Polish eCommerce offers five main online payment methods: payment card (debit or credit), BLIK, online bank transfer (pay by link), BNPL (“buy now, pay later”), and instalment payments. They differ fundamentally across three dimensions: the level of buyer protection (chargeback versus its absence), the speed of settlement for the merchant, and the mechanisms by which the payment operator verifies the shop. The article below compares all five methods from a transaction security perspective – for both the buyer and the shop owner.
Five methods currently dominate Polish e-commerce: payment card, “buy now, pay later” (BNPL), instalment payments, BLIK, and online bank transfer (pay by link). Each works differently, carries different security features, and has different consequences when disputes arise between a customer and a merchant.
So how does one become an informed online payment user? Below we present a detailed comparison of the 5 main payment methods from the perspective of buyer and seller protection – grounded in applicable legislation (PSD2, the Payment Services Act, consumer credit regulations) and industry standards (PCI DSS, 3-D Secure). It is time to pay online consciously and to know the tools available to us in the event of a dispute.
eCommerce Payment Methods Comparison
| Metoda | Chargeback? | Funds to Merchant | Buyer Risk | Merchant Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment Card | ✅ Yes (up to 120 days) | T+1 do T+3 | Low | High (acquirer KYC) |
| BNPL | ⚠️ Partial | T+1 / T+2 | Medium | High (provider KYC) |
| Online Instalment Payments | ⚠️ Partial | 1–3 business days | Medium | High (bank KYC) |
| BLIK | ❌ Nie | T+0 / T+1 | High (social engineering) | Medium (operator) |
| Bank Transfer (Pay by Link) | ❌ Nie | T+0 / T+1 | High (no network protection) | Medium (operator) |
Which Online Payment Method Offers the Best Buyer Protection?
Payment Card
Payment by card (debit or credit) is jedyna the only one of the methods described here to feature a globally standardised consumer protection mechanism – the chargeback (that is, the right to demand a refund directly from the card-issuing bank).
A chargeback allows the cardholder to demand a refund from the card-issuing bank in four main scenarios: (1) goods were not delivered, (2) goods do not match the description, (3) the transaction was unauthorised, (4) the merchant proved dishonest. In practice, at many Polish banks the customer has up to approximately 120 days from the transaction date or the expected delivery date to raise a chargeback claim.
The customer is additionally protected by Polish and EU legislation (including the Payment Services Act and the PSD2 Directive), which require the payment institution to return funds promptly in the event of an unauthorised transaction, except in cases of the customer’s gross negligence.
“Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL)
BNPL is in practice a short- or medium-term consumer credit arrangement provided by a third-party supplier (PayPo, Klarna, Twisto, Allegro Pay, etc.), who pays the merchant on the customer’s behalf, with the customer repaying the amount at a later date.
From a buyer protection perspective, three elements are important here:
- the customer has the status of a borrower, and the relationship is governed by a contract with the BNPL provider (generally subject to consumer credit legislation),
- if goods are not delivered or are defective, the customer may complain to both the merchant and the BNPL provider, who has a vested interest in resolving the matter,
- BNPL providers, as financial institutions, are subject to regulatory oversight (e.g. the Polish Financial Supervision Authority or other European regulators), which creates an additional avenue for complaints.
There is, however, no universal network-level equivalent of a chargeback – procedural details depend on the specific provider’s terms and conditions; the customer does have legal tools available, but they are not as “automated” as within card payment systems.
Online Instalment Payments
Instalment payment (e.g. bank e-instalments, 0% instalments with retail partners) is a classic hire-purchase arrangement – a bank or lending institution finances the purchase and the customer repays it in instalments.
If goods are not delivered or are defective, the customer may exercise rights arising from consumer credit legislation (e.g. joint liability of the bank and the merchant in certain legal arrangements) as well as statutory warranty and consumer rights provisions; complaints are generally submitted simultaneously to both the merchant and the bank.
As with BNPL, there is no single global “instalment chargeback”, but the customer is not left entirely without recourse – their interests are protected by consumer credit legislation, banking practices, and regulatory oversight.
BLIK
BLIK is a mobile payment system linked to the customer’s bank account; a transaction is based on a one-time code or in-app authorisation.
