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Welcome to the Paygen Cards API Quickstart. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to issue your first card using our REST API.

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1. Obtain your API Credentials

To interact with the Paygen Cards API, you need an API key. Obtain your API key from the developer dashboard. Include the key as a header in your HTTP requests: 
x-api-key: <your_api_key_here>

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2. Provision an Account

Before you can issue cards, you need an account to act as your funding pipeline (often a fiat checking account). 
curl -X POST https://api-dev.paygen.online/accounts \
  -H "x-api-key: <your_api_key_here>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "ownerType": "business",
    "ownerId": "665f1c4f4a4f4a4f4a4f4a4f",
    "name": "Primary USD Wallet",
    "type": "checking",
    "category": "fiat",
    "currency": "USD"
  }'
Save the id from the response (e.g., account_id), which you will need later to fund cards.

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3. Create a Card Holder

Every card must be assigned to a card holder profile. You can submit card holder details using multipart/form-data (which also supports KYC document uploads, but we’ll stick to text fields here). 
curl -X POST https://api-dev.paygen.online/card-holders \
  -H "x-api-key: <your_api_key_here>" \
  -F "firstName=Jane" \
  -F "lastName=Doe" \
  -F "email=jane.doe@example.com" \
  -F "phoneNumber=+1234567890" \
  -F "addressLine1=123 Main St" \
  -F "city=San Francisco" \
  -F "state=CA" \
  -F "postalCode=94105" \
  -F "country=US"
Save the id from the response (e.g., card_holder_id).

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4. Issue a Card

Now that you have a funding account and a card holder, you can issue your first card. 
curl -X POST https://api-dev.paygen.online/cards \
  -H "x-api-key: <your_api_key_here>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "debitAccountId": "<account_id>",
    "cardHolderId": "<card_holder_id>",
    "type": "virtual",
    "brand": "Visa",
    "currency": "USD",
    "status": "active",
    "amount": 100
  }'
Once successful, our system provisions a virtual card, deducts the initial funding amount from the specified debit account, and returns the card record.

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Next Steps

Congratulations! You have issued your first card.
  • Learn about Authentication in more detail.
  • Read about securely retrieving sensitive card PANs and CVVs.
  • Check out the API Reference to explore all available endpoints and features.