Short Answer

Since 9 October 2025, EU law forbids banks from charging more for an instant transfer than for a standard one. If your bank still lists a separate Echtzeitüberweisung fee in its price schedule, that surcharge is no longer legal and you can demand it back.

What Most Expats Don't Realize

You executed twenty instant payments during a hectic apartment-hunting weekend in early 2026, and your legacy bank still deducted a €2.00 surcharge on every single push. The fee table on their website had simply never been updated, and the bank was counting on customers not knowing that the rules changed. You lost €40 in unlawful surcharges and never reclaimed a cent because you assumed a printed fee schedule must be legal.

What To Do

  • Open your bank's current price list and search for any separate line item attached to "Echtzeitüberweisung."
  • Demand a refund in writing for any instant-transfer surcharges charged after 9 October 2025.
  • "Seit Oktober 2025 dürfen Echtzeitüberweisungen nicht mehr kosten als Standardüberweisungen. Ich bitte um Erstattung dieser Gebühren." (Since October 2025, instant transfers may not cost more than standard transfers. I request a refund of these fees.) — Send this statement to your bank's complaint department and copy BaFin if they refuse.

The Truth

Germany's legacy banks monetized transaction speed for an entire decade and surrendered the surcharge only when European regulation forced their hand. The system now relies on the customers who never read regulation updates to keep paying a fee that no longer legally exists.