Getting Started with Sources in the Android SDK

Make use of Sources with the Android SDK. If you need help after reading this, search our documentation or check out answers to common questions. You can even chat live with other developers in #stripe on freenode.

Creating a payment using Sources with the Android SDK is a multi-step process:

Create an Source object that represents your customer's payment method
Check if further action is required from your customer

If no further action is required:

Confirm the source is ready to use
Tell your backend to create a charge request using the source

If further action is required:

Present the user with any information they may need to authorize the charge
In your backend, listen to Stripe webhooks to create a charge with the source
In your app, display the appropriate confirmation to your customer based on the source’s status

Create a `Source` object

To create a source object, use the appropriate SourceParams.create method for your Source type.

createBancontactParams
createBitcoinParams
createCardParams
createGiropayParams
createIdealParams
createSepaDebitParams
createSofortParams
createThreeDSecureParams

Card card = mCardInputWidget.getCard();
SourceParams cardSourceParams = SourceParams.createCardParams(card);
// The asynchronous way to do it. Call this method on the main thread.
mStripe.createSource(
    cardSourceParams,
    new SourceCallBack() {
        @Override
        public void onSuccess(Source source) {
            // Store the source somewhere, use it, etc
        }
        @Override
        public void onError(Exception error) {
            // Tell the user that something went wrong
        }
    });

// The synchronous way to do it (DON'T DO BOTH)
Source source = mStripe.createSourceSynchronous(
        cardSourceParams,
        PUBLISHABLE_KEY);

Each method requires parameters unique to the payment type. Refer to the appropriate payment methods documentation to find out what these are.

Once you have a SourceParams object, create a source with either the Stripe#createSource or Stripe#createSourceSynchronous, depending on whether you prefer to manage threading yourself.

Check if further action is required from your customer

Some payment methods require your customer to complete a certain action before the source can be used in a charge request. For instance, customers using Giropay must be redirected to their online banking service to authorize the payment.

SourceParams giropayParams = SourceParams.createGiropayParams(
        100,
        "Customer Name",
        "yourcompany://yourpath",
        "a purchase description");
// Note: this is a synchronous method -- you should not run it on the UI thread
Source giropaySource = mStripe.createSourceSynchronous(giropayParams);
if (Source.REDIRECT.equals(giropaySource.getFlow()) {
    String redirectUrl = giropaySource.getRedirect().getUrl();
    // then go to this URL, as shown below.
}

For sources that require redirecting your customer, you must specify a return URL when creating the source. This redirect URL should be unique and used consistently for your application. Do not use the same redirect URL in other applications, as it can result in a payment attempt that opens the wrong application after the redirect.

3D Secure cards

Some cards require verification using 3D Secure, which functions differently to other source types. To determine whether or not 3D Secure is required for a card source, check the SourceCardData.

Source cardSource;
// create your source as described
SourceCardData cardData = (SourceCardData) cardSource.getSourceTypeModel();
String threeDStatus = cardData.getThreeDSecureStatus();
if (SourceCardData.REQUIRED.equals(threeDStatus) {
// this is the case where you would need to conduct a 3DS check
} else if (SourceCardData.OPTIONAL.equals(threeDStatus) {
// In this case, a 3DS step is optional. You should be able to charge the card immediately.
} else if (SourceCardData.UNKNOWN.equals(threeDStatus) {
// This case should be rare.
} else {
// the value will be SourceCardData.NOT_SUPPORTED, and you're free to charge the card.
}

If 3D Secure is required, a 3D Secure source must also be created using createThreeDSecureParams.

String cardSourceId = cardSource.getId();
SourceParams threeDParams = SourceParams.createThreeDSecureParams(
        1000L, // some price: this represents 10.00 EUR
        "EUR", // a currency
        "yourcompany://yourpath", // your redirect
        cardSourceId);
// Remember not to call this method on the UI thread
Source mThreeDSource;
// either
mThreeDSource = mStripe.createSourceSynchronous(threeDParams);
// or
mStripe.createSource(threeDParams, new SourceCallback() {
    @Override
    public void onError(Exception error) {
        // handle the error
    }
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(Source source) {
        mThreeDSource = source;
    }
});

Redirecting your customer to authorize a source

For sources that require your customer to complete an action (e.g., verify using 3D Secure), redirect the customer out of your application to complete this step.

String externalUrl = mThreeDSource.getRedirect().getUrl();
// We suggest popping up a dialog asking the user
// to tap to go to their browser so they are not
// surprised when they leave your application.
Intent browserIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse(externalUrl));
startActivity(browserIntent);

Once the customer has completed the required action, they are redirected to the URL that was provided when creating the source.

When declaring your activity that creates redirect-based sources, list an intent-filter item in your AndroidManifest.xml file. This allows you to accept links into your application. Your activity must include android:launchMode="singleTask" or else a new copy of it is opened when your customer comes back from the browser.

<activity
    android:name=".activity.PollingActivity"
    android:launchMode="singleTask"
    android:theme="@style/SampleTheme">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW"/>
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE"/>
        <data
            android:host="yourcompany"
            android:scheme="yourpath"/>
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

To receive information from this event, listen for your activity getting started back up with a new Intent using the onNewIntent lifecycle method.

@Override
protected void onNewIntent(Intent intent) {
    super.onNewIntent(intent);
    if (intent.getData() != null && intent.getData().getQuery() != null) {
        // The client secret and source ID found here is identical to
        // that of the source used to get the redirect URL.

        String host = intent.getData().getHost();
        // Note: you don't have to get the client secret
        // and source ID here. They are the same as the
        // values already in your source.
        String clientSecret = intent.getData().getQueryParameter(QUERY_CLIENT_SECRET);
        String sourceId = intent.getData().getQueryParameter(QUERY_SOURCE_ID);
        if (clientSecret != null
                && sourceId != null
                && clientSecret.equals(mRedirectSource.getClientSecret())
                && sourceId.equals(mRedirectSource.getId())) {
            // Then this is a redirect back for the original source.
            // You should poll your own backend to update based on
            // source status change webhook events it may receive, and display the results
            // of that here.
        }
        // If you had a dialog open when your user went elsewhere, remember to close it here.
        mRedirectDialogController.dismissDialog();
    }
}

More information

If you'd like more help, check out our example app that demonstrates creating a payment using several different payment methods. In addition, here's some documentation you might want to read next: