Saving Cards and Off-Session Payments

SetupIntents and off_session

To save a payment method for later without charging now, create a SetupIntent for a Customer and confirm it on the client with stripe.confirmSetup; this performs any needed authentication up front and attaches the PaymentMethod to the Customer. To save a card while taking a first payment, pass setup_future_usage: 'off_session' on the PaymentIntent. Later, when the customer is not present (a usage bill, a reorder), create a PaymentIntent with customer, payment_method, off_session: true and confirm: true. The issuer may still demand authentication; then the request fails with error code authentication_required, and you must bring the customer back on-session to complete it.

Save now, charge later

Server-side Node.js.

// 1. Save a card for future use (confirm on the client with stripe.confirmSetup)
const setupIntent = await stripe.setupIntents.create({
  customer: 'cus_...',
  automatic_payment_methods: { enabled: true },
  usage: 'off_session',
});
// send setupIntent.client_secret to the browser

// 2. Later, charge the saved payment method while the customer is away
try {
  await stripe.paymentIntents.create({
    amount: 2500,
    currency: 'usd',
    customer: 'cus_...',
    payment_method: 'pm_...',
    off_session: true,
    confirm: true,
  });
} catch (err) {
  if (err.code === 'authentication_required') {
    await emailCustomerToAuthenticate(err.raw.payment_intent.id);
  } else {
    throw err;
  }
}

A signed standing order

A SetupIntent is like signing a mandate at the bank counter while you are there, so later payments can go through without you, though the bank may still occasionally call you to check.

Quick check: Which object saves a payment method for later without charging it now?

• Price
• Refund
• Payout
• SetupIntent