Card payments on the Charges API

Learn how to charge, save, and authenticate cards with Stripe’s older APIs.

The Charges and Tokens APIs were not designed for new regulations (like SCA) and regional payment method requirements. Stripe’s new APIs are built on top of Charges to help handle these complex payments automatically.

This older integration is still necessary for certain payment methods. As we continue evolve the new APIs, check the status of supported payment methods.

Looking for a simple integration that’s similar to Charges? If you only accept U.S. and Canadian card payments, you can integrate to ignore authentication.

Migrating

The Charges API is limited. To get the latest Stripe features, migrate to the Payment Intents API.

Charges API

A traditional token-based integration

Collect the customer's payment information in the browser with Elements
Tokenize the payment information with Stripe.js
Perform a request to send the token to your server
Use the token to create a charge on your server with the desired amount and currency
Fulfill the customer's order if payment is successful

Get started with Charges

Payment Intents API

A new Payment Intents API integration

Create a PaymentIntent on your server with the desired amount and currency
Send the PaymentIntent's client secret to the client side
Collect the customer's payment information in the browser with Elements
Use Stripe.js or the mobile SDKs to handle 3D Secure and complete the payment on the client
Use webhooks to fulfill the customer's order if the payment is successful

Migrate now

Using the Charges API

Although unsupported, the Stripe Charges API isn’t going away. Until you upgrade your integration, you can still use Charges to collect payments and more:

Haven’t set up our libraries or SDKs yet? Go get started on web, iOS, or Android.

Refunds

To refund a payment via the API, create a Refund and provide the ID of the charge to be refunded.

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/refunds \
  -u sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc: \
  -d charge=ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

refund = Stripe::Refund.create({
    charge: 'ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh',
})

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

refund = stripe.Refund.create(
    charge='ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh',
)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

$refund = \Stripe\Refund::create([
    'charge' => 'ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh',
]);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.apiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

Map<String, Object> params = new HashMap<>();
params.put("charge", "ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh");
Refund refund = Refund.create(params);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

(async () => {
  const refund = await stripe.refunds.create({
    charge: 'ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh',
  });
})();

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.Key = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc"

params := &stripe.RefundParams{
    Charge: stripe.String("ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh"),
}
ref, _ := refund.New(params)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

var refundService = new RefundService();
var refundOptions = new RefundCreateOptions {
  Charge = "ch_apU7ZfqiO3p4Xcn0tonh",
};
Refund refund = refundService.Create(refundOptions);

To refund part of a payment, provide an amount parameter, as an integer in cents (or the charge currency’s smallest currency unit).

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/refunds \
  -u sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc: \
  -d charge=ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m \
  -d amount=1000

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

refund = Stripe::Refund.create({
    charge: 'ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m',
    amount: 1000,
})

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

refund = stripe.Refund.create(
    charge='ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m',
    amount=1000,
)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

$refund = \Stripe\Refund::create([
    'charge' => 'ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m',
    'amount' => 1000,
]);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.apiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

Map<String, Object> params = new HashMap<>();
params.put("charge", "ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m");
params.put("amount", 1000);
Refund refund = Refund.create(params);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

(async () => {
  const refund = await stripe.refunds.create({
    charge: 'ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m',
    amount: 1000,
  });
})();

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.Key = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc"

params := &stripe.RefundParams{
    Charge: stripe.String("ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m"),
    Amount: stripe.Int64(1000),
}
ref, _ := refund.New(params)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

var refundOptions = new RefundCreateOptions() {
  Charge = "ch_zN3puVIKSeQk4G0kM08m",
  Amount = 300,
};
var refundService = new RefundService();
Refund refund = refundService.Create(refundOptions);

Apple Pay

When your customer approves the payment, your app receives a PKPayment instance containing their encrypted card details by implementing the PKPaymentAuthorizationViewControllerDelegate methods.

