## What this guide covers If you’ve read the quickstart but aren’t sure exactly _which ID goes where_, or why you need to create three different things before money can move, this guide is for you. The Afriex Business API has three core building blocks. They must be created in order, and each one produces an ID that the next step needs. This guide explains what each building block is, what ID it gives you, and exactly where that ID is used. --- ## The big picture Think of it like this: a **Customer** is the person your business is acting on behalf of (the sender or originator). A **Payment Method** holds the account details of the person being paid (the recipient). A **Transaction** is the instruction to move money, and it needs to know _on whose behalf_ you are acting and _which recipient account_ to use. Here is how the IDs connect: - customerId - paymentMethodId - customerId ### Step 1: Create Customer `POST /api/v1/customer` ✦ Returns: customerId ### Step 2: Create Payment Method `POST /api/v1/payment-method` ↳ Input: customerId ✦ Returns: paymentMethodId ### Step 3: Create Transaction `POST /api/v1/transaction` ↳ Input: customerId ↳ Input: destinationId = paymentMethodId  (WITHDRAW) ↳ Input: sourceId      = paymentMethodId  (DEPOSIT) ✦ Returns: transactionId ### ID quick-reference | ID field | Belongs to | Used in | |------------------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------| | `customerId` | Customer | Payment Method creation, Transaction creation | | `paymentMethodId`| Payment Method | Transaction as `destinationId` or `sourceId` | | `destinationId` | Transaction field | Equals a `paymentMethodId` (used in WITHDRAW) | | `sourceId` | Transaction field | Equals a `paymentMethodId` (used in DEPOSIT) | | `transactionId` | Transaction | Status lookups, webhook events | `destinationId` and `sourceId` in a Transaction are both **Payment Method IDs**. They are not special IDs. They are exactly the `paymentMethodId` value returned when you created the Payment Method. This is the single most common point of confusion. --- ## Each building block explained ### Customer **What it is:** A Customer is the person or business your business is acting on behalf of. They are the originator or sender of the transaction, not the recipient. For example, if your platform processes payroll for a company, each employee whose salary you send out is a Customer. The Customer record stores their identity information (name, email, phone, country) and is used to attribute transactions to the right person in your system. **What ID it gives you:** `customerId` **When you use that ID:** - Pass it as `customerId` when creating a Payment Method (to link the account to this person) - Pass it as `customerId` when creating a Transaction (to identify whose account is involved) **Fields to create a Customer:** | Field | Required | Example | |-------------|----------|-----------------------------------| | `fullName` | Yes | `"Amara Osei"` | | `email` | Yes | `"amara@example.com"` | | `phone` | Yes | `"+233201234567"` (E.164 format) | | `countryCode`| Yes | `"GH"` (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) | ### Payment Method **What it is:** A Payment Method holds the account details of the person being paid or collected from: their bank account, mobile money wallet, or other financial account. It is linked to a Customer (the originator on whose behalf you are acting), but the account details it contains belong to the end recipient. You need a Payment Method before you can send or receive money because the Transaction needs to know exactly _which account_ to credit or debit. **What ID it gives you:** `paymentMethodId` **When you use that ID:** - As `destinationId` in a WITHDRAW transaction (the account the money is sent to) - As `sourceId` in a DEPOSIT transaction (the account the money is pulled from) A Payment Method has a `type` field, either `WITHDRAW` (used to send funds to a recipient) or `DEPOSIT` (used to collect funds from a customer). Make sure you create the right type for the transaction you plan to run. **Supported channels:** | Channel | Description | Supports | Common use case | |------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------| | `BANK_ACCOUNT` | Local bank transfer | Withdraw | Payout to Nigerian GTBank, Kenyan KCB | | `MOBILE_MONEY` | Mobile wallet | Deposit & Withdraw | MTN MoMo, M-Pesa, Airtel Money | | `SWIFT` | International wire transfer | Withdraw | Cross-border payouts to Europe, US | | `UPI` | Unified Payments Interface | Withdraw | Payouts to India | | `INTERAC` | Interac e-Transfer | Deposit & Withdraw | Collections and payouts in Canada | | `WE_CHAT` | WeChat Pay | Withdraw | Payouts to China | | `ALIPAY` | Alipay | Withdraw | Payouts to China | | `VIRTUAL_BANK_ACCOUNT` | Afriex-issued virtual account | Deposit | Receive collections (production only) | | `POOL_ACCOUNT` | Shared pool account | Deposit | Shared collection account (production only) | | `CRYPTO_WALLET` | Crypto wallet | Deposit | USDC / USDT deposits | ### Virtual bank accounts `VIRTUAL_BANK_ACCOUNT` is not created through the standard `POST /api/v1/payment-method` endpoint. Instead, use the dedicated `GET /api/v1/payment-method/virtual-account` endpoint, which retrieves an existing account or creates a new one automatically. This endpoint is **production only** and does not work on staging. - **Reserved (no `amount`):** A permanent virtual bank