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Accept Payments via Payment Links

Your businesses can enable customers to pay for their orders by bringing in all the payment methods supported on your platform to WhatsApp. Businesses can send customers invoice(order_details) messages, then get notified about payment status updates via webhook notifications from Payment Gateway.

This feature is not publicly available yet. Please reach out to the Meta Business Engineering teams to know more.

Overview

Currently, customers browse business catalogs, add products to cart, and send orders in with our set of commerce messaging solutions, which includes Single Product Message, Multi Product Message, and Product Detail Page.

With the WhatsApp Messaging API, businesses can send customers a bill to complete the order with one of the supported payment instrument.

How It Works

The business must send an order_details message for the consumer to initiate payment. This type of message is a new type of interactive message, which always contains the same 4 main components: header, body, footer, and action. Inside the action component, the business includes all the information needed for the customer to complete their payment.

Each order_details message contains a unique reference_id provided by the business, and that unique number is used throughout the flow to track the order. This reference_id is used to generate the payment link from Payment Gateway.

Once the message is sent, the business waits for a payment or transaction status updates directly from Payment Gateway. Upon receiving payment signal for an order, business should relay this payment signal to consumer client through interactive order status(order_status) message.

Updating user about the payment signal is important as this message updates the order details message and order details view for the consumer reflecting the order confirmation from merchant. This is shown with an example in subsequent sections.

Purchase Flow in App

In the WhatsApp customer app, the purchase flow has the following steps:

  1. Customer sends an order with selected products to the business or business identifies the products that the customer has shown interest to purchase.
  2. After receiving the order or identifying the product, if a business accepts payment methods other than UPI, such as credit cards and payment wallets, etc. then business will send a message to the user to get their preferred payment method for the order.
  3. When consumers want to pay using other payment method option, the business should generate the payment link by calling Payment Gateway by providing the unique "reference-id" and other information like amount, validity etc, then business can use the generated payment link to construct the order details message and send to the consumer.
  4. When the consumer taps the Pay now/continue button, consumer will be redirected to the payment link within specially designed In-App browser to present with the list of supported payment options such as credit card, debit card, wallet or UPI apps. Consumers can choose any one of the payment option to pay for the order.

    The following is a sample payment link redirect within In-App Browser accepting various payment methods like credit, debit, wallet and UPI apps.

  5. Once the payment is complete, the business will receive a notification from Payment Gateway and the business needs to send order status updates to the consumer client notifying consumers about the progress on their order, this will update the order details message CTAs, Order details screen and Order status. The order status should contain the matching "reference-id" of order details.

Integration Steps

The steps outlined below assume that the business is about to send order details message to consumer client.

The following sequence diagram demonstrates the typical integration flow for WA Payments API:

Step 1: Get Payment Link from Payment Gateway

Once the consumer has expressed their interest to purchase an item using payment link. Business needs to call payment gateway with necessary information like reference-id, amount and validity to generate the payment link. Following is a sample payment link:

https://rzp.io/i/rNiAagU8y

Business needs to use the same reference-id, amount and expiration in invoice(order_details) interactive message.

Step 2: Assemble the Interactive Object

To send an order_details message, businesses must assemble an interactive object of type order_details with the following components:

ObjectDescription

type

object

Required.

Must be "order_details".

header

object

Optional.

Header content displayed on top of a message. If a header is not provided, the API uses an image of the first available product as the header

body

object

Required.

An object with the body of the message. The object contains the following field:

text string

  • Required if body is present. The content of the message. Emojis and markdown are supported. Maximum length is 1024 characters

footer

object

Optional.

An object with the footer of the message. The object contains the following fields:

text string

  • Required if footer is present. The footer content. Emojis, markdown, and links are supported. Maximum length is 60 characters

action

object

Required.

An action object you want the user to perform after reading the message. This action object contains the following fields:

name string

  • Required. Must be "review_and_pay"

parameters object

Parameters Object

ObjectDescription

reference_id

string

Required.

