# iDEAL 30 Hacker News commenters recommended iDEAL and 15 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 2 years (4 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Bank-based Dutch online payment that is fast, simple and accepted almost everywhere in the Netherlands. Main caveat: no chargebacks, so refunds are hard if a merchant fails. ## Why people recommend it - Simple, fast, convenient checkout (9 comments): "It is stupid simple, and once you've used it you don't want to deal with credit cards and bank transfers for buying a thing on-line any more." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039645)) "iDeal is really nice, much nicer to use than credit cards or PayPal imo" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47045851)) "iDeal is superb and the most convenient payment method I've dealt with." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48214194)) - Accepted by nearly every Dutch shop (5 comments): "iDeal is an enormous success in the Netherlands so if banks implement it as well in other countries then it will definitely be competitive with credit cards" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207434)) "iDEAL is simply much smoother and even many Shopify/Stripe shops offer it as a payment option nowadays" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039952)) "iDEAL usage is near universal for online payments" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48060293)) - Better than PayPal or cards (3 comments): "the Dutch iDeal system, which in my opinion is the gold standard of how internet payment should work" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207532)) "The whole system is really nice and smooth and definitely much nicer than PayPal in many ways." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039736)) "iDeal is really nice, much nicer to use than credit cards or PayPal imo" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47045851)) - Bank-backed, name check reduces scams (2 comments): "I have been using iDeal for many years now and have yet to see any of the downsides of it being a product of a commercial bank." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48210059)) "Additionally it allows for things like name to account checking, therefore making it less likely you will be scammed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48210249)) ## What people warn about - No chargebacks or buyer protection (7 comments): "It works very good and user-friendly, but iDeal had a disadvantage: chargebacks aren't possible." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48209993)) "iDeal is perfect for online shopping, but once the money is gone there is no way to get it back" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46972456)) "Once the merchant has your money it's very difficult to get it back if things go wrong." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925484)) - Limited outside the Netherlands (2 comments): "Which makes it somewhat less than iDeal for anyone who isn't Dutch." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48213910)) "Using iDEAL from a Polish account just isn't going to happen." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48222259)) - Poor fraud handling (2 comments): "iDeal is terrible for fraud. Consumers have to file a police report." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48208798)) "Indeed, it's terrible for fraud" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48209730)) - Needs a phone or app (2 comments): "This seems to be mobile-centric system that essentially requires a cell phone, and probably one blessed by Google or Apple." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039878)) "With Wero/iDeal you always need a phone or a code." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925330)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Pix](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pix.md): 65 recommend - [UPI (Unified Payments Interface)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/upi.md): 58 recommend - [GNU Taler](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gnu-taler.md): 37 recommend - [x402](https://hackerapproved.com/p/x402.md): 35 recommend - [Visa card](https://hackerapproved.com/p/visa.md): 34 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://ideal.nl/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "iDEAL", https://hackerapproved.com/p/ideal/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).