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A payment method allows you to securely save a customer’s credit or debit card and charge it on demand, without the customer needing to re-enter their card details each time. This is ideal for recurring billing, subscriptions, memberships, and any scenario where you need to charge a customer repeatedly.

What You Can Do

With payment methods, you can:
  • Save Cards Securely: Customers complete a one-time checkout to save their card through Compago’s PCI-compliant infrastructure
  • Charge on Demand: Initiate charges against saved cards at any time via API
  • Process Refunds: Issue full refunds for charges made against saved cards
  • Manage Cards: List, retrieve, and revoke saved payment methods
  • Track Payments: View the full payment history for each saved card
  • Customize Checkout: Choose between a full-page redirect or embedded iframe for the card-saving flow

Use Cases

Payment methods are perfect for:
  • Subscriptions: Charge customers monthly or annually for SaaS products, streaming services, or memberships
  • Memberships: Automatically bill members for gym access, clubs, or professional organizations
  • On-demand Services: Charge customers after service delivery (ride-sharing, food delivery, freelance work)
  • Pay-later Flows: Collect card details upfront and charge later when an order ships or a service is rendered
  • Installment Billing: Split large payments into multiple charges over time

How It Works

  1. Create: Your backend calls the Compago API to create a payment method, providing customer billing details and optional customization
  2. Checkout: The customer is directed to the checkout URL to securely enter their card details
  3. Verification: Compago places a small verification charge (default $1 MXN) which is then voided to validate the card
  4. Card Saved: Once verified, the payment method status changes to ACTIVE and the card is securely stored
  5. Charge on Demand: You can now charge the saved card at any time by calling the charge endpoint

Payment Method Statuses

StatusDescription
PENDINGPayment method created, waiting for the customer to complete the checkout and save their card.
ACTIVECard has been verified and saved. You can charge this payment method.
EXPIREDThe checkout link expired before the customer completed the card-saving process.
REVOKEDThe payment method has been permanently revoked and can no longer be charged.

Payment Statuses

When you charge a saved payment method, each payment has its own status:
StatusDescription
NOT_INITIALIZEDPayment has been created but processing has not started.
PENDINGPayment is being processed.
CONFIRMEDPayment has been successfully completed.
CANCELLEDPayment was cancelled during processing.
REFUNDEDPayment has been fully refunded.

Prerequisites

Before using payment methods, ensure you have:
  • An active Compago account with API access
  • A valid API key (generate one at Configuraciones → Desarrollador in your Compago Dashboard)
  • Your integration configured to use MXN currency
Payment methods currently support MXN (Mexican Peso) only. Transactions in other currencies will be rejected.

Next Steps

Save a Card

Learn how to create a payment method and guide your customer through the card-saving checkout.

Charge a Saved Card

Charge a customer’s saved card on demand via API.

Manage Payment Methods

List, retrieve, and revoke saved payment methods and their payments.

Process Refunds

Issue full refunds for charges made against saved cards.