Unique identifier for the order or invoice provided by the business. This cannot be an empty string and can only contain English letters, numbers, underscores, dashes, or dots, and should not exceed 35 characters.

The reference_id must be unique for each order_details message for the same business. If the partner would like to send multiple order_details messages for the same order, invoice, etc. it is recommended to include a sequence number in the reference_id (for example, -) to ensure reference_id uniqueness.

type

object

Required.

The type of goods being paid for in this order. Current supported options are digital-goods and physical-goods

beneficiaries

array

Required for shipped physical-goods.

An array of beneficiaries for this order. A beneficiary is an intended recipient for shipping the physical goods in the order. It contains the following fields:

Beneficiary information isn't shown to users but is needed for legal and compliance reasons.

name string

  • Required. Name of the individual or business receiving the physical goods. Cannot exceed 200 characters

address_line1 string

  • Required. Shipping address (Door/Tower Number, Street Name etc.). Cannot exceed 100 characters

address_line2 string

  • Optional. Shipping address (Landmark, Area, etc.). Cannot exceed 100 characters

city string

  • Required. Name of the city.

state string

  • Required. Name of the state.

country string

  • Required. Must be "India".

postal_code string

  • Required. 6-digit zipcode of shipping address.

payment_type

Required.

Must be "upi".

payment_settings

Required. See Payment Settings Object for more details.

currency

Required.

The currency for this order. Currently the only supported value is INR.

total_amount

object

Required.

The total_amount object contains the following fields:

offset integer

  • Required. Must be 100 for INR.

value integer

  • Required. Positive integer representing the amount value multiplied by offset. For example, ₹12.34 has value 1234.

total_amount.value must be equal to order.subtotal.value + order.tax.value + order.shipping.value - order.discount.value.

order

object

Required.

See order object for more information.

Payment Setting Object

ObjectDescription

type
string

Required. Must be payment_link.

payment_link
object

Required. Refer Payment Link Object for more information.

ObjectDescription

uri
string

Required. A valid payment link generated through payment gateway.

Generated payment links domains needs to be enabled to accept payments. Please reach out to the Meta Business Engineering teams to know more.

Order Object

ObjectDescription

status

string

Required.

Only supported value in the order_details message is pending.

In an order_status message, status can be: pending, captured, or failed.

items

object

Required.

An object with the list of items for this order, containing the following fields:

retailer_id string

  • Required. Unique identifier for an item in the order.

name string

  • Required. The item’s name to be displayed to the user. Cannot exceed 60 characters

amount amount object with value and offset -- refer total amount field above

  • Required. The price per item

sale_amount amount object

  • Optional. The discounted price per item. This should be less than the original amount. If included, this field is used to calculate the subtotal amount

quantity integer

  • Required. The number of items in this order, this field cannot be decimal has to be integer.

country_of_origin string

  • Required if catalog_id is not present. The country of origin of the product

importer_name string

  • Required if catalog_id is not present. Name of the importer company

importer_adress string

  • Required if catalog_id is not present. Address of importer company

subtotal

object

Required.

The value must be equal to sum of order.amount.value * order.amount.quantity. Refer to total_amount description for explanation of offset and value fields

The following fields are part of the subtotal object:

offset integer

  • Required. Must be 100 for INR

value integer

  • Required. Positive integer representing the amount value multiplied by offset. For example, ₹12.34 has value 1234

tax

object

Required.

The tax information for this order which contains the following fields:

offset integer

  • Required. Must be 100 for INR

value integer

  • Required. Positive integer representing the amount value multiplied by offset. For example, ₹12.34 has value 1234

description string

  • Optional. Max character limit is 60 characters

shipping

object

Optional.

The shipping cost of the order. The object contains the following fields:

offset integer

  • Required. Must be 100 for INR

value integer

  • Required. Positive integer representing the amount value multiplied by offset. For example, ₹12.34 has value 1234

description string

  • Optional. Max character limit is 60 characters

discount

object

Optional.

