# Access transactions for a Financial Connections account

Access an account's transactions with your user's permission.

The Financial Connections API allows you to retrieve transactions on a [Financial Connections Account](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/object.md). Use transaction data to build a variety of products and solutions, such as:

- Expedite the underwriting process and improve access to credit and other financial services for your users.
- Mitigate fraud and reduce risk during user onboarding by evaluating a user’s transaction history, and understanding cash inflows and outflows from their financial accounts.
- Help your users track expenses, handle bills, and manage their finances.

## Before you begin

You must have a completed Financial Connections registration to access transactions in live mode. Visit your [Dashboard settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/financial-connections) to check the state of your registration or begin the registration process. Financial Connections test data is always available.

## Create a customer [Recommended] [Server-side]

We recommend that you create a *Customer* (Customer objects represent customers of your business. They let you reuse payment methods and give you the ability to track multiple payments) with an email address and phone number to represent your user, that you then attach to your payment. Attaching a `Customer` object allows you to [list previously linked accounts ](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/list.md) later. By providing the email address and phone number on the `Customer` object, Financial Connections can improve the authentication flow by simplifying sign-in or sign-up for your user, depending on whether they’re a returning [Link](https://support.stripe.com/questions/link-for-financial-connections-support-for-businesses) user.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/customers \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d email={{CUSTOMER_EMAIL}} \
  -d phone={{CUSTOMER_PHONE}}
```

## Request access to an account's transactions [Server-side]

You must collect an account before you can access its transaction data. To learn more about how to collect Financial Connections Accounts consult the integration guide most relevant to your use case: [accept payments](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/ach-direct-debit-payments.md), [facilitate Connect payouts](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/connect-payouts.md), or [build other-data powered products](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/other-data-powered-products.md).

When collecting an account, you specify the data you need access to with the [permissions](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/fundamentals.md#data-permissions) parameter. The set of requested data permissions are viewable by the user in the [authentication flow](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/fundamentals.md#authentication-flow). Financial Connections Accounts are collectible through various integration paths, and how you specify the parameter varies slightly by API.

#### Payment Intents

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/payment_intents \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d amount=20000 \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d customer="{{CUSTOMER_ID}}" \
  -d "payment_method_types[]"=us_bank_account \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=transactions \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=payment_method
```

#### Setup Intents

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/setup_intents \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d customer="{{CUSTOMER_ID}}" \
  -d "payment_method_types[]"=us_bank_account \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=transactions \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=payment_method
```

#### Sessions

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/financial_connections/sessions \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "account_holder[type]"=customer \
  -d "account_holder[customer]"="{{CUSTOMER_ID}}" \
  -d "permissions[]"=transactions
```

#### Checkout

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/checkout/sessions \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d customer="{{CUSTOMER_ID}}" \
  -d "payment_method_types[]"=us_bank_account \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=transactions \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=payment_method
```

#### Invoices

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/invoices \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d customer="{{CUSTOMER_ID}}" \
  -d "payment_settings[payment_method_types][]"=us_bank_account \
  -d "payment_settings[payment_method_options][us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=transactions \
  -d "payment_settings[payment_method_options][us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=payment_method
```

#### Subscriptions

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/subscriptions \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d customer={{CUSTOMER_ID}} \
  -d "payment_settings[payment_method_types][]"=us_bank_account \
  -d "payment_settings[payment_method_options][us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=transactions \
  -d "payment_settings[payment_method_options][us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=payment_method
```

When using dynamic payment methods for certain payments APIs, you can also configure requested permissions in the Dashboard. Learn how to [access additional account data on Financial Connections accounts](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/ach-direct-debit-payments.md?dashboard-or-api=dashboard#access).

## Subscribe to transaction data [Server-side]

When you subscribe to an account’s transaction data, Stripe automatically retrieves new transactions in the background every day and notifies you when they’re available. Subscribing to daily updates is the easiest way to keep the account’s transaction data up to date.

To get the Financial Connections Account ID you want to subscribe to transactions for, consult the documentation for our [payments integrations](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/ach-direct-debit-payments.md#finding-the-financial-connections-account-id) or check the guide for [Financial Connections Sessions](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/other-data-powered-products.md?platform=web#collect-an-account).

Subscribe to transaction data by calling the [subscribe API](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/subscribe.md):

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/financial_connections/accounts/{{FINANCIALCONNECTIONSACCOUNT_ID}}/subscribe \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "features[]"=transactions
```

> Subscriptions aren’t allowed on inactive accounts.

