Payment Method (Card)

Hyperswitch provides flexible payment processing with multiple flow patterns to accommodate different business needs. The system supports one-time payments, saved payment methods, and recurring billing through a comprehensive API design.

Integration Path

Server-to-Server (S2S) Payments

Refer to this section if you intend to use the SDK exclusively for vaulting/storing card details. In this scenario, the actual payment execution is handled via S2S API calls from your backend to Hyperswitch, offering you more granular control over the transaction lifecycle.

Payment method flows leverages all the capabilities available in Payments. The primary goal here is to allow the business to control the payment journey via S2S APIs and a token or payment_method_id

The business can use the Payment Method SDK or /payment-methods API to first capture the card details and create a payment_method_id

The business can then use the payment_method_id in /payments API to perform all functionalities supported by the Payments flow.

Payment Method Lifecycle

The Payment Method flow leverages the full suite of Hyperswitch Payment capabilities while granting businesses granular control over the user journey. By utilizing Server-to-Server (S2S) APIs and unique identifiers payment_method_id, businesses can separate the collection of payment credentials from the actual transaction logic.

The Two-Step Integration Pattern

1. Credential Capture & Vaulting

The business initiates the flow by capturing payment details (such as cards, wallets, or bank accounts) using either the Payment Method SDK or the /payment-methods API. This process securely vaults the payment instrument and generates a unique payment_method_id.

1. Transaction Execution

Once the payment_method_id is generated, it serves as a reusable token. The business can pass this ID into the /payments API to execute any supported Payment functionality without re-collecting sensitive data.

The payment_method_id serves as a unique identifier mapped to a specific combination of a Customer ID and a unique Payment Instrument (e.g., a specific credit card, digital wallet, or bank account).

• Logic: A single customer can have multiple payment methods, each assigned a distinct ID. However, the same payment instrument used by the same customer will always resolve to the same payment_method_id.

• Scope: This uniqueness applies across all payment types, including cards, wallets, and bank details.

Customer ID	Payment Instrument	Payment Method ID
123	Visa ending in 4242	PM1
123	Mastercard ending in 1111	PM2
456	Visa ending in 4242	PM3
123	PayPal Account ([email protected])	PM4