Alipay payments with Sources
Use Sources to accept payments using Alipay, a popular payment method in China.
Warning
We deprecated the Sources API and plan to remove support for local payment methods. If you currently integrate with Alipay using the Sources API, you must migrate to the Payment Methods API.
For information about integrating Alipay with the current APIs, see Alipay payments.
Stripe users can use Sources to accept Alipay payments from customers from China.
During the payment process, a Source object is created and your customer is redirected to Alipay for authorization. After completing this, your integration uses the source to make a charge request and complete the payment.
Alipay is a push-based, single-use and synchronous method of payment. This means that your customer takes action to authorize the push of funds through a redirect. There is immediate confirmation about the success or failure of a payment.
Create a Source object
A Source
object is either created client-side using Stripe.js or server-side using the Source creation endpoint, with the following parameters:
Parameter | Value |
---|---|
type | alipay |
currency | cny or the default currency for your country. Accepted currencies are aud, cad, cny, eur, gbp, hkd, jpy, nzd, sgd, or usd. Users in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, or Switzerland must use eur. |
redirect[return_ | The URL the customer should be redirected to after the authorization process. |
amount | A positive integer in the smallest currency unit representing the amount to charge the customer (for example, 1099 for a 10.99 USD payment). |
To create a source with Stripe.js, first include the library within your website and set your publishable API key. Once included, use the following createSource
method to create a source client-side:
stripe.createSource({ type: 'alipay', amount: 1099, currency: 'usd', redirect: { return_url: '__TOKEN_PLACEHOLDER_0__', }, }).then(function(result) { // handle result.error or result.source });
Using either method, Stripe returns a Source
object containing the relevant details for the method of payment used. Information specific to Alipay is provided within the alipay
subhash.
{ "id": "src_16xhynE8WzK49JbAs9M21jaR", "object": "source", "amount": 1099, "client_secret": "src_client_secret_UfwvW2WHpZ0s3QEn9g5x7waU", "created": 1445277809, "currency": "usd", "flow": "redirect", "livemode": true, "owner": {
Error codes
Source creation for Alipay payments may return any of the following errors:
Error | Description |
---|---|
payment_ | The payment method is currently not available. You should invite your customer to fallback to another payment method to proceed. |
processing_ | An unexpected error occurred preventing us from creating the source. The source creation should be retried. |
Have the customer complete authorization
When creating a source, its status is initially set to pending
and cannot yet be used to make a charge request. Your customer must authorize an Alipay payment to make the source chargeable. To allow your customer to authorize the payment, redirect them to the URL provided within theredirect[url]
attribute of the Source
object.
After the authorization process, your customer is redirected back to the URL provided as a value of redirect[return_
. This happens regardless of whether authorization was successful or not. If the customer has authorized the payment, the Source
object’s status will transition to chargeable
when it is ready to be used in a charge request. If your customer declines the payment, the status will transition to failed
.
Stripe populates the redirect[return_
with the following GET parameters when returning your customer to your website:
source
: a string representing the original ID of theSource
objectlivemode
: indicates if this is a live payment, eithertrue
orfalse
client_
: used to confirm that the returning customer is the same one who triggered the creation of the source (source IDs are not considered secret)secret
You may include any other GET parameters you may need when specifying redirect[return_
. Do not use the above as parameter names yourself as these would be overridden with the values we populate.
Mobile applications
To integrate Alipay within a mobile application, provide your application URI scheme as the redirect[return_
value. By doing so, your customers are returned to your app after completing authorization. Direct redirects to the Alipay app are also supported when using our native SDKs.
For Android sources, the Alipay SDK is required for app-to-app support.
Testing the redirect process
When creating a Source
object using your test API keys, you can follow the URL returned in the redirect[url]
field. This leads to a Stripe page that displays information about the API request, and where you can either authorize or cancel the payment. Authorizing the payment redirects you to the URL specified in redirect[return_
.
Charge the Source
Once the customer has authorized the payment, the source’s status
transitions to chargeable
and it can be used to make one charge request. This transition happens asynchronously and may occur after the customer was redirected back to your website.
Some customers using Alipay assume that the order process is complete once they have authorized the payment and received confirmation on Alipay’s site or app. This results in customers who close their browser instead of following the redirect and returning to your app or website.
For these reasons it is essential that your integration rely on webhooks to determine when the source becomes chargeable in order to create a charge. Please refer to our best practices for more details on how to best integrate payment methods using webhooks.
Webhooks
The following webhook events are sent to notify you about changes to the source’s status:
Event | Description |
---|---|
source. | A Source object becomes chargeable after a customer has authorized and verified a payment. |
source. | A Source object failed to become chargeable as your customer declined to authorize the payment. |
source. | A Source object expired and cannot be used to create a charge. |
Make a charge request using the source
Once the source is chargeable, from your source.
webhook handler, you can make a charge request using the source ID as the value for the source
parameter to complete the payment.
By default, your account’s statement descriptor appears on customer statements whenever you create an Alipay payment.
Error codes
Charge creation for Alipay payments may return any of the following errors:
Error | Description |
---|---|
insufficient_ | The Alipay account has insufficient funds to complete the purchase. The customer should fund their account and try again, or use an alternative payment method. |
invalid_ | This occurs if the charge amount is larger than what is supported by Alipay. |
Confirm that the charge has succeeded
Since the customer has already authorized the payment as part of the redirect, unless there is an unexpected error, the Charge will immediately succeed.
You will also receive the following webhook event as the charge is created:
Event | Description |
---|---|
charge. | The charge succeeded and the payment is complete. |
We recommend that you rely on the charge.
webhook event to notify your customer that the payment process has been completed and their order is confirmed. Please refer to our best practices for more details on how to best integrate payment methods using webhooks.
Disputed payments
If a customer’s Alipay account is used illicitly, Alipay and Stripe handle the issue internally. Alipay payments are disputed only if the customer has a complaint about the provided goods or service. Should a dispute occur, a charge.
webhook event is sent to your webhook endpoint, and Stripe deducts the amount of the dispute from your Stripe balance.
Refunds
Payments made with Alipay can only be submitted for refund within 90 days from the date of the original charge. After 90 days, it is no longer possible to refund the charge.
Single-use Sources expiration
A single-use Alipay source must be charged within six hours of becoming chargeable
, or before 23:45 China Standard Time (GMT+8) due to Chinese government restrictions around settlement. If it is not, its status is automatically transitioned to canceled
and your integration receives a source.
webhook event. Once a chargeable source is canceled, the customer’s authorized Alipay payment is refunded automatically—no money is moved into your account. For this reason, make sure the order is canceled on your end and the customer is notified when you receive the source.
event.
Additionally, pending
sources are canceled after one hour if they are not used to authorize a payment, ensuring that all sources eventually transition out of their pending
state to the canceled
state if they are not used.
Settlement currencies
Alipay supports settlement in the default currency of your account. If you have a bank account in another currency and would like to create Alipay sources in that currency, please get in touch. Support for additional currencies is provided on a case-by-case basis.