In addition to activating a subscription to future transaction data, this API call automatically initiates a transaction refresh:

```json
{
  "id": "fca_1LDYuMGxLVUXRs6HW0lrat9T",
  "object": "financial_connections.account",
  "display_name": "Savings",
  "institution_name": "Test Bank",
  "status": "active",
  "permissions": ["transactions"],"subscriptions": ["transactions"],
  "transaction_refresh": {
    "id": "fctxnref_1aaaxqEitUZY8Svm4QdcWZKt",
    "last_attempted_at": 1706742786,
    "next_refresh_available_at": null,
    "status": "pending"
  }
  // ...
}
```

As long as you remain subscribed to transaction data, Stripe initiates a new refresh every day.

### Wait for the refresh to complete 

All Financial Connections data refreshes are asynchronous. After you initiate a transaction refresh, you must wait for it to complete, then retrieve the resulting transactions.

The [transaction_refresh](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/object.md#financial_connections_account_object-transaction_refresh) field on a Financial Connections account represents the transaction refresh state. This field remains `null` until you request the `transactions` permission and initiate a refresh. After you start a transaction refresh, the state changes to `pending`, and after completion, it moves to either `succeeded` or `failed`. We send the [financial_connections.account.refreshed_transactions](https://docs.stripe.com/api/events/types.md#event_types-financial_connections.account.refreshed_transactions) event when the transaction refresh completes. To determine the success of the refresh, check the `transaction_refresh.status` field while handling the webhook.

## Retrieve transactions [Server-side]

After Stripe successfully refreshes transactions on the account, you can retrieve them using the [transactions list API](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/transactions/list.md):

```curl
curl -G https://api.stripe.com/v1/financial_connections/transactions \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d account="{{FINANCIALCONNECTIONSACCOUNT_ID}}"
```

Stripe returns a [paginated](https://docs.stripe.com/api/pagination.md) list of up to the last 180 days of transaction history on an account, depending on the account’s financial institution.

```json
{
  "object": "list",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "fctxn_1LXp9RGxLVUXRs6HtTSVfxse",
      "object": "financial_connections.transaction",
      "account": "fca_1LDYuMGxLVUXRs6HW0lrat9T",
      "amount": -1000,
      "currency": "usd",
      "description": "Rocket Rides",
      "livemode": true,
      "status": "posted",
      "status_transitions": {
        "posted_at": 1651784999,
        "void_at": null
      },
      "transacted_at": 1651784999,
      "transaction_refresh": "fctxnref_1LXp8WGxLVUXRs6Hkc5PNUXf",
      "updated": 1651784999
    },
    {...},
    {...}
  ],
  "has_more": false,
  "url": "/v1/financial_connections/transactions"
}
```

The [status](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/transactions/object.md#financial_connections_transaction_object-status) of a transaction is one of `pending`, `posted`, or `void`. Information included in the [description](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/transactions/object.md#financial_connections_transaction_object-description) field varies, but can include metadata such as the business name.

### Retrieving transactions since last refresh

You might wish to retrieve only new transaction data since your last data pull. For example, some users save previously retrieved transaction data to their database, and subsequently merge new or updated data as it becomes available.

