Sparkassen Switches Payment Authentication and Launches Click-to-Pay

Overview

• Click-to-Pay will be activated for eligible Sparkassen cards on 22 November 2026, letting customers pay in supporting online shops without typing card numbers by using tokenised tokens and one-time confirmation codes or S-pushTAN.
• The S-ID-Check app is being phased out with local deadlines communicated as either end of 2026 or 31 January 2027, and Sparkassen customers are being urged to complete the migration before their branch’s cutoff to prevent authentication failures.
• Customers who already have the S-pushTAN app must still actively register each affected card for payment confirmations because installing the app alone does not register cards for 3‑D Secure authorisation.
• Click-to-Pay works only for cards with a co-badge (Debit Mastercard or Visa Debit) and Sparkassen credit cards, so holders of older girocards without a co-badge will need replacement cards and merchants must offer Click-to-Pay at checkout; early supporters include MediaMarkt, Saturn, Lidl, Kaufland, Netto and Marktkauf.
• Sparkassen warn that scammers are using the migration as a phishing lure and advise never to share passwords, PINs or TANs; customers who delay registration risk declined online purchases and extra wait times where postal activation is required.