Paystack Transactions

The Transactions API lets you create and manage payments on your integration. This covers the entire transaction lifecycle from initialization through verification.

Depends on: paystack-setup for the paystackRequest helper and environment config.

Transaction Lifecycle

Initialize (server) → Complete (client/redirect) → Verify (server) + Webhook

Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/transaction/initialize	Initialize a transaction
GET	/transaction/verify/:reference	Verify a transaction
GET	/transaction	List transactions
GET	/transaction/:id	Fetch a transaction
POST	/transaction/charge_authorization	Charge a saved authorization
GET	/transaction/timeline/:id_or_reference	View transaction timeline
GET	/transaction/totals	Get transaction totals
GET	/transaction/export	Export transactions as CSV
POST	/transaction/partial_debit	Partial debit on an authorization

Initialize Transaction

POST /transaction/initialize

Creates a payment and returns an authorization_url (for redirect) and access_code (for Popup/InlineJS).

Parameters (Body)

Param	Type	Required	Description
amount	string	Yes	Amount in subunits (kobo). "50000" = NGN 500
email	string	Yes	Customer's email address
reference	string	No	Unique ref. Alphanumeric + - . = only
currency	string	No	NGN, USD, GHS, ZAR, KES. Defaults to integration currency
callback_url	string	No	Override the dashboard callback URL
channels	array	No	["card","bank","ussd","qr","mobile_money","bank_transfer","eft","apple_pay"]
plan	string	No	Plan code for subscription-based payment
invoice_limit	integer	No	Max charges for subscription
metadata	string	No	Stringified JSON with custom_fields array
subaccount	string	No	Subaccount code e.g. ACCT_8f4s1eq7ml6rlzj
split_code	string	No	Split code e.g. SPL_98WF13Eb3w
transaction_charge	integer	No	Flat fee override for split (in subunits)
bearer	string	No	"account" or "subaccount" — who pays Paystack fees

Response

{
  "status": true,
  "message": "Authorization URL created",
  "data": {
    "authorization_url": "https://checkout.paystack.com/3ni8kdavz62431k",
    "access_code": "3ni8kdavz62431k",
    "reference": "re4lyvq3s3"
  }
}

Server Action Example (Next.js)

"use server";
import { paystackRequest } from "@/lib/paystack";

export async function initializePayment(email: string, amountInNaira: number) {
  const result = await paystackRequest<{
    authorization_url: string;
    access_code: string;
    reference: string;
  }>("/transaction/initialize", {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify({
      email,
      amount: Math.round(amountInNaira * 100).toString(),
      callback_url: `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL}/payment/callback`,
    }),
  });
  return result.data;
}

Client-Side Popup (InlineJS)

"use client";
import PaystackInline from "@paystack/inline-js";

function PayButton({ email, amount }: { email: string; amount: number }) {
  const handlePay = async () => {
    // 1. Initialize on server
    const { access_code } = await initializePayment(email, amount);

    // 2. Open Popup with access_code
    const popup = new PaystackInline();
    popup.openIframe({
      accessCode: access_code,
      onSuccess: (response) => {
        // 3. Verify on server — NEVER trust this alone
        verifyTransaction(response.reference);
      },
      onClose: () => console.log("Payment window closed"),
    });
  };

  return <button onClick={handlePay}>Pay ₦{amount}</button>;
}

Redirect Method

After initializing, redirect the user to authorization_url. Paystack redirects back to your callback_url with ?trxref=REFERENCE&reference=REFERENCE in the query string. Verify server-side immediately.

// app/payment/callback/page.tsx
import { paystackRequest } from "@/lib/paystack";

export default async function PaymentCallback({
  searchParams,
}: {
  searchParams: Promise<{ reference?: string }>;
}) {
  const { reference } = await searchParams;
  if (!reference) return <p>No reference provided</p>;

  const result = await paystackRequest<{ status: string; amount: number }>(
    `/transaction/verify/${encodeURIComponent(reference)}`
  );

  if (result.data.status === "success") {
    return <p>Payment successful!</p>;
  }
  return <p>Payment failed: {result.data.status}</p>;
}

Verify Transaction

GET /transaction/verify/:reference

Always verify server-side after payment. The reference is in the callback URL query params or returned from Popup's onSuccess.

const result = await paystackRequest<{
  id: number;
  status: "success" | "failed" | "abandoned";
  reference: string;
  amount: number;
  currency: string;
  channel: string;
  paid_at: string;
  authorization: {
    authorization_code: string;
    reusable: boolean;
    card_type: string;
    last4: string;
    bank: string;
  };
  customer: { email: string; id: number };
}>(`/transaction/verify/${encodeURIComponent(reference)}`);

Check result.data.status === "success" and validate result.data.amount matches expected amount before fulfilling the order.