To retrieve only new or updated transaction data since your last refresh, pass the `transaction_refresh` identifier provided by your last observed [financial_connections.account.refreshed_transactions](https://docs.stripe.com/api/events/types.md#event_types-financial_connections.account.refreshed_transactions) webhook event object to the list API:

```curl
curl -G https://api.stripe.com/v1/financial_connections/transactions \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d account="{{FINANCIALCONNECTIONSACCOUNT_ID}}" \
  -d "transaction_refresh[after]"=fctxnref_1LXp8WGxLVUXRs6Hkc5PNUXf
```

The following is an example [webhook](https://docs.stripe.com/webhooks.md#webhook-endpoint-def) integration that only retrieves and records new or updated transaction data:

#### Python

```python
import stripe
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/stripe_webhooks', methods=['POST'])
def webhook():
    event = None
    try:
        event = stripe.Event.construct_from(json.loads(request.data), stripe.api_key)
    except ValueError as e:
        # Invalid payload
        raise e

    if event.type == "financial_connections.account.refreshed_transactions":
        account = event.data.object
        sync_transactions(account["id"], account["transaction_refresh"]["id"])

    return jsonify(success=True)


def sync_transactions(account_id, current_refresh):
    # Fetches the last transaction_refresh observed for this account from internal database
    last_observed_transaction_refresh = get_previous_transaction_refresh(key=account_id)

    # Get transactions since the last seen transaction_refresh
    response = stripe.financial_connections.Transaction.list(
        account=account_id,
        transaction_refresh={"after": last_observed_transaction_refresh},
    )

    # We know every transaction is either new or updated because of the `transaction_refresh` filter in the list endpoint
    for transaction in response.data:
        record_transaction(transaction)  # Saves the transaction to the DB

    # Updates the last observed transaction_refresh for this account to the current refresh
    set_previous_transaction_refresh(key=account_id, value=current_refresh)
```

## Optional: Unsubscribe from transaction data

You can start, cancel, and resume a subscription at any point. To cancel a subscription, call the [unsubscribe API](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/unsubscribe.md):

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/financial_connections/accounts/{{FINANCIALCONNECTIONSACCOUNT_ID}}/unsubscribe \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "features[]"=transactions
```

To resume the subscription, call the [subscribe API](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/subscribe.md) again.

## Optional: Refresh transactions on demand

There are two alternatives to [subscribing](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/transactions.md#subscribe-to-transactions) to daily updates: prefetching transaction data and on-demand refreshes. You might use these methods if you only want a one-time transaction data pull for a use case like underwriting. These methods are not mutually exclusive with maintaining a subscription, but most financial institutions don’t update transactions multiple times per day.

### Prefetch transaction data

Specify whether you want to prefetch account transactions *before* account collection. This initiates the refresh process as soon as your user connects their account in the [authentication flow](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/fundamentals.md#authentication-flow). Set `prefetch` when you require transaction data for every linked account, to make sure you receive it with minimal delay. The `prefetch` parameter is available on all APIs that support Financial Connections.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/payment_intents \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d amount=20000 \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d "payment_method_types[]"=us_bank_account \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][prefetch][]"=transactions \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=payment_method \
  -d "payment_method_options[us_bank_account][financial_connections][permissions][]"=transactions
```

After initiating a transaction refresh using `prefetch`, [wait for it to complete](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/transactions.md#wait-for-completion).

### Initiate an on-demand refresh

Use the [Refresh API](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/refresh.md) to initiate on-demand transaction refreshes *after* account collection, and fetch transaction information for a specific account at your convenience, allowing you to defer the decision until a later time.

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/financial_connections/accounts/{{FINANCIALCONNECTIONSACCOUNT_ID}}/refresh \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d "features[]"=transactions
```

> Refreshes aren’t allowed on inactive accounts.

After initiating a transaction refresh using the Refresh API, [wait for it to complete](https://docs.stripe.com/financial-connections/transactions.md#wait-for-completion).

After a transaction refresh completes, Stripe sets the availability of future refreshes through the [transaction_refresh.next_refresh_available_at](https://docs.stripe.com/api/financial_connections/accounts/object.md#financial_connections_account_object-transaction_refresh-next_refresh_available_at) field. Check this field before initiating a new transaction refresh to make sure that refreshes are currently available. If you attempt a refresh while the value is `null` (as is always the case when the refresh is pending or the account is inactive) or the current time is less than the `next_refresh_available_at` timestamp, the refresh won’t be initiated.

> In the unlikely event that a refresh fails, the `error` field on the refresh hash is a preview feature that provides the cause of the failure and recommended next steps. If you’d like to use it, [email us](mailto:financial-connections-beta+refresh-error@stripe.com) for access.