account dedicated to the customer. The same account number is returned on every call for that customer and currency. The customer can fund it at any time for any amount. For NGN, the customer must have a BVN on file before a reserved account can be created. - **Time-sensitive (with `amount`):** A dynamic account tied to a specific amount. It expires after a set window (the response includes `expiresInMinutes`). Use this when collecting a specific payment within a defined time. Does not require BVN. | | Reserved | Time-sensitive | |-------------------------------|----------|----------------| | Triggered by | Omitting `amount` | Passing `amount` | | Expires | Never | Yes (see `expiresInMinutes` in response) | | Amount-specific | No | Yes | | BVN required (NGN) | Yes | No | **POOL_ACCOUNT** returns the business’s shared pool account for a country. Requires `country`; pass `customerId` to scope the response to a specific end-user. Use the `reference` on the response to reconcile incoming deposits. Virtual accounts are for your **end customers**. Link each one to a `customerId` so payments are attributed to the right person. --- ### Transaction **What it is:** A Transaction is the actual instruction to move money. It references a Customer and (depending on the type) one of their Payment Methods. **What ID it gives you:** `transactionId` **When you use that ID:** - To check the status: `GET /api/v1/transaction/{transactionId}` - It appears in webhook events so you can match notifications to records in your system **Three transaction types:** | Type | What it does | Payment method needed | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------| | `WITHDRAW`| Send money _from_ your Afriex wallet _to_ a customer’s account | `destinationId` (= paymentMethodId) | | `DEPOSIT` | Pull money _from_ a customer’s account _into_ your Afriex wallet | `sourceId` (= paymentMethodId) | | `SWAP` | Convert currency _within_ your Afriex wallet | None | --- ## The 3-step integration sequence Here is the exact order of operations, with the IDs flowing from one step to the next. 1. **Create the Customer** Register the person on whose behalf the transaction is being made (the originator or sender). ``` curl -X POST https://sandbox.api.afriex.com/api/v1/customer \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -d '{\n "fullName": "Amara Osei",\n "email": "amara@example.com",\n "phone": "+233201234567",\n "countryCode": "GH"\n }' ``` Save the `customerId` from the response. You need it in the next step. ``` { "data": { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "name": "Amara Osei", "email": "amara@example.com", "phone": "+233201234567", "countryCode": "GH" } } ``` 2. **Create the Payment Method** Register the recipient’s bank account or mobile wallet (the account the money will be sent to or collected from). Link it to the Customer from Step 1 by passing their `customerId`. First, look up the correct institution code for the customer’s bank or mobile provider: ``` curl "https://sandbox.api.afriex.com/api/v1/payment-method/institution?channel=MOBILE_MONEY&countryCode=GH" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" ``` Then create the payment method using the `institutionCode` and `institutionName` from that response: ``` curl -X POST https://sandbox.api.afriex.com/api/v1/payment-method \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -d '{\n "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad",\n "type": "WITHDRAW",\n "channel": "MOBILE_MONEY",\n "accountName": "Amara Osei",\n "accountNumber": "0201234567",\n "countryCode": "GH",\n "institution": {\n "institutionCode": "MTN",\n "institutionName": "MTN"\n }\n }' ``` Save the `paymentMethodId` from the response. This is what goes into `destinationId` (or `sourceId`) in your transaction. ``` { "data": { "paymentMethodId": "690df3281c11eea59108fcaf", "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "channel": "MOBILE_MONEY", "accountName": "Amara Osei", "accountNumber": "0201234567", "countryCode": "GH" } } ``` 3. **Create the Transaction** Now create the transaction using both IDs from the previous steps. - `customerId` = the ID from Step 1 - `destinationId` = the `paymentMethodId` from Step 2 (for a WITHDRAW) ``` curl -X POST https://sandbox.api.afriex.com/api/v1/transaction \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -d '{\n "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad",\n "type": "WITHDRAW",\n "sourceAmount": "10",\n "destinationAmount": "91.50",\n "sourceCurrency": "USD",\n "destinationCurrency": "GHS",\n "destinationId": "690df3281c11eea59108fcaf",\n "meta": {\n "idempotencyKey": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440001",\n "reference": "ORDER-98765"\n }\n }' ``` The response includes a `transactionId`. Use it to track status or match incoming webhook events. --- ### Transaction type payloads side by side **WITHDRAW:** Pay out to a customer's account ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "sourceAmount": "10", "destinationAmount": "16500", "sourceCurrency": "USD", "destinationCurrency": "NGN", "destinationId": "690df3281c11eea59108fcaf", "meta": { "idempotencyKey": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440001", "reference": "ORDER-001" } } ``` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "DEPOSIT", "sourceAmount": "500", "destinationAmount": "12", "sourceCurrency": "KES", "destinationCurrency": "USD", "sourceId": "690df3281c11eea59108fcc1", "meta": { "idempotencyKey": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440002", "reference": "COLLECTION-001" } } ``` ```json { "type": "SWAP", "sourceAmount": "500", "sourceCurrency": "USD", "destinationCurrency": "NGN", "meta": { "idempotencyKey": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440003", "reference": "SWAP-001" } } ``` ### What changes between each type | Field | WITHDRAW | DEPOSIT | SWAP | |----------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|--------| | `customerId` | Required | Required | Not required | | `destinationId` | Required (= paymentMethodId) | Not used | Not used | | `sourceId` | Not used | Required (= paymentMethodId) | Not used | | `destinationAmount` | Required | Required | Optional (API calculates it at live rate) | | `meta.idempotencyKey`| Required | Required | Required | | `meta.reference` | Required | Required | Required | --- ### Payment method fields by channel Different payment channels require different fields. Use the sections below to find the exact payload shape for your channel. 1. **BANK_ACCOUNT**: Local bank transfer - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber`, `countryCode`, `institution.institutionCode`, `institution.institutionName` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "BANK_ACCOUNT", "accountName": "John Doe", "accountNumber": "0123456789", "countryCode": "NG", "institution": { "institutionCode": "058", "institutionName": "GTBank" } } ``` 2. **MOBILE_MONEY**: M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel, etc. - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber` (the mobile number), `countryCode`, `institution.institutionCode`, `institution.institutionName` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "MOBILE_MONEY", "accountName": "Amara Osei", "accountNumber": "0201234567", "countryCode": "GH", "institution": { "institutionCode": "MTN", "institutionName": "MTN" } } ``` 3. **SWIFT**: International wire transfer - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber` (IBAN or account number), `countryCode`, `institution.institutionCode` (SWIFT/BIC), `institution.institutionName`, `institution.institutionAddress`, `recipient.recipientAddress` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "SWIFT", "accountName": "John Doe", "accountNumber": "DE89370400440532013000", "countryCode": "DE", "institution": { "institutionCode": "DEUTDEDB", "institutionName": "Deutsche Bank", "institutionAddress": "Taunusanlage 12, 60262 Frankfurt am Main, Germany" }, "recipient": { "recipientAddress": "Musterstrasse 1, 10115 Berlin, Germany" } } ``` 4. **UPI**: India - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber` (UPI ID / VPA), `countryCode`, `institution.institutionCode` (`"UPI"`), `institution.institutionName` (`"UPI"`), `recipient.recipientPhone` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "UPI", "accountName": "Raj Kumar", "accountNumber": "rajkumar@upi", "countryCode": "IN", "institution": { "institutionCode": "UPI", "institutionName": "UPI" }, "recipient": { "recipientPhone": "+919876543210" } } ``` 5. **INTERAC**: Canada - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber` (the email address registered for Interac), `countryCode`, `institution.institutionCode` (`"INTERAC"`), `institution.institutionName` (`"INTERAC"`), `recipient.recipientEmail` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "INTERAC", "accountName": "John Doe", "accountNumber": "john.doe@email.com", "countryCode": "CA", "institution": { "institutionCode": "INTERAC", "institutionName": "INTERAC" }, "recipient": { "recipientEmail": "john.doe@email.com" } } ``` 6. **WE_CHAT**: China - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber` (phone number), `countryCode`, `institution.institutionCode` (`"WECHAT"`), `institution.institutionName` (`"WECHAT"`), `recipient.recipientPhone` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "WE_CHAT", "accountName": "Zhang Wei", "accountNumber": "+8613812345678", "countryCode": "CN", "institution": { "institutionCode": "WECHAT", "institutionName": "WECHAT" }, "recipient": { "recipientPhone": "+8613812345678" } } ``` 7. **ALIPAY**: China - Required fields: `customerId`, `channel`, `accountName`, `accountNumber` (Alipay-linked phone number or account ID), `countryCode`, `institution.institutionName` ```json { "customerId": "69516dd0464b2213bd74cfad", "type": "WITHDRAW", "channel": "ALIPAY", "accountName": "Zhang Wei", "accountNumber": "+8613812345678", "countryCode": "CN", "institution": { "institutionName": "ALIPAY" } } ``` 8. **VIRTUAL_BANK_ACCOUNT**: Receive deposits - Virtual bank accounts are not created through the standard `POST /api/v1/payment-method` endpoint. Use the dedicated endpoint instead: ``` GET /api/v1/payment-method/virtual-account ``` This endpoint retrieves an existing virtual account for the customer or creates one automatically. It is **production only** and does not work on staging. **Two sub-types**, determined by whether you pass an `amount`: | | Reserved | Time-sensitive | |-------------------------------|----------|----------------| | Pass `amount`? | No | Yes | | Expires | Never | Yes, see `expiresInMinutes` in response | | Amount-specific | No | Yes | | BVN required (NGN) | Yes | No | See the [Virtual Account endpoint](https://docs.afriex.com/api-reference/endpoint/payment-methods/virtual-account) for the full request and response reference.