The discount for the order. The object contains the following fields:

offset integer

  • Required. Must be 100 for INR

value integer

  • Required. Positive integer representing the amount value multiplied by offset. For example, ₹12.34 has value 1234

description string

  • Optional. Max character limit is 60 characters

discount_program_name string

  • Optional. Text used for defining incentivised orders. If order is incentivised, the merchant needs to define this information. Max character limit is 60 characters

catalog_id

object

Optional.

Unique identifier of the Facebook catalog being used by the business.

If you do not provide this field, you must provide the following fields inside the items object: country_of_origin, importer_name, and importer_address

expiration

object

Optional.

Expiration for that order. Business must define the following fields inside this object:

timestamp string – UTC timestamp in seconds of time when order should expire. Minimum threshold is 300 seconds

description string – Text explanation for expiration. Max character limit is 120 characters

The parameters value is a stringified JSON object.

By the end, the interactive object should look something like this for a catalog-based integration:

{
  "interactive": {
    "type": "order_details",
    "header": {
      "type": "image",
      "image": {
        "link": "http(s)://the-url",
        "provider": {
          "name": "provider-name"
        }
      }
    },
    "body": {
      "text": "your-text-body-content"
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "your-text-footer-content"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "review_and_pay",
      "parameters": {
        "reference_id": "reference-id-value",
        "type": "digital-goods",
        "payment_type": "upi",
        "payment_settings": [
          {
            "type": "payment_link",
            "payment_link": {
              "uri": "https://the-payment-link"
            }
          }
        ],
        "currency": "INR",
        "total_amount": {
          "value": 21000,
          "offset": 100
        },
        "order": {
          "status": "pending",
          "catalog_id": "the-catalog_id",
          "expiration": {
            "timestamp": "utc_timestamp_in_seconds",
            "description": "cancellation-explanation"
          },
          "items": [
            {
              "retailer_id": "1234567",
              "name": "Product name, for example bread",
              "amount": {
                "value": 10000,
                "offset": 100
              },
              "quantity": 1,
              "sale_amount": {
                "value": 100,
                "offset": 100
              }
            }
          ],
          "subtotal": {
            "value": 20000,
            "offset": 100
          },
          "tax": {
            "value": 1000,
            "offset": 100,
            "description": "optional_text"
          },
          "shipping": {
            "value": 1000,
            "offset": 100,
            "description": "optional_text"
          },
          "discount": {
            "value": 1000,
            "offset": 100,
            "description": "optional_text",
            "discount_program_name": "optional_text"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The parameters value is a stringified JSON object.

For a non-catalog based integration i.e. when catalog-id is not present, an example payload looks as follows:

{
  "interactive": {
    "type": "order_details",
    "header": {
      "type": "image",
      "image": {
        "id": "your-media-id"
      }
    },
    "body": {
      "text": "your-text-body-content"
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "your-text-footer-content"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "review_and_pay",
      "parameters": {
        "reference_id": "reference-id-value",
        "type": "digital-goods",
        "payment_type": "upi",
        "payment_settings": [
          {
            "type": "payment_link",
            "payment_link": {
              "uri": "https://the-payment-link"
            }
          }
        ],
        "currency": "INR",
        "total_amount": {
          "value": 21000,
          "offset": 100
        },
        "order": {
          "status": "pending",
          "expiration": {
            "timestamp": "utc_timestamp_in_seconds",
            "description": "cancellation-explanation"
          },
          "items": [
            {
              "retailer_id": "1234567",
              "name": "Product name, for example bread",
              "amount": {
                "value": 10000,
                "offset": 100
              },
              "quantity": 1,
              "sale_amount": {
                "value": 100,
                "offset": 100
              },
              "country_of_origin": "country-of-origin",
              "importer_name": "name-of-importer-business",
              "importer_address": {
                "address_line1": "B8/733 nand nagri",
                "address_line2": "police station",
                "city": "East Delhi",
                "zone_code": "DL",
                "postal_code": "110093",
                "country_code": "IN"
              }
            },
            {
              "retailer_id": "14325",
              "name": "Product name, for example bread",
              "amount": {
                "value": 10000,
                "offset": 100
              },
              "quantity": 1,
              "sale_amount": {
                "value": 100,
                "offset": 100
              },
              "country_of_origin": "country-of-origin",
              "importer_name": "name-of-importer-business",
              "importer_address": {
                "address_line1": "B8/733 nand nagri",
                "address_line2": "police station",
                "city": "East Delhi",
                "zone_code": "DL",
                "postal_code": "110093",
                "country_code": "IN"
              }
            }
          ],
          "subtotal": {
            "value": 20000,
            "offset": 100
          },
          "tax": {
            "value": 1000,
            "offset": 100,
            "description": "optional_text"
          },
          "shipping": {
            "value": 1000,
            "offset": 100,
            "description": "optional_text"
          },
          "discount": {
            "value": 1000,
            "offset": 100,
            "description": "optional_text",
            "discount_program_name": "optional_text"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Add Common Message Parameters

