Make Payments with Adyen API
Make Payments with the Adyen API
Accept payments in 200+ markets — with one integration, one platform, one API.
The Adyen API powers commerce for some of the world's largest brands. Whether you are processing a single online checkout, running a global subscription business, or orchestrating a network of in-store terminals, this is your starting line.
Make your first payment in under 5 minutes. Spin up a test account, grab an API key, and run a live /payments call before your coffee gets cold.
Start here
| Get API Keys | Make Your First API Call | View SDKs | Open API Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign in to your Adyen Customer Area and generate a key linked to your merchant account. | Send a test payment with one of our pre-built cards — no production data required. | TypeScript, Python, Java, PHP, Ruby, .NET, Go — all auto-generated, all idiomatic. | Browse every endpoint, model, and response code in one searchable place. |
| Get API Credentials → | Run a Test Payment → | Setting Up SDKs → | API Reference → |
Time to first call
Most developers go from sign-up to first successful payment in under 5 minutes. Here's the path:
- Minute 0–1 — Create an Adyen test account in the Customer Area.
- Minute 1–2 — Generate an API key tied to your merchant account.
- Minute 2–3 — Copy the cURL or SDK snippet from any endpoint page.
- Minute 3–4 — Replace the placeholder with your key and one of our test card numbers.
- Minute 4–5 — Hit send. You should see an
Authorisedresponse — congratulations, you have processed your first Adyen payment.
Pick your integration path
Adyen's account model is structured in three layers — company, merchant, and terminal. Pick the layer that matches what you are building.
Company-level — for platforms, marketplaces, and groups
Manage the umbrella entity that owns one or more merchant accounts. Ideal for platforms onboarding sub-merchants, enterprises with multiple brands, or anyone managing org-wide permissions.
| Use case | What you'll build with | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| List & inspect all merchants under your company | listCompanies, getCompany, listCompanyMerchants | Account — company level |
| Provision API credentials and keys for new merchants | createCompanyApiCredential, generateCompanyApiKey | API credentials — company level |
| Manage org-wide webhooks and security | createCompanyWebhook, generateCompanyWebhookHmac | Webhooks — company level |
| Onboard users with role-based access | createCompanyUser, updateCompanyUser | Users — company level |
Merchant-level — for online stores and direct sellers
The bread-and-butter layer for any business taking payments. Ecommerce sites, subscription businesses, SaaS billing, and mobile apps live here.
| Use case | What you'll build with | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| Accept card and local-method payments | createPayment, getPaymentMethods, createCheckoutSession | Payments |
| Generate hosted Pay-by-Link checkouts | createPaymentLink, getPaymentLink, updatePaymentLink | Payment links |
| Capture, refund, cancel, or reverse | capturePayment, refundPayment, cancelPayment, reversePayment | Modifications |
| Tokenize and reuse shopper payment methods | listStoredPaymentMethods, createStoredPaymentMethod | Recurring |
| Configure local payment methods per merchant | listPaymentMethodSettings, createPaymentMethodSetting | Payment methods — merchant level |
| Split funds across sellers (marketplace flows) | createSplitConfiguration, updateSplitLogic | Split configuration — merchant level |
Terminal-level — for in-person and omnichannel
Provision, configure, and monitor physical card readers. Retail, hospitality, events, kiosks, and unified-commerce integrations.
| Use case | What you'll build with | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| Discover and reassign terminals across stores | listTerminals, reassignTerminal | Terminals — terminal level |
| Push remote actions to devices (reboot, install, sync) | scheduleTerminalActions, listCompanyTerminalActions | Terminal actions |
| Brand terminals with custom logos and settings | updateTerminalLogo, updateTerminalSettings | Terminal settings — terminal level |
| Order new terminals and manage shipping | createCompanyTerminalOrder, listCompanyShippingLocations | Terminal orders — company level |
| Distribute Android apps and certificates to fleet | createAndroidApp, uploadAndroidCertificate | Android files — company level |
Adyen payments — by use case
We built the API to flex around your business model, not the other way around.
Ecommerce checkout
Drop in a hosted checkout, or build a fully custom one with Components. Either way, you get 3D Secure 2 authentication, dynamic 3DS routing, and risk scoring baked in.
- Start with
createCheckoutSession— Adyen handles the heavy lifting, you handle the UI. - Pair with
getPaymentMethodsto dynamically surface the right methods per shopper geography.
Subscriptions and recurring billing
Tokenize a card once. Charge it forever — across MIT (merchant-initiated) and CIT (customer-initiated) flows, with full network-token support to keep auth rates high even when cards expire.
createStoredPaymentMethodto vault,createPaymentwith the token to charge.
Marketplaces and platforms
Split a single shopper payment across multiple sellers automatically. Configure splits per merchant, per transaction, or by rule.
createSplitConfigurationlets you define the logic.updateSplitLogiclets you adapt it without a redeploy.
In-person and unified commerce
The same paymentMethod token taken in-store can be charged later online — and vice versa. One shopper, one customer-id, every channel.
- Terminal endpoints handle the device side; payment endpoints handle the rails.
Pay-by-Link
No frontend? No problem. Generate a hosted payment URL, send it via SMS, email, or chat, and let the shopper finish on their own time.
createPaymentLinkreturns a URL. That's the whole integration.
Donations and charity round-ups
Run cause-driven add-ons at checkout in a single API call.
getDonationCampaigns, thencreateDonationreferencing the original payment.
Global coverage
Adyen is a licensed acquirer in Europe, North America, the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil — and a direct connection to local schemes everywhere else. That means:
- Higher auth rates — domestic acquiring routes cards through local rails, avoiding cross-border declines.
- No FX surprises — process in 150+ currencies, settle in the ones you choose.
- Local methods, native — iDEAL, Bancontact, Boleto, Pix, GrabPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, and dozens more — all behind the same
/paymentsendpoint. - Regulatory coverage built in — PSD2 SCA, India RBI mandates, Brazil's installment rules, Japan's 3DS profile — handled at the platform level.
Use getPaymentMethods with the shopper's country and amount, and Adyen returns the right set — automatically.
What's next?
| Next step | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Your onboarding journey → | A guided path from zero to production — built around how teams actually integrate. |
| Explore payment use cases → | Concrete patterns for ecommerce, subscriptions, marketplaces, and more. |
| See where we operate → | Regions, currencies, and local methods, mapped out. |
| Try the sample app → | A working storefront, generated with a single command. |
Stuck? The API Integration Assistant in the bottom-right corner of this portal can answer almost any question about endpoints, parameters, and best practices — try it.