In early February, we reported that Erste Bank had launched a new digital platform through which retail customers can manage their finances right now. According to promises at the time, the net banking service, dubbed George, will not only make transfers easier, but also more transparent, while everyone can customize the options they need according to their own needs.
For example, Díjnet, an electronic billing service, above all, allows customers of various service providers included in the Díjnet system to view and settle their bills in electronic form on the Internet. According to its portal, the Díjnet Zrt service is used by 813 thousand people at this writing, and they can settle 32 companies’ utility bills — usually electricity, gas, water, telecommunications, internet and television — through Díjnet.
However, the usage rate of the Díjnet service among Erste’s retail customers is low, barely 0.3%, the bank said when contacting our newspaper. Emphasizing that “in developing the new digital ecosystem, George, we are constantly monitoring usage trends and adapting our suite of digital solutions to them.” This led to the decision that from July 31, 2021, Erste Bank’s retail customers will not be able to settle their free accounts through Erste Netbank, only through other options offered by Díjnet. And for those who want to continue paying their utility bills with the fee, credit card payment and the iCheck app are also available. Erste noted that these are considered purchases, so they do not represent an additional cost to customers.
They are also aware of the current balance of power in the prize. As stated in our paper, “Our experience shows that more and more people are choosing a credit card payment solution in addition to direct online payment, where online bank payment can cost a transfer (depending on the bank account package), while credit card payment and iCheck payment is a purchases, and is not normally an additional cost to the customer.
