Flutterwave Payments API

Name: Flutterwave Payments API API
Brand: Flutterwave Payments API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentPaymentsPayment Processingbearer5 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Create customers, charge cards, and initiate transfers in Africa and globally through Flutterwave's v4 Payments API.

Quickstart

Get started with Flutterwave Payments API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"process a card charge on Flutterwave"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with Flutterwave Payments API API.

Create customer records with contact and KYC details

Attach reusable payment methods to a customer profile

Charge a payment method for a one-time transaction

Look up the status of a charge by ID

Initiate direct transfers to bank accounts or wallets

GET STARTED

Start building with Flutterwave Payments API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI document for Flutterwave Payments API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Flutterwave Payments API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Flutterwave is a payment platform serving Africa and global merchants who need to accept local payment methods at scale. The v4 Payments API exposes endpoints for creating customers, attaching payment methods, processing card charges, and initiating direct transfers. Authentication is bearer-token based, with separate sandbox and production hosts.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use Flutterwave Payments API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Accept Card Payments in Africa

Process one-time card charges through POST /charges, attaching the payment method created via /payment-methods to the customer record from /customers. Flutterwave handles local card networks, 3D Secure, and currency conversion across NGN, GHS, KES, ZAR, and global cards. Integration takes a few days end to end including webhook handling and reconciliation.

Create a customer, attach a payment method, and post a charge of NGN 5000 to that payment method via POST /charges, then read the status from GET /charges/{charge_id}.

Direct Bank Transfers

Use POST /direct-transfers to send funds from a Flutterwave balance to a bank account or wallet. Suits payouts for marketplaces, gig platforms, and refund flows that need to push money out rather than pull it in. Each transfer references the destination account details and an amount in the source currency.

Initiate a direct transfer of NGN 25000 via POST /direct-transfers to a specified Nigerian bank account and return the transfer reference.

Customer and Payment Method Vaulting

Create a customer through POST /customers, then attach payment methods via POST /payment-methods so subsequent charges can reference the saved instrument. This pattern keeps card data out of your servers while letting users pay with one click on repeat purchases. Customer records also support tax IDs and address data needed for compliance.

Create a customer with email 'user@example.com', attach a tokenized card via POST /payment-methods, and return the new payment method ID.

AI Agent Payments via Jentic

Agents use Jentic's intent search to find the Flutterwave charge endpoint, load its schema, and execute calls under a scoped credential. This is the recommended pattern for assistants that take payment actions on behalf of a user — for example, processing a re-bill or initiating a refund. Jentic keeps the bearer token isolated.

Use Jentic to search 'process a card charge on Flutterwave', load the POST /charges schema, and charge the customer's saved payment method for the requested amount.

Key Endpoints

5 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for flutterwave payments api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

POST

/customers

Create a customer record

POST

/payment-methods

Attach a payment method to a customer

POST

/charges

Create a charge against a payment method

GET

/charges/{charge_id}

Look up a charge by ID

POST

/direct-transfers

Initiate a direct transfer to a bank or wallet

POST

/customers

Create a customer record

POST

/payment-methods

Attach a payment method to a customer

POST

/charges

Create a charge against a payment method

GET

/charges/{charge_id}

Look up a charge by ID

POST

/direct-transfers

Initiate a direct transfer to a bank or wallet

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The Flutterwave bearer secret key is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault (MAXsystem). Agents receive a scoped execution token; the raw key never enters the agent's context window or logs, which is critical for production payment flows.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g. 'process a card charge on Flutterwave') and Jentic returns the POST /charges operation along with its input schema, so the agent supplies the right amount, currency, and payment method without browsing Flutterwave docs.

Time to first call

Direct Flutterwave integration: 3-5 days for auth, charge handling, webhook reconciliation, and transfer setup. Through Jentic: under an hour — search, load, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

Paystack API

Africa-focused payment gateway with strong Nigerian and Ghanaian coverage.

Choose Paystack when the merchant primarily sells in Nigeria or Ghana and prefers Paystack's onboarding and fee structure.

Alternative

Stripe API

Global payment platform with deeper feature coverage outside Africa.

Choose Stripe when the merchant operates primarily outside Africa or needs richer subscription, invoicing, and Connect functionality.

Complementary

SendGrid Mail API

Email delivery for receipts and payment confirmations.

Use alongside Flutterwave to send receipt emails after a successful charge or failed payment notice.

FAQs

Specific to using Flutterwave Payments API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Flutterwave Payments API?

Flutterwave does not publish a maintained OpenAPI specification for v4. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Flutterwave Payments API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the Flutterwave Payments API use?

The Flutterwave v4 API uses HTTP bearer authentication with a secret key issued from the Flutterwave dashboard. Jentic stores the secret encrypted in the MAXsystem vault and constructs the Authorization: Bearer header on outbound calls.

Can I charge a saved payment method with the Flutterwave Payments API?

Yes, POST /charges accepts a customer ID and a payment method ID created via POST /payment-methods. After the charge is created, GET /charges/{charge_id} returns the final status.

What are the rate limits for the Flutterwave Payments API?

The OpenAPI spec does not declare explicit rate limits. Flutterwave applies per-account throughput limits in production — back off on 429 responses and contact Flutterwave support to raise limits for high-volume merchants.

How do I send a payout to a Nigerian bank account through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'send a Flutterwave direct transfer', load the POST /direct-transfers schema, and execute with the destination bank code, account number, and amount in NGN. The response includes a transfer reference for tracking.

Does the Flutterwave Payments API have a sandbox?

Yes, the spec lists a sandbox host (developersandbox-api.flutterwave.com) alongside the production host. Switch the base URL to test charges and transfers without moving real money.