Payments (cards)

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

Client-Side SDK Payments

Refer to Payments (Cards) section if your flow requires the SDK to initiate payments directly. In this model, the SDK handles the payment trigger and communicates downstream to the Hyperswitch server and your chosen Payment Service Providers (PSPs). This path is ideal for supporting dynamic, frontend-driven payment experiences.

One-Time Payment Patterns

1. Instant Payment (Automatic Capture)

Use Case: Simple, immediate payment processing

Endpoint: POST /payments

Required Fields:

• confirm: true

• capture_method: "automatic"

• payment_method

Final Status: succeeded

2. Two-Step Manual Capture

Use Case: Deferred capture (e.g., ship before charging)

Flow:

1. Authorize: POST /payments with capture_method: "manual"

2. Status: requires_capture

3. Capture: POST /payments/{payment_id}/capture

4. Final Status: succeeded

Read more

3. Fully Decoupled Flow

Use Case: Complex checkout journeys with multiple modification steps. Useful in headless checkout or B2B portals where data is filled progressively.

Endpoints:

• Create: POST /payments

• Update: POST /payments/{payment_id}

• Confirm: POST /payments/{payment_id}/confirm

• Capture: POST /payments/{payment_id}/capture (if manual)

4. 3D Secure Authentication Flow

Use Case: Enhanced security with customer authentication

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Hyperswitch
    participant Customer
    participant Bank
    
    Client->>Hyperswitch: POST /payments<br/>{authentication_type: "three_ds"}
    Hyperswitch-->>Client: Status: requires_customer_action<br/>+ redirect_url
    
    Client->>Customer: Redirect to 3DS page
    Customer->>Bank: Complete 3DS Challenge
    Bank-->>Hyperswitch: Authentication Result
    Hyperswitch->>Hyperswitch: Resume Payment Processing
    Hyperswitch-->>Client: Status: succeeded

Additional Fields:

• authentication_type: "three_ds"

Status Progression: processing → requires_customer_action → succeeded

Payment Method Management

1. Saving Payment Methods

graph LR
    A["Payment Request"] --> B["Add setup_future_usage"]
    B --> C{"Usage Type"}
    C -->|"off_session"| D["For Recurring/MIT"]
    C -->|"on_session"| E["For Customer-Present"]
    D --> F["payment_method_id Returned"]
    E --> F

During Payment Creation:

• Add setup_future_usage: "off_session" or "on_session"

• Include customer_id

• Result: payment_method_id returned on success

Understanding setup_future_usage:

• on_session: Use when the customer is actively present during the transaction. This is typical for scenarios like saving card details for faster checkouts in subsequent sessions where the customer will still be present to initiate the payment (e.g., card vaulting for e-commerce sites).

• off_session: Use when you intend to charge the customer later without their active involvement at the time of charge. This is suitable for subscriptions, recurring billing, or merchant-initiated transactions (MITs) where the customer has pre-authorized future charges.

2. Using Saved Payment Methods

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Hyperswitch
    
    Client->>Hyperswitch: POST /payments/create<br/>{customer_id}
    Hyperswitch-->>Client: client_secret
    
    Client->>Hyperswitch: GET /customers/payment_methods<br/>{client_secret, publishable_key}
    Hyperswitch-->>Client: List of payment_tokens
    
    Client->>Hyperswitch: POST /payments/{id}/confirm<br/>{payment_token}
    Hyperswitch-->>Client: Payment Result

Steps:

1. Initiate: Create payment with customer_id

2. List: Get saved cards via GET /customers/payment_methods

3. Confirm: Use selected payment_token in confirm call

PCI Compliance and payment_method_id

Storing payment_method_id (which is a token representing the actual payment instrument, which could be a payment token, network token, or payment processor token) significantly reduces your PCI DSS scope. Hyperswitch securely stores the sensitive card details and provides you with this token. While you still need to ensure your systems handle payment_method_id and related customer data securely, you avoid the complexities of storing raw card numbers. Always consult with a PCI QSA to understand your specific compliance obligations.

Recurring Payment Flows

3. Customer-Initiated Transaction (CIT) Setup

graph TD
    A["CIT Setup"] --> B{"Setup Type"}
    B -->|"With Charge"| C["Amount > 0<br/>setup_future_usage: off_session"]
    B -->|"Zero Dollar Auth"| D["Amount: 0<br/>payment_type: setup_mandate"]
    C --> E["payment_method_id"]
    D --> E

Option 1 - Setup with Charge:

• setup_future_usage: "off_session"

• amount > 0

Option 2 - Zero Dollar Authorization:

• setup_future_usage: "off_session"

• amount: 0

• payment_type: "setup_mandate"

4. Merchant-Initiated Transaction (MIT) Execution

sequenceDiagram
    participant Merchant
    participant Hyperswitch
    participant Processor
    
    Note over Merchant: Subscription billing trigger
    
    Merchant->>Hyperswitch: POST /payments<br/>{off_session: true, recurring_details}
    Hyperswitch->>Processor: Process with saved payment_method_id
    Processor-->>Hyperswitch: Payment Result
    Hyperswitch-->>Merchant: Status: succeeded

Required Fields:

• off_session: true

• recurring_details: { "type": "payment_method_id", "data": "<from_setup>"}

Use Case: Subscription charges, scheduled billing without customer interaction

Status Flow Summary

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> RequiresConfirmation
    RequiresConfirmation --> Processing: confirm=true
    Processing --> RequiresCustomerAction: 3DS needed
    RequiresCustomerAction --> Processing: 3DS complete
    Processing --> RequiresCapture: manual capture
    Processing --> Succeeded: automatic capture
    RequiresCapture --> Succeeded: capture API call
    RequiresCapture --> PartiallyCaptured: partial capture
    PartiallyCaptured --> [*]
    Succeeded --> [*]
    Processing --> Failed: payment failed
    Failed --> [*]

Notes

• Terminal States: succeeded, failed, cancelled, partially_captured are terminal states requiring no further action

• Capture Methods: System supports automatic (funds captured immediately), manual (funds captured in a separate step), manual_multiple (funds captured in multiple partial amounts via separate steps), and scheduled (funds captured automatically at a future predefined time) capture methods.

• Authentication: 3DS authentication automatically resumes payment processing after customer completion

• MIT Compliance: Off-session recurring payments follow industry standards for merchant-initiated transactions