API-first payments
Developer-friendly payment gateway for authorization and capture
A payment gateway is the software layer that carries an authorization request from your application to the card networks and returns the result. The RapidCents gateway offers REST endpoints to authorize, capture, void, refund and tokenize, idempotency keys for safe retries, signed webhooks, decline codes and a sandbox. In Canada, your RapidCents representative sets up production access with you.
- REST API with sandbox parity
- Idempotent requests prevent duplicate charges
- Webhooks for async payment events
- 99.9% API uptime SLA
- Versioned API endpoints
- PCI DSS infrastructure
- SOC 2 Type II
- Developer sandbox included
Who it's for
Product engineering teams
Embed payments into SaaS checkout with full API control.
Marketplace platforms
Split captures and manage connected merchant accounts.
Enterprise IT
Server-to-server integration with audit logging requirements.
Core capabilities
Authorize and capture
Two-step flow for ship-later e-commerce and rentals.
Idempotency keys
Safe retries on network failures without double billing.
Customer tokens
Store payment methods for subscriptions and one-click.
Webhook signatures
Verify event authenticity with HMAC validation.
Structured errors
Machine-readable decline codes for retry logic.
How it works
Create sandbox credentials in developer portal.
Implement authorize/capture against test cards.
Configure webhook endpoint and verify signatures.
Complete certification checklist for production.
Monitor live traffic and settlement in dashboard.
Gateway integration patterns
Auth-then-capture ecommerce
Hold funds at order; capture on shipment scan.
Immediate sale API
Single-request sale for digital goods delivery.
Token-on-file billing
Create token at signup; charge on renewal cron.
Partial refund API
Refund line items without reversing entire authorization.
Dashboard and reporting
Transactions, deposits and exceptions visible in the RapidCents merchant dashboard.
Try it, edit values and click buttons
Merchant dashboard
- Today
- $4,218
- Deposits
- $12,482
- Disputes
- 2 open
- In-person
- $842
- Online
- $1,104
- Virtual terminal
- $392
Demonstration data only
Integrations
Server SDKs
Official libraries for Node, Python and PHP.
Postman collection
Import ready-made requests for QA teams.
Log aggregation
Export API logs to SIEM via webhook forwarding.
Works with Payment Gateway
Capabilities on the same account, so the parts below connect without a second integration or a second contract.
A RapidCents API request and its response on a developer workstation, with the merchant dashboard and a test terminal. RapidCents APIs
REST endpoints for payments, customers, refunds and reporting.
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Rapid.js hosted card fields on a developer workstation, keeping card entry out of the merchant's PCI scope. Rapid.js
Embedded card fields that keep your checkout in your own design and out of PCI scope.
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A RapidCents webhook delivery timeline next to the payment that triggered it, with a test terminal on the desk. Webhooks
Signed events your systems can react to the moment a payment settles or fails.
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A cardholder completes 3-D Secure on RapidCents checkout, so the issuer can authenticate the online payment. 3-D Secure
Issuer authentication on online payments, which shifts fraud chargeback liability.
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A stored RapidCents token stands in for the card number, with the terminal that captured the original credential beside it. Tokenization
Card numbers are replaced by a token, so nothing reusable is stored in your systems.
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A RapidCents hosted checkout page at checkout.rapidcents.com, with the order summary and totals on the left and the card fields on the right, footed by SSL and PCI DSS assurances. Hosted checkout
A branded payment page RapidCents hosts, which keeps card data off your servers.
Explore
The Payment Attempts screen, shown with sample data: the host response for each attempt, then the fraud analysis behind it — decision, suspect score out of 100, IP address and location, visitor ID, browser, operating system and device. Fraud prevention
More than 180 signals checked on every payment attempt in under a second, and a fraud score you decide on.
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Security
TLS 1.2+
All API traffic encrypted in transit.
API key rotation
Issue and revoke keys without downtime.
IP allowlisting
Optional restriction for server-to-server calls.
Implementation
Architecture review
Choose hosted fields vs direct API integration.
Sandbox build
Develop against test environment.
Certification
Submit test transaction logs for approval.
Production cutover
Swap keys with monitoring window.
Pricing
Gateway access
API access included with processing account. Per-transaction interchange-plus rates apply.
Cards, currencies and settlement in Canada
What a RapidCents account in Canada accepts, the currencies it settles in, and when the money arrives.
Cards and methods accepted
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay and Diners Club cards from any country, plus Interac Debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay and EFT/PAD bank payments, on one merchant account.
137+ currencies, settled in CAD or USD
Process in CAD, USD, EUR and 137+ currencies, and deposit payouts directly into your Canadian CAD bank account or your Canadian USD bank account, so USD sales are not converted twice.
Next-business-day funding and reconciliation
Batches close nightly and deposits arrive the next business day, based on cut-off times and eligibility, with deposit-level reporting in one RapidCents dashboard.
Questions about Payment Gateway
REST or GraphQL?
REST is the supported integration surface with OpenAPI documentation.
Rate limits?
Production limits scale with volume. Sandbox has lower thresholds for testing.
Webhook retries?
Failed webhook deliveries retry with exponential backoff for 72 hours.
PCI for direct API?
Direct card posting requires SAQ D. Hosted fields reduce scope to SAQ A.
How do idempotency keys prevent duplicate charges?
You attach a unique key to a request. If the network drops before you see the response and your code retries with the same key, the gateway returns the original result rather than creating a second charge. It turns an unsafe retry into a safe one, which is the single most useful habit in a payment integration.
What language SDKs are available, and do I have to use one?
Official server libraries cover Node, Python and PHP, and a Postman collection is available for QA teams. None of them is mandatory: the gateway is a REST API with OpenAPI documentation, so any HTTP client works. The SDKs mainly save you writing signing and error-handling code yourself.
How does the sandbox differ from production?
Mainly in its rate limits, which are lower than production, where limits scale with volume. Otherwise the sandbox mirrors live behaviour for authorize, capture, void, refund and tokenize, webhook delivery included, so integration and error paths can be tested end to end.
What happens when a webhook delivery fails?
The gateway retries it with exponential backoff. Because a retry can deliver an event you have already processed, handlers need to be idempotent, and every event's HMAC signature should be checked so a forged callback cannot change your order state.
How does a developer start integrating the gateway?
With sandbox credentials from the developer portal. Authorize and capture are built against test cards next, then a webhook endpoint is configured and its signatures verified, and test transaction logs are submitted for review before production keys are swapped in under a monitoring window.
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Card fields hosted by RapidCents sit inside a merchant checkout, with a terminal and the payments dashboard beside them. Embedded Payments
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A RapidCents online checkout in a browser, with contact and card fields on the left and an order summary on the right showing the subtotal, tax and total, plus the accepted card brands. Online Payments
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Take the next step
Talk to a RapidCents specialist
RapidCents Fee Check reads a processing statement and shows interchange separately from the markup. Upload a statement for an instant breakdown, or open a merchant account and start accepting payments on one account.
- No obligation
- Canadian payment specialists
- Secure statement upload