Once the interactive object is complete, append the other parameters that make a message: recipient_type, to, and type. Remember to set the type to interactive.

{
   "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
   "recipient_type": "individual",
   "to": "PHONE_NUMBER",
   "type": "interactive",
   "interactive": {
     // interactive object here     
   }
 }

These are parameters common to all message types.

Step 4:Make a POST Call to Messages Endpoint

Make a POST call to the /messages endpoint with the JSON object you have assembled in steps 1 and 2. If your message is sent successfully, you get the following response.

{
  "messages": [{
    "id": "{message-id}"
  }]
}

For all errors that can be returned and guidance on how to handle them, see WhatsApp On-Premises API, Errors.

Step 5: Consumer Pays for the Order

Consumers can pay using WhatsApp payment method or using any UPI supported app that is installed on the device.

Step 6: Get Notified About Transaction Status Updates from payment gateway

Businesses receive updates to the invoice via payment gateway webhooks, when the status of the user-initiated transaction changes. The unique identifier reference-id passed in order_details message can be used to map the transaction to the consumer invoice or interactive order details message.

Step 7: Update order status

Upon receiving transaction signals from payment gateway through webhook, the business must update the order status to keep the user up to date. Currently we support the following order status values:

ValueDescription

pending

User has not successfully paid yet

processing

User payment authorized, merchant/partner is fulfilling the order, performing service, etc.

partially-shipped

A portion of the products in the order have been shipped by the merchant

shipped

All the products in the order have been shipped by the merchant

completed

The order is completed and no further action is expected from the user or the partner/merchant

canceled

The partner/merchant would like to cancel the order_details message for the order/invoice. The status update will fail if there is already a successful or pending payment for this order_details message

Typically businesses update the order_status using either the WhatsApp payment status change notifications or their own internal processes. To update order_status, the partner sends an order_status message to the user.

{
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "whatsapp-id",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "order_status",
    "body": {
      "text": "your-text-body-content"
    },
    "action": {
      "name": "review_order",
      "parameters": {
        "reference_id": "reference-id-value",
        "order": {
          "status": "processing | partially_shipped | shipped | completed | canceled",
          "description": "optional-text"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The following table describes the returned values:

ValueDescription

reference_id

The ID provided by the partner in the order_details message

status

The new order status

description

Optional text for sharing status related information in order_details. Could be useful while sending cancellation. Max character limit is 120 characters

For all errors that can be returned and guidance on how to handle them, see WhatsApp On-Premises API, Errors.

Merchant should always post this order-status message to consumer after reciving transaction updates for an order. As the order_details message and order details screen experience is tied to to the order status updates.

Step 8: Reconcile Payments

Businesses should use their bank statements to reconcile the payments using the reference_id provided in the order_details messages.

Checklist for Integrated Merchants

  • Ensure that order_status message is send to consumer informing them about updates to an order after receiving transaction updates for an order.

  • Ensure the merchant is verified and WABA contact is marked with a verified check.

  • Verify the WABA is mapped to appropriate merchant initiated messaging tier(1k, 10k and 100k per day)

  • Merchant should list the customer support informatoin in the profile screen incase consumer wants to report any issues.