The key point is that a classic “card chargeback” does not apply – fraud via BLIK or sending money to a dishonest merchant does not trigger an automatic transaction reversal mechanism; banks emphasise that BLIK is not subject to chargeback.
The buyer remains protected by general regulations on unauthorised transactions (PSD2, the Payment Services Act), but if they themselves consciously confirmed a payment to a fraudster, recovering funds is considerably more difficult than with a card; it often comes down to negotiating with the merchant or pursuing claims through civil or criminal proceedings.
Online Bank Transfer (Pay by Link)
Pay by link is essentially a rapid bank transfer initiated by a payment intermediary (e.g. PayU, Przelewy24, Tpay), which “pre-fills” the transfer details on the customer’s behalf.
Here too there is no network-level chargeback – once a transfer has been sent, the customer is largely dependent on the merchant’s own policy and general regulations on unauthorised transactions; the bank will not reverse a transfer simply because the goods were defective or the seller dishonest.
In cases of error (e.g. a transfer to the wrong account), the situation is analogous to a standard bank transfer: a “fund recovery” procedure via the bank is possible, but requires the recipient’s consent or additional legal steps and is not guaranteed. It is true that payment method providers offer Customer Protection programmes, but these are in every case dependent on the specific payment solution provider.
How Quickly Does the Merchant Receive Funds with Each Payment Method?
Payment Card
In the card model, the merchant receives funds from the so-called acquiring agent (acquirer), rather than directly from the customer’s bank.
From the online shop’s perspective, funds are “recorded” in the payment system almost immediately upon authorisation, but actual settlement into the merchant’s account typically occurs in daily cycles or every few days, depending on the agreement with the acquirer.
For high-value transactions or higher-risk industries, a portion of funds may be placed in a rolling reserve, which delays full access to the cash.
BNPL (“pay later”)
In the “buy now, pay later” model, the merchant generally receives funds from the BNPL provider rather than directly from the customer – it is the provider who finances the purchase.
For the merchant, this very often means settlement comparable to or faster than a traditional credit arrangement – funds arrive according to the operator’s payout schedule (often T+1/T+2), and the risk of non-payment by the customer is borne by the BNPL provider.
Instalments
With instalment payments, funds are disbursed to the merchant by a bank or lending institution following a positive credit decision – usually within one to several business days, depending on the cooperation model.
The customer repays the instalments directly to the lender, whilst the merchant – from a cash flow perspective – often treats the transaction similarly to a cash sale, as they receive the full amount relatively quickly (minus a commission).
BLIK
With BLIK, the customer pays from their bank account, and the payment intermediary (if one is involved) confirms the transaction in near real time; the shop owner sees the transaction immediately in the payment system.
The physical crediting of funds to the merchant’s account usually occurs on the same day or the following business day – this depends on the settlement cycles of the operator and the acquiring bank.
Bank Transfer (Pay by Link)
Pay by link initiates a rapid bank transfer; confirmation for the merchant typically appears in real time, whilst the transfer itself is settled in accordance with Elixir/Express Elixir sessions or the banks’ internal sessions.
For the merchant, funds appear in the account most commonly on the same or the following business day, although in some integrations the operator settles with the merchant in batches (e.g. once per day).
How to Protect Yourself Against Payment Fraud in an Online Shop?
Payment Card: Fraud Detection and Warning Signals
The card payment system has the most sophisticated anti-fraud infrastructure:
- advanced scoring systems on the part of banks and acquiring agents,
- 3-D Secure (SCA) as an additional customer authentication layer,
- monitoring by card networks (Visa/Mastercard) for unusual transaction patterns.
Crucially for the merchant – they may receive a notification that a transaction has been declined due to suspected fraud, or that the card is blacklisted, and can then choose not to dispatch the goods, avoiding the risk of a subsequent chargeback for an unauthorised transaction; such “early warnings” also do not affect the shop’s chargeback statistics, as the transaction is ultimately never settled.
Furthermore, the chargeback mechanism itself allows the customer to recover funds in cases of fraud, but for the merchant a high level of chargebacks means higher costs and the risk of sanctions from the acquiring agent, which incentivises better risk management as well as better customer service quality.
BNPL
BNPL providers invest in risk scoring and customer behaviour analysis, as it is they who finance the purchase and bear the risk of non-repayment.
In practice, this means:
- customer verification (KYC, creditworthiness assessment, data verification),
- purchase and transaction limits for new customers,
- internal procedures for handling disputes and fraud reports.
From the merchant’s perspective, BNPL can reduce the risk of payment fraud (as funds come from a financial institution), but it does not resolve the problem of “soft” abuse (e.g. fictitious product complaints).
Instalments
Banks offering e-instalments have their own anti-fraud and KYC systems, as they are extending credit; customer data is verified in greater detail than in most cash purchases.
For the merchant, this means fewer bad debts, as the credit risk rests with the bank, but also a higher entry barrier for the customer, which may limit conversion for lower-value purchases.
BLIK
BLIK uses strong authentication (code + in-app authorisation, often biometric), but is simultaneously highly susceptible to social engineering (the “trusted contact” scam, the “familiar service” scam, etc.), because the customer consciously confirms the transaction.
The system does have complaint and dispute resolution mechanisms (e.g. in cases of unauthorised account use), and some operators (e.g. Stripe) describe BLIK dispute procedures under which the amount is “frozen” pending resolution; this is, however, a different tool from the card chargeback and is often less favourable for the customer who has been manipulated.
From the merchant’s perspective, the absence of a chargeback means lower risk of payment reversal after dispatch, but also less pressure on service quality – it is harder for the customer to exert financial pressure on a dishonest seller.
Bank Transfer (Pay by Link)
An online bank transfer is in practice as irreversible as a standard bank transfer – if the customer themselves initiated and authorised it, reversal is very difficult.
For the merchant, this is a stable source of funds with minimal risk of system-generated reversals, but from the buyer’s perspective it means no dedicated protection programme – in the event of a dispute, recourse is limited to the merchant’s complaints procedure and general civil and consumer law.
How to Tell Whether an Online Shop Is Safe? 5 Warning Signs.
Regardless of the payment method, the customer should be able to answer a simple question: “Can this shop be trusted sufficiently to hand over money and payment details?”
Common Warning Signs
With every payment method, it is worth checking:
- whether the website address begins with https and whether the certificate is valid,
- whether the terms and conditions, returns policy, and company contact details are easy to find,
- whether the site displays the company’s correct name, tax identification number (NIP), company registration number (KRS/CEIDG), and a physical address,
- whether the shop is registered in Poland or another EU member state,
- reviews on external platforms (e.g. price comparison sites, consumer portals).
The complete absence of identifying information, or suspiciously aggressive promotions from a shop with no online history, should be treated as a warning sign regardless of the payment methods available.[2]
Payment Card and PCI DSS
In the case of card payments, the PCI DSS standard is relevant; it sets out minimum security requirements for the processing of card data.
If the shop itself collects card data on its own website (i.e. the form does not resemble a standard payment gateway form), it should be working with a PCI DSS-compliant payment processor; a soft indicator of credibility for the customer is the presence of well-known logos (Visa, Mastercard, a recognisable payment operator), a proper redirect to a secure gateway, and prompts for additional authentication (3-D Secure).
The absence of a well-known card payment provider does not automatically mean the shop is dishonest, but it may suggest it has not undergone some of the due diligence processes required by acquiring agents.
BNPL and Instalments: Merchant KYC
BNPL providers and instalment banks carry out KYC/AML verification of merchants before admitting them to their partner networks – they check m.in registration details, the business model, and the history of chargebacks and complaints.
If a well-known BNPL operator (e.g. the domestic PayPo or international Klarna) has partnered with a given shop, this is an indirect signal that the merchant has undergone some form of risk and credibility assessment; this is of course no guarantee of “perfect” service, but it does filter out the most obvious cases of fraud.
Similarly with instalments – banks are reluctant to sign cooperation agreements with anonymous high-risk shops, so the availability of well-known online instalment options can be a positive signal for the customer.
BLIK and Bank Transfer: What Does the Absence of Other Methods Suggest?
