Once a card is issued, it must have access to funds before it can be used for transactions.

How funding works depends on the card type:

Scenarios

All card funding operations use the same BOOK transfer flow. The only difference is the source and destination—whether you're loading funds onto a prepaid card, unloading from a card back to an account, or transferring between accounts for debit card usage.

sequenceDiagram
    participant App as Your Application
    participant PCE as PCE
    participant Src as Source (Account or Card)
    participant Dest as Destination (Account or Card)

    App->>PCE: POST /v1/customer/id/{id}/transaction (method: BOOK)
    PCE->>PCE: Validate balances and status
    PCE->>Src: Debit source
    PCE->>Dest: Credit destination
    PCE-->>App: 201 — Transaction created
    PCE-->>App: Webhook — COMPLETED
    Note over Dest: Balance updated, funds available

Before you begin (all scenarios)

• Source (account or card) has sufficient balance.
• Destination (account or card) is in ACTIVE status.
• Customer has completed KYC verification.

Scenario 1: Load Funds to a Prepaid Card

Use this scenario to add funds to a prepaid card before the cardholder can use it for purchases.

Business Context: A corporate expense management platform issues prepaid cards to employees. Before an employee can use their card for a business trip, the finance team loads $1,500.00 for estimated travel expenses.

You'll also need: Prepaid card is issued and in ACTIVE status, source account has sufficient balance.

Request

POST /v1/customer/id/48201/transaction

{
  "externalId": "load-exp-card-2026-001",
  "method": "BOOK",
  "amount": "1500.00",
  "purpose": "Employee travel expense allocation - Q3 2026",
  "source": {
    "account": {
      "id": "88712"
    }
  },
  "destination": {
    "card": {
      "id": "55903"
    }
  }
}

The prepaid card balance is now $1,500.00 and the employee can make purchases up to that amount.

Scenario 2: Unload Funds from a Prepaid Card

Use this scenario to move unused funds back from a prepaid card to the source account, typically before cancelling the card or when an employee returns from a trip with unspent funds.

Business Context: An employee returns from a business trip with $372.50 unspent on their prepaid expense card. The finance team unloads the remaining balance back to the corporate operating account.

You'll also need: Card has sufficient balance to unload, destination account is ACTIVE, card is not frozen.

Request

POST /v1/customer/id/48201/transaction

{
  "externalId": "unload-exp-card-2026-001",
  "method": "BOOK",
  "amount": "372.50",
  "purpose": "Return unused travel funds - John Smith Q3 trip",
  "source": {
    "card": {
      "id": "55903"
    }
  },
  "destination": {
    "account": {
      "id": "88712"
    }
  }
}

The $372.50 is removed from the prepaid card and returned to the company's account.

Scenario 3: Fund Account for Debit Card Usage

Use this scenario to transfer funds to the account linked to a debit card, ensuring the cardholder has available balance for transactions.

Business Context: An expense management platform needs to ensure an employee's debit card has sufficient funds for a business trip. The platform transfers $5,000 from the company's operating account to the employee's linked account.

You'll also need: Source account has sufficient balance, destination account is ACTIVE and linked to a debit card.

Request

POST /v1/customer/id/{customerId}/transaction

{
  "externalId": "fund-account-001",
  "method": "BOOK",
  "amount": "1000.00",
  "purpose": "Fund debit card account",
  "source": {
    "account": {
      "id": "4011850"
    }
  },
  "destination": {
    "account": {
      "id": "4011856"
    }
  }
}

The employee's debit card can now authorize transactions up to the available account balance.

Funding Debit Cards

Debit cards do not require a separate funding step at the card level. Instead, you need to ensure that the linked account has sufficient balance.

Move funds between entities within the platform using the BOOK method. This is typically used to:

• Allocate funds across accounts
• Instantly make funds available for debit card usage

Use the POST /v1/customer/id/{id}/transaction API to add funds to the account linked to the card.

Funding Prepaid Cards

Prepaid cards require explicit funding before they can be used. You manage the card balance using two operations:

Load Funds to a Prepaid Card

Add funds to a prepaid card using the POST /v1/customer/id/{id}/transaction API, along with following key parameters:

Unload Funds from a Card

Move unused funds back to the account using the POST /v1/customer/id/{id}/transaction API, along with following key parameters: