iDEAL to Wero: What Merchants Need to Know About the Transition

What Is Wero – And Why Now?

Wero is Europe’s answer to a fragmented payment landscape. It aims to provide a consistent payment experience for all European consumers, bringing the simplicity and speed of iDEAL with new payment capabilities that work anywhere in Europe.

Wero will support payments online, in-store and even peer-to-peer, combining iDEAL’s familiar online payments features with other payment functionalities, such as contactless POS payments, subscriptions, pay-on-delivery, one-click payments, split payments, loyalty programs and payment requests.

Wero is governed by 16 leading European banks and financial institutions. For Dutch consumers, the transition to Wero will feel seamless, as all major Dutch banks are participating. From October 2026, all Dutch issuing banks will be connected to Wero and ready for the next phase of the migration.

For merchants, their current iDEAL provider will guide them through the transition and will continue to be their main point of contact as they also become their Wero provider.

How the iDEAL to Wero Migration Will Work (Timeline & Phases)

Businesses are considering what Wero transition will mean for them. The move from iDEAL to Wero will take place in phases to ensure the experience for both consumers and merchants remains smooth.

Phase 1 (Q1 2026 - Q3 2026):

Co-branding from iDEAL to Wero

• 8 January 2026 – A national media campaign launches to announce that iDEAL is transitioning to Wero

• 15 January 2026 – Banks will start communication to consumers about logo change to ensure trust and familiarity

• 29 January to 31 March 2026 – Co-branded iDEAL | Wero logo replaces current iDEAL logo and naming

• Merchants receive a toolkit to update logo’s and branding in time

• Existing iDEAL contracts will remain valid

• The payment experience remains the same for consumers

Phase 2 (Q4 2026 – end 2027):

Full Wero implementation & iDEAL phase-out

• EPI, Dutch banks and payment service providers, including CM.com, agreed a joint roadmap for this phase in July 2026

• The goal is to complete the full migration from iDEAL to Wero before 31 December 2027

• iDEAL will be phased out

• The co-branded iDEAL | Wero logo is replaced by the Wero logo

• Wero transactions are accepted on the Wero infrastructure

• Merchants sign a Wero contract with their current iDEAL provider

• Advanced features, including in-store payments, subscriptions and loyalty, roll out through 2027

iDEAL providers will define their specific migration strategy and keep merchants informed about timing and any impact on technical teams. iDEAL's rules and processes remain in place throughout the co-branding phase. Once merchants move to a full Wero contract and branding, Wero's purchase protection becomes available too. Purchase Protection itself rolls out in phases, with full coverage targeted for 1 January 2028.

Why Wero Benefits Your Business: Reach, Speed & Omnichannel Payments

Key benefits for businesses include:

• Europe-wide reach, instant settlement

  Sell to customers across borders, starting with The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France, using secure, bank-authorized instant payments.

• Simplified checkout and fewer integrations

  Support more payment scenarios with one solution instead of multiple local methods.

• True omnichannel payments

  Unify online and in-store payment data for better insights and simpler customer communications.

• Low fraud risk with proven banking security

  Strong Customer Authentication and SEPA Instant Credit Transfers reduce the risk of unauthorized payments and limit exposure to chargeback fraud common with card payments.

• Pricing certainty during the transition

  Wero scheme pricing stays broadly aligned with the current iDEAL | Wero level until 31 December 2028, so you know what to expect as a merchant throughout the migration.

During the co-branding phase, your iDEAL integration remains active, with no major operational changes expected. When the full rollout happens, your iDEAL provider, like CM.com, will support the integration and contractual updates needed to go live with Wero.

How Wero Improves the Customer Experience

At first, almost nothing changes. The familiar iDEAL checkout experience remains, helping build early trust in the Wero brand. Customers continue paying directly from their bank app — no cards, no IBAN entry. They simply use their banking app, similar to iDEAL, or the Wero app.

Once Wero is fully live, consumers gain access to a single digital wallet for everything. This wallet will allow customers over time to manage all payment activities in one place: online, in-store, subscriptions, loyalty programs, BNPL and peer-to-peer payments.

How Online Wero Checkout Works:

1. Customer selects Wero at checkout

2. Desktop: Scan a QR code to open their banking or Wero app and confirm the payment

   Mobile: The banking or Wero app opens automatically after tapping the "pay with Wero" button. The user confirms the payment in-app

3. Payment is taken instantly, and the order is processed

With strong branding, national campaigns and merchant toolkits, conversion should remain protected while consumer trust grows. Purchase protection and enhanced consent flows will provide additional peace of mind.

How CM.com Supports Your Wero Migration

The transition to Wero represents a long-term shift toward secure, frictionless, scalable European commerce.

At CM.com we are working to ensure that the migration of iDEAL and other payment methods that will be replaced by Wero goes as smoothly as possible for our merchants. Updates, guidance and support will be provided at every stage of the transition in The Netherlands and beyond.

Now is the moment to prepare and make the most of what's ahead.