What is Bizum and how many parents can use it?

Bizum is Spain's bank-funded instant payment network. As of 2025, over 25 million Spaniards have Bizum active in their banking app, representing more than half of all adults in Spain. Any parent with a bank account at a Spanish bank (virtually all of them) can activate and use Bizum at no cost.

What are Redsys processing fees and settlement timelines for Spanish schools?

Redsys fees are set by your bank (not by Redsys directly), so rates vary by institution and transaction volume. Most Spanish banks charge 0.5%–1.5% for domestic card transactions via TPV Virtual. Settlements typically occur within T+2 directly to your institution's bank account. Bizum transactions often carry a lower per-transaction cost than card payments. Ask your bank's business banking team for the exact fee schedule when activating your TPV Virtual.

🇪🇸

Redsys School Fee Payment Integration

Enterprise EditionPayment Processing

Collect school fees in Spain and Portugal — Redsys cards, Bizum, and CES secure payment for Spanish schools

Overview

Redsys is the payment processing infrastructure operated by Spanish banks (Banco Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank, Sabadell, and others) and processes the majority of online card transactions in Spain. For concertados (subsidised private schools), private schools, academias, and Spanish universities accepting online fee payments, Redsys is the gateway connected to the national banking infrastructure that all Spanish institutions are familiar with. Redsys supports Bizum — Spain's bank-to-bank instant payment app, with 25M+ active users across all major Spanish banks. For parents who already use Bizum for everyday transfers, paying school fees via Bizum is significantly more convenient than entering card details. OpenEduCat's Redsys integration makes Bizum available at checkout alongside card payment. Many Spanish schools already have a Redsys TPV Virtual (virtual POS terminal) through their bank. Connecting this existing terminal to OpenEduCat requires only the TPV credentials — no new banking relationship required.

Key Capabilities

Spanish Bank Cards

All Spanish bank debit and credit cards accepted: CaixaBank, BBVA, Santander, Sabadell, Bankinter, ING, and all other Spanish bank issuers.

Bizum

Spain's instant mobile payment network with 25M+ users. Parents pay from their banking app in seconds without entering card details.

TPV Virtual Integration

Connect your existing bank TPV Virtual (virtual POS terminal) to OpenEduCat. Most Spanish schools already have one — just provide the credentials.

International Cards

Visa, Mastercard, and Amex from non-Spanish issuers accepted for international families and Erasmus students.

3D Secure

PSD2-compliant Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) included. All Spanish transactions require 3DS authentication.

Recurring Payments

TPV recurring for monthly fee collection. Tokenized cards stored in Redsys for subsequent automatic charges per installment schedule.

Setup Guide

Get TPV Virtual from Your Bank

Contact your Spanish bank (CaixaBank, BBVA, Santander, Sabadell, etc.) to activate a TPV Virtual (virtual POS). Provide your institution's CIF and bank account details.

Get TPV Credentials

Your bank provides a Merchant Code (Número de comercio), Terminal Number (Número de terminal), and SHA-256 encryption key for API integration.

Configure in OpenEduCat

Go to Settings > Payment Providers > Redsys. Enter your Merchant Code, Terminal Number, and SHA-256 key. Select EUR as the currency.

Activate Bizum

Contact your bank to activate Bizum on your TPV Virtual. This typically requires a brief additional approval process.

Test with Test TPV

Use Redsys test environment credentials provided by your bank. Test card and Bizum flows, verify invoice matching, then activate production.

Use Cases

Spanish colegios concertados collecting cuota voluntaria (optional fees) via Bizum and card through the parent portal
Spanish private schools (colegios privados) collecting monthly or term fees via TPV Virtual linked to OpenEduCat
Spanish academias (language schools, tutoring) collecting monthly fees via recurring card billing
Spanish universities with European exchange students requiring 3D Secure compliant card processing

Technical Requirements

TPV Virtual from a Spanish bank (CaixaBank, BBVA, Santander, Sabadell, or any Redsys-member bank)
OpenEduCat Enterprise Edition
SSL certificate on your OpenEduCat instance
Spanish or Portuguese business entity with a bank account at a Redsys-member bank

Fee Payment and Collection

Manage tuition, program fees, hostel charges, and lab levies from a single system that automates invoice generation, handles installment plans, and gives families a self-service portal to view balances, pay online, and download receipts — without calling your office.

Advanced Accounting Software for Schools

Multi-campus fund tracking, automated reconciliations, grant compliance reporting, and fee-to-ledger integration. Close months in days with real-time dashboards and a full audit trail.

Financial Management

Set up fee structures once — auto-generate invoices at enrollment, accept payments via cash, bank, or online gateway, apply discounts, and reconcile. Close books faster with fewer errors.

Student Management

Student information system software that keeps every record (academics, health, contacts, documents) in one place. SIS for K-12 schools and universities that gives staff accurate student data instantly and makes reporting effortless.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can use your existing Spanish bank. Redsys is operated by the consortium of Spanish banks. Contact your bank's business banking team and ask to activate a TPV Virtual (comercio electrónico). They provide the API credentials. No new bank account or relationship is required.

Collect School Fees with Redsys

How OpenEduCat uses Redsys for online fee collection — by institution type

University Fee CollectionSpanish public universities mandated to use Redsys by the Spanish banking network — the ma…View guide K-12 School Fee CollectionBizum payment links sent via email or SMS allow Spanish parents to pay term fees instantly…View guide College Fee CollectionPSD2-compliant 3D Secure authentication satisfies Spain's strong customer authentication r…View guide Vocational School Fee CollectionMIT recurring mandates for Spanish vocational school monthly fee plans — once authorized, …View guide High School Fee CollectionBizum for Spanish high school term fees; MIT recurring mandates for monthly instalment pla…View guide International School Fee CollectionPSD2-compliant card payments and Bizum for Spanish international schools; recurring mandat…View guide Boarding School Fee CollectionRedsys MIT recurring for semester boarding fees; Bizum for deposit and activity fee collec…View guide

Enable Redsys Integration

Connect Redsys with OpenEduCat and simplify your institution's digital ecosystem.

See How It Works Talk to an Advisor

Try it free for 15 days. No credit card required.