Use the createTokenWithPayment SDK method to turn the PKPayment into a Stripe Token
Use this Token to create a charge.

extension CheckoutViewController: PKPaymentAuthorizationViewControllerDelegate {

    @available(iOS 11.0, *)
    func paymentAuthorizationViewController(_ controller: PKPaymentAuthorizationViewController, didAuthorizePayment payment: PKPayment, handler: @escaping (PKPaymentAuthorizationResult) -> Void) {
        // Convert the PKPayment into a Token
        STPAPIClient.shared().createToken(withPayment: payment) { token, error in
              guard let token = token else {
                  // Handle the error
                  return
              }
            let tokenID = token.tokenId
            // Send the token identifier to your server to create a Charge...
            // If the server responds successfully, set self.paymentSucceeded to YES
        }
    }

See all 27 lines func paymentAuthorizationViewControllerDidFinish(_ controller: PKPaymentAuthorizationViewController) { // Dismiss payment authorization view controller dismiss(animated: true, completion: { if (self.paymentSucceeded) { // Show a receipt page... } else { // Present error to customer... } }) } }

#pragma mark - PKPaymentAuthorizationViewControllerDelegate

- (void)paymentAuthorizationViewController:(PKPaymentAuthorizationViewController *)controller didAuthorizePayment:(PKPayment *)payment handler:(void (^)(PKPaymentAuthorizationResult * _Nonnull))completion {
    // Convert the PKPayment into a Token
    [[STPAPIClient sharedClient] createTokenWithCard:cardParams completion:^(STPToken * _Nullable token, NSError * _Nullable error) {
        if (token == nil) {
            // Handle the error
            return;
        }
        NSString *tokenID = token.tokenId;
        // Send the token identifier to your server to create a Charge...
        // If the server responds successfully, set self.paymentSucceeded to YES
    }
}

- (void)paymentAuthorizationViewControllerDidFinish:(PKPaymentAuthorizationViewController *)controller {

See all 24 lines [self dismissViewControllerAnimated:YES completion:^{ if (self.paymentSucceeded) { // Show a receipt page... } else { // Present error to customer... } }]; }

Dynamic statement descriptor

By default, your Stripe account’s statement descriptor appears on customer statements whenever you charge their card. Additionally, you can set the statement descriptor dynamically on every charge request with the statement_descriptor argument on the Charge object.

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/charges \
  -u sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc: \
  -d amount=999 \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d description="Example charge" \
  -d source=tok_visa \
  -d statement_descriptor="Custom descriptor"

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
# Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
token = params[:stripeToken]

charge = Stripe::Charge.create({
    amount: 999,
    currency: 'usd',
    description: 'Example charge',
    source: token,
    statement_descriptor: 'Custom descriptor',
})

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
# Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
token = request.form['stripeToken'] # Using Flask

charge = stripe.Charge.create(
    amount=999,
    currency='usd',
    description='Example charge',
    source=token,
    statement_descriptor='Custom descriptor',
)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
$token = $_POST['stripeToken'];

$charge = \Stripe\Charge::create([
    'amount' => 999,
    'currency' => 'usd',
    'description' => 'Example charge',
    'source' => $token,
    'statement_descriptor' => 'Custom descriptor',
]);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.apiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
String token = request.getParameter("stripeToken");

Map<String, Object> params = new HashMap<>();
params.put("amount", 999);
params.put("currency", "usd");
params.put("description", "Example charge");
params.put("source", token);
params.put("statement_descriptor", "Custom descriptor");
Charge charge = Charge.create(params);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
const token = request.body.stripeToken; // Using Express

(async () => {
  const charge = await stripe.charges.create({
    amount: 999,
    currency: 'usd',
    description: 'Example charge',
    source: token,
    statement_descriptor: 'Custom descriptor',
  });
})();

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.Key = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc"

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
token := r.FormValue("stripeToken")

params := &stripe.ChargeParams{
    Amount: stripe.Int64(999),
    Currency: stripe.String(string(stripe.CurrencyUSD)),
    Description: stripe.String("Example charge"),
    StatementDescriptor: stripe.String("Custom descriptor"),
}
params.SetSource(token)
ch, _ := charge.New(params)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token submitted by the form:
var token = model.Token; // Using ASP.NET MVC

var options = new ChargeCreateOptions {
    Amount = 999,
    Currency = "usd",
    Description = "Example charge",
    Source = token,
    StatementDescriptor = "Custom descriptor",
};
var service = new ChargeService();
Charge charge = service.Create(options);

Statement descriptors are limited to 22 characters, cannot use the special characters <, >, ', ", or *, and must not consist solely of numbers.

