--- updatedAt: 2026-06-24T19:41:49.000Z agentTools: projectIndex: https://docs.payarc.net/llms.txt --- # Pay By Card This guide is for developers integrating card payments - either against an existing customer record or as a one-time payment. > 📰 Overview > > This guide walks through creating and capturing a card payment using the Payarc API. It covers two paths: charging a card already associated with an existing customer record, and submitting a one-time card charge without any prior customer profile. Both paths result in a `Charge` object that confirms the payment. Choose the path that matches your integration model before you begin. ## Prerequisites Before you begin, make sure you have: * A valid Bearer token from [Merchant Dashboard](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/api-authentication#for-merchants-using-the-payarc-dashboard) * **For Option 1 only:** An existing customer `id` created via the [Create Customer API](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/create_customer) * Access to the [sandbox / test environment](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/getting-started#step-1-request-a-sandbox-account) * A test card — see [Test Cards](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/faq#test-cards) *** ## Option 1: Existing Customer > 💡 > > **Tip:** Option 1 is the right path when you want to assign the card for future charges, subscriptions, or recurring billing. The assigned card `id` can be reused across multiple charges without re-tokenizing. ### Step 1: Create a Customer Create a basic customer profile to associate the card and charge with. At a minimum, an email address is required, although the `Create a Customer` endpoint allows for additional parameters. * **To Create a Customer, see the API Reference:** [here](https://docs.payarc.net/reference/create-customer) * **What you get back:** A new `Customer` object with a generated `customer_id`. > 💡 > > **Tip:** Take note of the generated `customer_id` (e.g., `KPxMADVnxMV4nNjp`) — you will need it in Steps 3 and 4. *** ### Step 2: Tokenize Card Create a single-use token that represents the customer's credit or debit card. Payarc does support multi-use tokens: see your dedicated Relationship Manager for more information. * **To Create a Token for a Card, see the API Reference:** [here](https://docs.payarc.net/reference/create-a-token) * **What you get back:** A new `Token` object with a corresponding `id`. > 💡 > > **Tip:** Take note of the token `id` (e.g., `8YmNlwY0qY0mwEq0`) — you will need it in Step 3. *** ### Step 3: Assign Card to Customer Assign the card's token `id` from Step 2 to the `Customer` object created in Step 1. This assigns the card to the customer record for use in the charge step. * **To assign the card's token **`id`** to the Customer, see the API Reference:** [here](https://docs.payarc.net/reference/update-customer) * **What you get back:** The updated `Customer` object with the card attached. > 💡 > > **Tip:** Take note of the assigned card `id` (e.g., `P19v20v519L10M5y`) — you will need it in Step 4. *** ### Step 4: Create and Capture a Charge With the card assigned to the customer, initiate and capture the charge. Supply the `customer_id` from Step 1, the assigned card `id` from Step 3, and any additional customer details alongside the charge amount to the `Create a Keyed Charge` API endpoint. Additionally, the API call defaults the `capture` parameter to `1` to authorize and capture immediately. If `capture` is set to `0`, the charge is only authorized. * **To Create a Keyed Charge, see the API Reference:** [here](https://docs.payarc.net/reference/create-a-charge-keyed) * **What you get back:** A `Charge` object. The `id` field (e.g., `nBoLWODLMLLoOXyb`) confirms the charge. > 💡 > > **Tip:** API call defaults `capture` parameter to `1`. If set to `0`, charge is only authorized. *** ## Option 2: One-Time Payment ### Step 1: Tokenize Card Create a single-use token that represents the customer's credit or debit card. This is the same tokenization step as Option 1 — the token is used directly in the charge request that follows. This token can only be used once, to either create a new transaction or attach a new card to an existing customer. * **To Create a Token for a Card, see the API Reference:** [here](https://docs.payarc.net/reference/create-a-token) * **What you get back:** A new `Token` object with a corresponding `id`. > 💡 > > **Tip:** Take note of the `Token` `id` (e.g., `8YmNlwY0qY0mwEq0`) — you will need it in Step 2. *** ### Step 2: Create a Charge With the card now tokenized, one can proceed to creating the charge. The API call defaults the `capture` parameter to `1`, capturing the charge immediately. If set to `0`, the charge is only authorized. * **To Create a Charge, see the API Reference:** [here](https://docs.payarc.net/reference/create-a-charge-keyed) * **What you get back:** A `Charge` object. The `id` field (e.g., `nBoLWODLMLLoOXyb`) confirms the completed payment. > 💡 > > **Tip:** The one-time path is ideal for guest checkout or non-recurring scenarios where storing the card is not needed. If you want to reuse the card for future charges, use Option 1 instead. *** ## What's Next Now that you've created a card charge, you can: * [Void or Refund a Payment](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/voiding-and-refunding-payments) * [Store Payment Methods for future use](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/storing-payment-methods) * [Create a Subscription](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/create-a-subscription) * [Retrieve Payment Data](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/get-customer-cards) * [Pay By ACH](https://docs.payarc.net/docs/pay-by-ach) *(for bank account-based flows)*