Create debit, prepaid and virtual payment cards for your customers
This guide describes how to create a debit, prepaid or virtual card using Contis APIs. It has been created to get you up and running as quickly as possible. For more detailed documentation please read the full Contis API documentation.
The following diagrams outline the Consumer journey and Developer workflow involved:
Consumer journey
Developer workflow
Tracking requests
Before you begin, we recommend that you provide unique reference identifiers within each API request you make for tracking and auditing purposes.
Step 1
Login
Security API – Login
Log in to your account using the credentials provided to you by Contis. If you do not have these details please get in touch. The response will contain your token which will be used to authenticate all future API requests. Please note that the token will expire after a pre-specified time period, so provision should be made to refresh the token as required.
Step 2
Create consumer
Consumer API – AddConsumers
The AddConsumers method allows you to add 1 or more consumers in a single request. Using this method means that all consumers (Primary and Secondary) will have a single account number.
When you join Contis you will be taken through a setup process with your Contis Account Manager. Within this process you will be able to set terms and create one or more card designs each of which will be associated with a specific 8 character AgreementCode. The appropriate code needs to be passed into the AddConsumers method to ensure that accounts use the correct terms and any issued cards use the correct design.
Consumer API – AddAdditionalConsumer
If you need to add additional consumers to the Primary account later on, you can use the AddAdditionalConsumers method, this will mean that both Primary and Secondary consumers have the same account number.
Consumer API – AddAdditionalConsumerWithAccount
If Secondary users require separate account numbers, for example if you want to limit access to funds held in the main account, you can use the AddAdditionalConsumerWithAccount method. The account will be linked to the Primary but will have a separate account number.
The Consumer API contains a number of methods for managing and maintaining consumers for more information see the Consumer API documentation.
At this stage the workflow differs depending on the type of card being created:
From here go to Step 3.
From here go to Step 3.
From here go to Creating Virtual cards below.
Creating Virtual Cards
Card API – AddVirtualCard
At this step, you can create a Virtual card for the newly created account via the Card API using the AddVirtualCard method. Once you have made the request and the new Virtual card number will be returned to you in encrypted format. This can then be passed back to the consumer via your Client.
Card API – GetVirtualCardCVV
With a physical debit or prepaid card the CVV security number is printed on its reverse side. However, because a virtual card is just that, virtual, you have to use the GetVirtualCardCVV method in order to pass the CVV 3-digit security card to your consumer.
The GetVirtualCardCVV method returns an encrypted CVV for a specified CardID. We use the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES 256), which is a symmetric encryption algorithm and one of the most secure currently available. The encrypted CVV can be decrypted using a unique key provided to you by Contis.
Step 3
Deposit funds on the card (not required for Virtual cards)
If you are setting up a Debit or Prepaid card, the consumer will be requiredto load funds into their account.
Account API – LoadConsumerAccount
Funds can be loaded using the LoadConsumerAccount method. If you have created multiple consumers with separate account numbers you will need to call this method for each unique account number.
The Account API contains a number of methods for managing and maintaining a consumer’s account including changing limits, listing transactions and getting the account’s current balance for more information see the Account API documentation.
Step 4
Activate card (Prepaid and Debit cards)
Card API – Activate Card
Once a consumer has been created and funds deposited (Prepaid cards), Contis will create a physical card which will then be dispatched directly to the consumer via Royal Mail.
Once the consumer has received their card they will be required to activate it. In order to handle this you should use the ActivateCard method.
Card API – ViewPin
The card’s PIN can be requested using the ViewPin method. This returns the four-digit number in encrypted format.
The Card API contains a number of methods for managing and maintaining each card, including handling Lost or Stolen cards, and requests for new cards for more information see the Card API documentation.