When setting the statement descriptor dynamically on credit and debit card charges, the dynamic portion is appended to the settlement merchant’s statement descriptor (separated by an * and an empty space). For example, a statement descriptor for a business, named FreeCookies, that includes the kind of cookie purchased might look like FREECOOKIES* SUGAR.

The * and empty space count towards the 22 character limit and Stripe automatically allots 10 characters for the dynamic statement descriptor. This means that the settlement merchant’s descriptor might be truncated if it’s longer than 10 characters (assuming the dynamic statement descriptor is also greater than 10 characters). If the dynamic statement descriptor is also greater than 10 characters, both descriptors are truncated at 10 characters.

If you’re having issues with the character limits, you can set a shortened descriptor in the Stripe Dashboard to shorten the settlement merchant’s descriptor. This allows more room for the dynamic statement descriptor. The shortened descriptor:

Replaces the settlement merchant’s statement descriptor when using dynamic descriptors.
Can be between 2 and 10 characters.

If you’re not sure what the statement descriptors look like when they’re combined, you can check them in the the Stripe Dashboard.

Storing information in metadata

Stripe supports adding metadata to the most common requests you make, such as processing charges. Metadata isn’t shown to customers or factored into whether or not a charge is declined or blocked by our fraud prevention system.

Through metadata, you can associate other information—meaningful to you—with Stripe activity. Any metadata you include is viewable in the Dashboard (e.g., when looking at the page for an individual charge), and is also available in common reports and exports. As an example, your store’s order ID can be attached to the charge used to pay for that order. Doing so allows you, your accountant, or your finance team to easily reconcile charges in Stripe to orders in your system.

If you are using Radar, consider passing any additional customer information and order information as metadata. By doing so, you can write Radar rules using metadata attributes and have more information about the payment available within the Dashboard which can expedite your review process.

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/charges \
  -u sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc: \
  -d amount=999 \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d description="Example charge" \
  -d source=tok_visa \
  -d "metadata[order_id]"=6735

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
# Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
token = params[:stripeToken]

charge = Stripe::Charge.create({
    amount: 999,
    currency: 'usd',
    description: 'Example charge',
    source: token,
    metadata: {'order_id' => 6735},
})

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
# Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
token = request.form['stripeToken'] # Using Flask

charge = stripe.Charge.create(
    amount=999,
    currency='usd',
    description='Example charge',
    source=token,
    metadata={'order_id': 6735},
)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
$token = $_POST['stripeToken'];

$charge = \Stripe\Charge::create([
    'amount' => 999,
    'currency' => 'usd',
    'description' => 'Example charge',
    'source' => $token,
    'metadata' => ['order_id' => 6735],
]);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.apiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
String token = request.getParameter("stripeToken");

Map<String, Object> params = new HashMap<>();
params.put("amount", 999);
params.put("currency", "usd");
params.put("description", "Example charge");
params.put("source", token);
Map<String, String> metadata = new HashMap<>();
metadata.put("order_id", 6735);
params.put("metadata", metadata);
Charge charge = Charge.create(params);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
const token = request.body.stripeToken; // Using Express

(async () => {
  const charge = await stripe.charges.create({
    amount: 999,
    currency: 'usd',
    description: 'Example charge',
    source: token,
    metadata: {order_id: 6735},
  });
})();

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.Key = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc"

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token ID submitted by the form:
token := r.FormValue("stripeToken")

params := &stripe.ChargeParams{
    Amount: stripe.Int64(999),
    Currency: stripe.String(string(stripe.CurrencyUSD)),
    Description: stripe.String("Example charge"),
}
params.SetSource(token)
params.AddMetadata("order_id", 6735)
ch, _ := charge.New(params)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// Token is created using Checkout or Elements!
// Get the payment token submitted by the form:
var token = model.Token; // Using ASP.NET MVC

var options = new ChargeCreateOptions {
    Amount = 999,
    Currency = "usd",
    Description = "Example charge",
    Source = token,
    Metadata = new Dictionary<String, String>() {{"OrderId", "6735"}},
};
var service = new ChargeService();
Charge charge = service.Create(options);

Collect card payments faster, with less code

The easiest way to move to our Payment Intents API is to use Checkout, a Stripe-hosted payment page that adjusts to web and mobile browsers.

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