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About did deutsch-institut
Founded in 1970, did deutsch-institut welcomes around 6,000–7,000 students each year across its adult and youth programmes based in Germany. Half of its students come from outside Europe, with strong growth from Brazil, Turkey, Korea, Japan, and the US.
“It’s really a global mix,” says Almir Krupic, Marketing Director, did deutsch-institut. “Roughly 50% of our students come from outside the Eurozone, and that number keeps growing every year.”
The Challenge
Missing payments, high fees, and slow reconciliation made international transactions a constant headache. While European payments were predictable, transfers from abroad were not. Students often believed they’d paid, but funds got delayed or lost in the banking maze.
“You often didn’t know if the payment would actually arrive,” explains Almir. “Their bank might send it incorrectly or not at all, and you’d have no visibility. It could take days of back and forth between us, the student, and their bank to find out what had happened to the payment.”
did deutsch-institut initially worked with another provider, but over time that service reduced its payment options – particularly credit cards, which many international students preferred.
“Students from Brazil or Turkey often want to pay quickly by credit card in their own country, but the previous provider dropped that option. It became too restrictive for our customers.”
Traditional bank transfers added cost and confusion. With several intermediaries in the chain, fees were deducted mid-route, leaving small but frequent shortfalls that frustrated everyone.
“We’d be missing €25 to €50 on a payment, and then we’d have to chase the difference,” Almir said. “It annoyed us and the customer. Under €25 we’d just write it off, but over a year it adds up when you’re talking about hundreds of cases.”
Matching payments was another major drain. Many senders didn’t include an invoice number, and the payers name rarely matched the students.
“Sometimes the sender’s name was just a street address,” Almir continued. “You’re guessing who it belongs to – parents, grandparents, someone else entirely.”
The result was hours of manual work for both accounting and sales teams, and an inconsistent experience for agents and students alike.
Refunds were time-consuming and risky, often requiring extensive paperwork, manual verification, and back-and-forth with banks to ensure funds were returned to the correct account.
“International refunds could take half a day of paperwork,” says Almir. “Our bank would ask for letters, ID checks, even confirmations about unrelated countries. It was slow and stressful for everyone.”
The Solution
In 2024, did deutsch-institut switched to TransferMate for incoming and refund payments, valuing its wider payment options, better transparency, and smoother reconciliation.
“We moved from our other provider to TransferMate because it simply offered more flexibility,” says Almir. “Students can choose to pay by credit card or bank transfer in their local currency, and for us it’s all visible in one place.”
Students receive an invoice and a TransferMate payment link, allowing them to pay immediately in their chosen currency. did deutsch-institut can then see the payment status in real time.
“When we see it in TransferMate, that’s our guarantee the payment’s good. Even before it hits our account, we can go ahead and issue visa letters or confirmations.”
Every payment arrives in full, removing the hidden deductions that plagued traditional transfers.
“It’s 100% accurate,” Almir confirms. “What we request is exactly what we get. No missing €30s here and there.”
For did deutsch-institut’s team, the process is clear and auditable. Payments come through with matching invoice or student IDs, eliminating the old detective work.
“Now it’s a smooth process – the payment number links to the student straight away. We don’t waste time searching.”
Refunds are now handled directly through TransferMate, allowing did deutsch-institut to return funds securely to the original account in just one click.
“We just click refund, and it goes back to the originating account,” says Almir. “It’s faster, safer, and saves us all the paperwork our banks used to demand.”
did deutsch-institut also plans to integrate TransferMate with Fidelo, their school management platform, to create a single, automated flow from booking to payment.
“We’ve used Fidelo since the beginning, so the next step is embedding TransferMate into the booking forms. Then students can pay directly on our site – it becomes a one-stop shop.”
The Results
With TransferMate, did deutsch-institut has simplified its payments workflow across accounting, admissions, and sales. It’s resulted in time savings, fewer errors, and a more professional experience for students and staff.
“It’s saved a lot of time,” says Almir. “My accounting team doesn’t have to search for payments, and sales just send the payment link. No back-and-forth emails, even in the busy season.”
Payments now arrive faster and cleaner, and the school’s teams can focus on students, not chasing transactions.
“It’s much easier for everyone – students just click the link, make the payment, and we can match it instantly.”
The benefits extend to students, too. Paying in local currency removes guesswork and frustration.
“They don’t need to do exchange-rate maths or worry about fees. What they see is what they pay, and no one’s ever said TransferMate was more expensive than their bank.”
Accuracy, automation, and quick customer support have built real confidence.
“If there’s ever a question, Jeff replies within minutes,” Almir adds. “That responsiveness is rare.”
While direct cost savings are modest, the time and trust savings are significant.
“Payments aren’t our passion, but we need them,” Almir concluded. “TransferMate makes them simple, reliable, and less work – and that’s a huge value.”
The Final Word
“I’d definitely recommend TransferMate. It’s user-friendly, the team is fast and reliable, and it gives our students the flexibility they want. For any school handling international payments, it’s a great tool that saves time, builds trust, and just works.”
- Almir Krupic, Marketing Director, did deutsch-institut
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