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The Payment Sessions API is a unified solution for payment collection across all flows — one-time payments, recurring collections, authorisation and capture, and payment method verification — through a single API.

Use Cases

See how Payment Sessions map to common business scenarios.

Lifecycle

Understand the states a payment session moves through from creation to completion.

Webhooks

React to session events in real time.

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Recurring Payments

Mandates

Authorise future merchant-initiated payments on behalf of the customer.

Subscriptions

Automate recurring collections on a schedule.

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Additional Flows

Payment Allocation

Declare the purpose and target of a payment for compliance enforcement and automated settlement. Verify and save a payment method without charging the customer.

Authorisation and Capture

Reserve funds at checkout and capture or void them later.

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Key Features

  • Flexible Payment Flows: Handle one-time payments, first-time setup payments for subscriptions, and repeat payments with minimal effort.
  • Seamless Recurring Payments: Use saved payment methods for a series of transactions initiated and completed without customer interaction.
  • Authorisation and Capture: Reserve funds at checkout and settle later, enabling ship-then-capture, fraud review, and partial fulfilment workflows.
  • Payment Method Verification: Verify and save a customer’s payment method without charging them, for use in future customer-present or merchant-initiated flows.

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Benefits

  • Simplicity: Manage various payment scenarios with a single API.
  • Customizability: Tailor the payment experience to fit your brand.
  • Scalability: Support a variety of payment methods and grow your business globally.

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How It Works

1

Create a Payment Session

Start by creating a payment session with all necessary details like amount, currency, and payment type.
2

Redirect if Required

For payments where the customer is present, redirect them to the checkout page provided in the session_url to complete the payment. For recurring payments where the customer is not present, use the customer’s saved payment method to process the payment without any customer interaction.
3

Track Payment Status

Monitor the status of your payments in real time using webhooks or API calls.

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Session Types

The API supports three distinct session types to handle both customer-present and customer-not-present payments:
  • one_time: A one-time payment where the customer is present and completes payment in real time. Optionally saves the payment method for future customer-present use.
  • first_in_series: The first payment in a series, where the customer is present and authorises their payment method for future merchant-initiated payments. This authorisation is called a mandate, and is typically used to set up recurring payments such as subscriptions or instalment plans.
  • next_in_series: A subsequent payment in a series, where the customer is not present. Fully programmatic, no customer interaction required.
A mandate is an authorisation that allows a merchant to initiate future payments when the customer is not present in the flow.
The following table summarises the differences: