INTERAC Payments via QR Code

What is it?

A new way to accept Interac Payment by displaying a QR code that your customers can scan with a device. This is perfect for desktop experiences where you do not want to interrupt the user's current session.

Key benefit:

Your customer scans the QR, it opens the Interac payment flow on their mobile, and they then complete the transaction to top up their funds without needing to authenticate on an additional device.

How It Works

1. Customer selects an increment to top up their funds on your app
2. You request a QR code (See here for parameters)
3. We return a QR code image — Display it to users
4. Customer scans with phone — Opens the Interac payment flow
5. Payment completes
6. User is redirected to the return_url on mobile
7. Users' wallet is now topped up

Expected Workflow

QR code endpoint vs. standard session creation
The QR code endpoint uses the same request payload as the standard payment endpoint. The only differences are:

• Response format: QR code image vs. redirect URL.
• Callback data format: The redirect URL receives callback data as application/x-www-form-urlencoded. The QR code flow delivers the same data as query parameters (the data after the ? in the URL). Handle both formats in your integration if you support both flows.

Return URL Behaviour

A return_url is required as part of the request. When using the QR code API feature, that same return_url is used differently: the QR code is generated on desktop, but the return_url is triggered on the user's mobile device, replacing the Interac payment flow after the user launches Request Money.

Styling the QR Code

The QR code has the ability to be styled within the request, if no styling is provided then the QR code will default to black and white with no image. If a merchant has cobranding enabled, the QR code will inherit the cobranding. This can be overridden through parameters within the request see here

How cobranding maps to QR code parameters

If the merchant has cobranding enabled, the QR code uses the theme colors and logo by default. You can override any of these with the request parameters. The exception is that logo is not configurable in the request, only the ability to hide or show the logo. If a logo is required it must be enabled as part of the customize payment flow.

For the QR styling parameters please see the Interac payment request parameters.

API Endpoints

Generate QR Code

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Important Notes

1. The transaction isn't created until the customer scans the QR code
2. QR codes expire after 4 hours
3. All the same validation rules apply as your current integration