List Transactions

GET /transaction

Query Parameters

Param	Type	Description
perPage	integer	Records per page (default 50)
page	integer	Page number (default 1)
customer	integer	Filter by customer ID
terminalid	string	Filter by Terminal ID
status	string	"success", "failed", or "abandoned"
from	datetime	Start date e.g. 2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
to	datetime	End date
amount	integer	Filter by amount (in subunits)

const params = new URLSearchParams({ status: "success", perPage: "20" });
const result = await paystackRequest<Transaction[]>(`/transaction?${params}`);

Fetch Transaction

GET /transaction/:id

Fetch a single transaction by its numeric ID.

const result = await paystackRequest<Transaction>(`/transaction/${transactionId}`);

Charge Authorization

POST /transaction/charge_authorization

Charge a customer's previously saved card (where authorization.reusable === true).

Param	Type	Required	Description
amount	string	Yes	Amount in subunits
email	string	Yes	Customer's email
authorization_code	string	Yes	e.g. AUTH_72btv547
reference	string	No	Unique transaction reference
currency	string	No	Currency code
queue	boolean	No	Set true for scheduled/bulk charges

const result = await paystackRequest<Transaction>(
  "/transaction/charge_authorization",
  {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify({
      authorization_code: "AUTH_72btv547",
      email: "customer@email.com",
      amount: "20000",
    }),
  }
);

Transaction Timeline

GET /transaction/timeline/:id_or_reference

Returns a step-by-step history of the transaction (attempted payment method, success/failure, time spent).

const result = await paystackRequest<{
  start_time: number;
  time_spent: number;
  attempts: number;
  errors: number;
  success: boolean;
  history: Array<{ type: string; message: string; time: number }>;
}>(`/transaction/timeline/${reference}`);

Transaction Totals

GET /transaction/totals

Returns aggregate volume and count. Supports from, to, perPage, page query params.

const result = await paystackRequest<{
  total_transactions: number;
  total_volume: number;
  total_volume_by_currency: Array<{ currency: string; amount: number }>;
  pending_transfers: number;
}>("/transaction/totals");

Export Transactions

GET /transaction/export

Returns a CSV download link. Supports all list filters plus settled, settlement, payment_page.

const params = new URLSearchParams({ from: "2024-01-01", status: "success" });
const result = await paystackRequest<{ path: string }>(
  `/transaction/export?${params}`
);
// result.data.path is a time-limited S3 URL to the CSV

Partial Debit

POST /transaction/partial_debit

Debit a portion of a customer's available balance on an authorization. Useful for metered billing.

Param	Type	Required	Description
authorization_code	string	Yes	Auth code from previous transaction
currency	string	Yes	NGN or GHS
amount	string	Yes	Amount in subunits
email	string	Yes	Customer email tied to the auth code
reference	string	No	Unique reference
at_least	string	No	Minimum amount to charge if full amount fails

const result = await paystackRequest<Transaction>(
  "/transaction/partial_debit",
  {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify({
      authorization_code: "AUTH_72btv547",
      currency: "NGN",
      amount: "20000",
      email: "customer@email.com",
      at_least: "10000",
    }),
  }
);

Important Notes

• Transaction IDs are unsigned 64-bit integers — store as string in TypeScript to avoid precision loss
• Always verify server-side after payment — never trust client-side callbacks alone
• Amount validation: always confirm result.data.amount matches your expected amount after verification
• The authorization_code from a successful transaction can be saved and reused for future charges if authorization.reusable === true
• Metadata supports custom_fields for dashboard display — stringify the JSON before sending