BLIK and pay by link transfers are widely available through Polish payment gateways, and integrating them requires basic merchant verification by the payment operator (KYC/AML, account and industry verification, etc.).
If an online shop offers only a transfer to a “bare account number” or BLIK “to a phone number”, without the involvement of a recognisable payment intermediary, greater caution is warranted – this may indicate that the shop has not undergone formal verification with payment agents, or that it actively avoids such processes.
Which Payment Method Should You Use in an Online Shop? Key Takeaways for Buyers.
Polish customers have grown accustomed to the convenience of BLIK and online bank transfers, but it is the card – particularly the credit card – that still offers the strongest, standardised buyer protection programme in the form of the chargeback, which matters especially when shopping at lesser-known shops or abroad.
BNPL and instalment payments, when used appropriately, provide additional layers of protection derived from consumer credit law and from the involvement of a regulated financial intermediary who verifies both the customer and the merchant; the problem, however, is the risk of excessive indebtedness should the customer lose track of the number of obligations they have taken on.
BLIK and pay by link transfers remain very convenient and fast, but from a buyer protection standpoint they are closer to “electronically transferred cash” – when something goes wrong, the customer has considerably fewer tools than in the world of card payments, and recovering money depends more on the goodwill of the merchant and laborious legal procedures than on the built-in mechanisms of the payment system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is BLIK Safe for Online Shopping?
BLIK is technically secure – it uses strong authentication (a one-time code plus in-app bank authorisation, often biometric). Its weak point, however, is susceptibility to social engineering: if the user consciously confirms a payment at a fraudster’s behest, the bank is not obliged to refund the funds – unlike with a card, where the chargeback applies regardless of whether the transaction was subjectively “deliberate”. BLIK is not subject to chargeback – that is the key distinction from payment cards.
How Long Do I Have to File a Chargeback on a Card Payment?
At most Polish banks, the deadline for filing a chargeback claim is up to approximately 120 days from the transaction date or the expected delivery date. The exact deadline depends on the card-issuing bank’s terms and conditions and the rules of the card network (Visa or Mastercard). The claim is submitted to the bank that issued the card – not to the shop or to the acquiring agent.
Is BNPL the Same as Online Instalment Payments?
No – they are two distinct products, although both defer payment. BNPL (“buy now, pay later”) is typically a short-term payment deferral (14–30 days, often interest-free) offered by specialist providers (PayPo, Klarna, Twisto). Online instalments are a classic hire-purchase credit arrangement provided by a bank or lending institution, repaid in equal monthly instalments over several months to several years. Both forms are subject to consumer credit legislation, but have different protection and customer verification mechanisms.
What to Do If an Online Shop Has Not Delivered Your Order?
The appropriate steps depend on the payment method used: (1) Card – file a chargeback with the card-issuing bank; you have up to approximately 120 days. (2) BNPL – raise a dispute with the BNPL provider and the shop; the provider has a vested interest in resolving the matter. (3) Instalments – contact both the bank and the shop simultaneously; the bank may suspend instalment repayments pending resolution. (4) BLIK or bank transfer – contact the shop; if there is no response, file a complaint with the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) or the Financial Ombudsman and consider civil proceedings.
How to Check Whether an Online Shop Is Safe Before Making a Purchase?
Check five elements:
(1) an HTTPS address with a valid SSL certificate,
(2) visible company registration details (NIP, KRS/CEIDG, physical address),
(3) terms and conditions and returns policy accessible before purchase,
(4) reviews on independent platforms (Ceneo, Google Maps, Trustpilot),
(5) the presence of well-known payment operators (Przelewy24, PayU, Visa/Mastercard). A shop offering only a transfer to an account number or BLIK “to a phone number” without a payment intermediary should raise particular caution.
Which Payment Method Is Best for Shopping Abroad or at an Unknown Shop?
At an unknown shop or when shopping abroad, a credit card is strongly recommended – owing to the global chargeback mechanism of the Visa and Mastercard networks, which operates regardless of the seller’s country. A debit card offers similar protection, but in the event of fraud it blocks real funds in the account. BLIK does not work outside Poland. Bank transfers and BNPL have limited geographic reach and weaker protection in cross-border transactions.
