt, and other apps or websites. We suggest you contact your bank for detailed information. You can also set up Apple Pay or Google Pay for your online payments. 

Q: I don’t have Apple Pay, how do I set it up? 

You can get started by adding your credit, debit, or prepaid cards to your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac. For details, please see instructions on Apple’s website: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204506 

Q: I don’t have Google Pay, how do I set it up? 

Please see their instructions here.