> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.payfonte.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Accept mobile money API payments, bank transfers, and cards across African markets. MTN MoMo API, M-Pesa API, Airtel Money API, Wave Money integration.

Payfonte provides multiple methods to collect payments from your customers across Africa using our **payment orchestration API**. Accept all major **alternative payment methods (APM)** and **local payment methods in Africa** through a single integration.

***

## Integration Methods

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Inline Checkout" icon="window-maximize" href="/en/guides/collections/inline">
    **Embed on Your Page**

    Display a payment form directly on your website without redirecting customers. Best for seamless checkout experiences.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Standard Checkout" icon="arrow-up-right-from-square" href="/en/guides/collections/standard">
    **Redirect to Payfonte**

    Redirect customers to a Payfonte-hosted payment page. Simplest integration with full payment method support.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Direct Charge" icon="bolt" href="/en/guides/collections/direct-charge-api">
    **Server-to-Server**

    Initiate charges directly via API for recurring payments or when you've already collected payment details.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment Links" icon="link">
    **No-Code Option**

    Generate shareable payment URLs from the dashboard. Perfect for invoices, social media, and email campaigns.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Quick Comparison

| Method            | Integration Effort | Customer Experience     | Use Case               |
| ----------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------- | ---------------------- |
| **Standard**      | Low                | Redirect to hosted page | Most merchants         |
| **Inline**        | Medium             | Embedded on your site   | Seamless UX            |
| **Direct Charge** | High               | No UI (server-side)     | Recurring, saved cards |
| **Payment Links** | None               | Click link to pay       | Invoices, ad-hoc       |

***

## Payment Flow Overview

```mermaid theme={null}
sequenceDiagram
    participant Customer
    participant Merchant
    participant Payfonte
    participant MNO/Bank

    Customer->>Merchant: Initiates payment
    Merchant->>Payfonte: Create checkout session
    Payfonte-->>Merchant: Returns checkout URL
    Merchant->>Customer: Redirect to checkout
    Customer->>Payfonte: Selects payment method
    Payfonte->>MNO/Bank: Process payment
    MNO/Bank-->>Customer: Authorization prompt
    Customer->>MNO/Bank: Confirms payment
    MNO/Bank-->>Payfonte: Payment confirmed
    Payfonte->>Merchant: Webhook notification
    Payfonte->>Customer: Redirect to success URL
```

***

## Supported Alternative Payment Methods (APM)

| Region                | Mobile Money API                                     | Bank Transfer | Cards       |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----------- |
| **Nigeria**           | **MTN MoMo API**, Airtel, Opay, PalmPay              | ✅ Yes         | Via partner |
| **Ghana**             | **MTN MoMo API**, AirtelTigo, Telecel                | Coming soon   | Via partner |
| **Kenya**             | **M-Pesa API**                                       | ✅ Yes         | Via partner |
| **Tanzania**          | **M-Pesa API**, **Airtel Money API**, Halopesa, Tigo | Coming soon   | -           |
| **West Africa (CFA)** | Orange Money, MTN, **Wave Money integration**, Moov  | -             | -           |

See [Supported Providers](/en/guides/introductions/supported-providers) for the complete list of **local payment methods in Africa**.

***

## Basic Collection Request

Here's a minimal example to create a checkout session:

```bash theme={null}
curl --location 'https://sandbox-api.payfonte.com/payments/v1/checkouts' \
  --header 'client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID' \
  --header 'client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "reference": "ORDER-001",
    "amount": 5000,
    "currency": "NGN",
    "country": "NG",
    "redirectURL": "https://yoursite.com/payment/complete",
    "webhook": "https://yoursite.com/webhooks/payfonte",
    "user": {
      "email": "customer@example.com",
      "phoneNumber": "08012345678"
    }
  }'
```

### Required Parameters

| Parameter     | Type    | Description                                                                                               |
| ------------- | ------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `reference`   | string  | Your unique order/transaction identifier                                                                  |
| `amount`      | integer | Payment amount in minor units (see [Amount Specification](/en/guides/introductions/amount-specification)) |
| `currency`    | string  | ISO currency code (NGN, KES, GHS, XOF, etc.)                                                              |
| `country`     | string  | ISO country code (NG, KE, GH, etc.)                                                                       |
| `redirectURL` | string  | URL to redirect customer after payment                                                                    |

### Optional Parameters

| Parameter          | Type   | Description                          |
| ------------------ | ------ | ------------------------------------ |
| `webhook`          | string | URL for payment notifications        |
| `user.email`       | string | Customer email address               |
| `user.phoneNumber` | string | Customer phone number                |
| `metadata`         | object | Custom data to attach to transaction |

***

## Status values

Collection status values from API responses:

* `pending`
* `failed` - final
* `success` - final

## Handling Webhooks

We send webhook notifications for payment status changes. Always implement webhook handling for production:

```javascript theme={null}
app.post('/webhooks/payfonte', (req, res) => {
  const event = req.body;

  switch (event.event) {
    case 'payment.completed':
      // Payment successful - fulfill order
      fulfillOrder(event.data.reference);
      break;
    case 'payment.failed':
      // Payment failed - notify customer
      notifyCustomer(event.data.reference);
      break;
  }

  res.status(200).send('OK');
});
```

See [Webhooks](/en/guides/collections/webhook) for complete documentation.

***

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Always Use Unique References" icon="fingerprint">
    Generate unique `reference` values for each transaction. This prevents duplicate charges and simplifies reconciliation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Implement Idempotency" icon="repeat">
    Your system should handle webhook retries gracefully. Check if an order is already fulfilled before processing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Verify Transaction Status" icon="check-double">
    After receiving a webhook, verify the transaction status via API before fulfilling orders.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Handle Timeouts Gracefully" icon="clock">
    Some payment methods (like USSD) take time to complete. Show appropriate waiting states to customers.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Inline Checkout" icon="window-maximize" href="/en/guides/collections/inline">
    Embed payments on your site
  </Card>

  <Card title="Standard Checkout" icon="arrow-up-right-from-square" href="/en/guides/collections/standard">
    Redirect-based integration
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhook Setup" icon="bell" href="/en/guides/collections/webhook">
    Handle payment notifications
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/en/api-reference/collections/collection-api--direct">
    Full API documentation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>