iDEAL
iDEAL is the Netherlands’ dominant online payment method, processing over 70% of Dutch e-commerce transactions and growing at 13% year on year as of 2024. It is operated by Currence, backed by the Dutch banking sector, and supported by virtually every Dutch bank. For any merchant selling to Dutch consumers, iDEAL is not optional: it is the baseline expectation at checkout, and its absence is one of the most reliable predictors of cart abandonment among Dutch shoppers.
The customer flow is straightforward. At checkout, the customer selects iDEAL, chooses their bank, and authenticates the payment within their familiar online banking environment. The transaction is confirmed in real time, the payment is guaranteed, and the funds are settled to the merchant. Unlike card payments, iDEAL transactions carry no chargeback risk under standard conditions, which simplifies reconciliation and eliminates a category of dispute handling that card-accepting merchants routinely manage.
On cost, iDEAL transaction fees are typically lower than card processing. Per-transaction fees vary by PSP but are generally fixed or capped, reflecting the domestic bank infrastructure rather than an interchange model. For Dutch merchants, iDEAL is not only the highest-converting payment method with domestic shoppers, it is also among the cheapest per transaction. That combination is commercially unusual and worth recognising explicitly when evaluating your payment mix.
iDEAL 2.0 is the current evolution of the scheme, expanding its functionality beyond standard one-time checkout payments. iDEAL 2.0 introduces recurring payment capabilities, QR code payments, payment requests via invoice, WhatsApp and SMS, and a streamlined mobile checkout flow. The rollout is ongoing through 2025, and PSPs with strong Dutch market expertise are the most reliable integration path for merchants who want full iDEAL 2.0 functionality from day one.
Looking further ahead, iDEAL is expected to transition to Wero, the pan-European instant payment wallet developed by the European Payments Initiative, with full migration planned for 2026 to 2027. In practice, this transition will be handled at the PSP and infrastructure level, and merchants with iDEAL already integrated should experience continuity rather than disruption, provided their PSP manages the migration correctly.
PSP support is universal among Dutch providers including Mollie, Buckaroo, MultiSafepay, Pay.nl, and Adyen, as well as global providers such as Stripe, Worldpay, and J.P. Morgan Payments, which added iDEAL to its platform in 2025.
Relevant markets: Netherlands
