Card Issuance allows you to create and manage cards for a wide range of use cases—from customer spending to business expense management.

Before You Issue a Card

Before making an API call, it’s important to decide how the card should be issued. These choices determine how your request should be structured.

How Card Issuance Works

Card issuance is controlled by a combination of your Card Program configuration and the parameters you pass in the Card Issuance API.

Before issuing a card, you should always retrieve your Card Program to understand what is supported:

GET /v1/issuance/cardProgram/id/{id} (or using externalId)

The Card Program defines what is allowed, while your API request determines how the card is issued within those constraints.

Supported Card Configurations

Use the table below to map your Card Program configuration with the API input and understand the resulting card behavior.

How to Use This

• Always retrieve your Card Program first to understand supported configurations.
• Ensure your Card Issuance API request aligns with the program setup.
• If a combination is not supported by the Card Program, the issuance request will fail.

Issue a Card

Now that you understand how Card Program configuration impacts issuance, you can proceed to issue a card using a single unified API.

Use the POST /v1/customer/id/{id}/issuance/card (or externalId) to issue a Debit or Prepaid card.

What You Need to Provide

Instead of thinking in terms of API fields, think of card issuance as providing three key inputs:

• Who → Cardholder
• What → Card configuration
• How → Delivery method

1. Cardholder Details (Who will use the card)

2. Card Configuration (How the card works)

3. Delivery Details (How the card is delivered)

Retrieve the Issued Card

Once a card is issued, use the GET /v1/customer/id/{id}/issuance/card/id/{id} to retrieve its details. This API helps you:

• Confirm card issuance and check if the card is successfully created
• Track card status (e.g., ACTIVE, INACTIVE, delivery status for physical cards)
• Verify cardholder details associated with the card
• Check issuance configuration, such as:
  • Card type (Debit / Prepaid)
  • Issuance type (Digital / Digital-first / Physical)
• Monitor shipping status for physical cards
• Access spend limits and available balance
• Determine if additional actions are required, such as enabling card-present transactions

Card Activation & Usage

The ability to use a card depends on how it was issued and whether additional actions such as activation or enablement are required.

Scenarios

sequenceDiagram
    participant You as Your Platform
    participant PCE as PCE API
    participant Card as Card Processor

    You->>PCE: GET /v1/issuance/cardProgram/id/{id}
    PCE-->>You: Card Program config
    You->>PCE: POST /v1/customer/id/{id}/issuance/card
    PCE-->>You: Card created (status: PENDING)
    alt Digital / Digital-First
        PCE->>Card: Provision virtual card
        Card-->>PCE: Card active
        PCE-->>You: Webhook (status: ACTIVE)
    else Physical
        PCE->>Card: Request embossing + shipping
        Card-->>PCE: Card shipped
        PCE-->>You: Webhook (status: SHIPPED)
        Note over You: Customer receives card
        You->>PCE: POST .../activate
        PCE-->>You: Webhook (status: ACTIVE)
    end

Before you begin (all scenarios)

• Customer has completed CIP verification.
• Passport Account is in ACTIVE status.
• Card Program is configured and retrieved.
• For physical cards, valid shipping address is on file.

The example requests below are the body for the Issue a Card API — a POST to /v1/customer/id/{id}/issuance/card (or the externalId path variant). A successful call returns 201 Created with an empty body; retrieve the new card with the Get Card API to see its details. Scenarios are grouped by customer type:

• Individual Customer — debit cards linked to the customer's own account (the customer is the cardholder).
• Business Customer — debit or prepaid cards issued to an Authorized User or a Beneficial Owner under the business.

Individual Customer

Scenario 1: Issue Debit Card (Digital) — Individual

Use this scenario to issue a virtual debit card to an Individual customer. Digital cards are available instantly and can be used for online purchases and mobile wallet payments.

Flow

flowchart LR
    A(["👤 Individual Customer<br/><b>KYC Verified</b>"]) --> B(["🏦 Account<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"])
    B --> C(["📋 Card Program<br/><b>DEBIT</b>"])
    C --> D(["💳 Issue Digital Card<br/><b>issuanceType: DIGITAL</b>"])
    D --> E(["✅ Card Ready<br/><b>Instant</b>"])
    style A fill:#E8F4FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0288D1,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#388E3C,stroke-width:2px

Example Request

{
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "id": 1045579
    },
    "expressDelivery": "false"
  },
  "account": {
    "id": 4011856
  },
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": "2567"
  },
  "issuanceType": "DIGITAL"
}

Scenario 2: Issue Debit Card (Digital + Physical) — Individual

Use this scenario to issue an Individual customer a virtual card (available instantly) and a physical card (shipped, typically 5–7 business days) in a single request. Set issuanceType: DIGITAL_AND_PHYSICAL when the cardholder needs to transact online right away and also wants a physical card.

Flow

flowchart LR
    A(["👤 Individual Customer<br/><b>KYC Verified</b>"]) --> B(["🏦 Account<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"])
    B --> C(["💳 Issue Card<br/><b>issuanceType: DIGITAL_AND_PHYSICAL</b>"])
    C --> D(["⚡ Virtual Card<br/><b>Instant</b>"])
    C --> E(["📦 Physical Card<br/><b>Ships 5–7 days</b>"])
    style A fill:#E8F4FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0288D1,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#388E3C,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px

Example Request

{
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "id": 1045579
    },
    "expressDelivery": "false"
  },
  "account": {
    "id": 4011856
  },
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": "2567"
  },
  "issuanceType": "DIGITAL_AND_PHYSICAL"
}

Business Customer

Scenario 3: Issue Prepaid Card — Business Customer

Use this scenario to issue a prepaid card to a cardholder under a Business customer for controlled spending. For business customers, the cardholder must identify an Authorized User or Beneficial Owner (type + id). Prepaid cards must be funded before use.

Flow

flowchart LR
    A(["🏢 Business Customer<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"]) --> B(["🏦 Account<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"])
    B --> C(["💳 Issue Prepaid Card<br/><b>type: PREPAID</b>"])
    C --> D(["💵 Load Funds<br/><b>$500.00</b>"])
    D --> E(["✅ Ready to Spend<br/><b>$500.00 Available</b>"])
    style A fill:#E8F4FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0288D1,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#388E3C,stroke-width:2px

Example Request

{
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": 2756
  },
  "issuanceType": "DIGITAL_AND_PHYSICAL",
  "type": "PREPAID",
  "cardholder": {
    "type": "BENEFICIAL_OWNER",
    "id": "44625"
  },
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "addressLine1": "456 Corporate Drive",
      "city": "San Francisco",
      "state": "CA",
      "zip": "94102"
    }
  },
  "externalId": "card-prepaid-biz-001"
}

Scenario 4: Issue Prepaid Card — Authorized User (Business Customer)

Use this scenario to issue a prepaid card to an Authorized User under a Business customer — for example, an employee or delegate with spending privileges on behalf of the business.

Flow

flowchart LR
    A(["🏢 Business Customer<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"]) --> B(["👥 Authorized User<br/><b>Employee/Delegate</b>"])
    B --> C(["📋 Card Program<br/><b>PREPAID</b>"])
    C --> D(["💳 Issue Card<br/><b>cardholder.type: AUTHORIZED_USER</b>"])
    D --> E(["💵 Fund Card<br/><b>$500.00</b>"])
    style A fill:#E8F4FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0288D1,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#388E3C,stroke-width:2px

Example Request

{
  "cardholder": {
    "type": "AUTHORIZED_USER",
    "id": "44792"
  },
  "type": "PREPAID",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": 2756
  },
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "addressLine1": "LA street",
      "state": "AL",
      "city": "LA",
      "zip": "65876"
    },
    "expressDelivery": "true"
  }
}

Scenario 5: Issue Debit Card — Beneficial Owner (Business Customer)

Use this scenario to issue an account-linked debit card to a Beneficial Owner of a Business customer (an individual owning 25% or more of the business). The card draws directly from the linked business account's balance.

Flow

flowchart LR
    A(["🏢 Business Customer<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"]) --> B(["🏦 Account<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"])
    B --> C(["👔 Beneficial Owner<br/><b>25%+ Owner</b>"])
    C --> D(["📍 Address ID<br/><b>address.id</b>"])
    D --> E(["💳 Issue Debit Card<br/><b>cardholder.type: BENEFICIAL_OWNER</b>"])
    style A fill:#E8F4FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0288D1,stroke-width:2px

Example Request

{
  "cardholder": {
    "type": "BENEFICIAL_OWNER",
    "id": "44625"
  },
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "id": 1045579
    },
    "expressDelivery": "false"
  },
  "account": {
    "id": 4011856
  },
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": "2567"
  },
  "issuanceType": "DIGITAL"
}

Scenario 6: Issue Debit Card — Authorized User (Business Customer)

Use this scenario to issue an account-linked debit card to an Authorized User under a Business customer. The card draws from the linked business account's balance, with spending controlled at the Authorized User level.

Flow

flowchart LR
    A(["🏢 Business Customer<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"]) --> B(["🏦 Account<br/><b>ACTIVE</b>"])
    B --> C(["👥 Authorized User<br/><b>Employee/Delegate</b>"])
    C --> D(["📍 Address ID<br/><b>address.id</b>"])
    D --> E(["💳 Issue Debit Card<br/><b>cardholder.type: AUTHORIZED_USER</b>"])
    style A fill:#E8F4FD,stroke:#1976D2,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#FFF3E0,stroke:#F57C00,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0288D1,stroke-width:2px

Example Request

{
  "cardholder": {
    "type": "AUTHORIZED_USER",
    "id": "44792"
  },
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "id": 1045579
    },
    "expressDelivery": "false"
  },
  "account": {
    "id": 4011856
  },
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": "2567"
  },
  "issuanceType": "DIGITAL"
}

Reference: Card issuance by customer type

Reference: Card formats (issuanceType)

issuanceType applies to digital-first card programs and accepts two values:

Next Steps

Once your card is issued, you can continue building your workflow with the following actions: