Accept Payments for a Startup

Go from zero to live payments in minutes. This guide walks you through the fastest integration path for a new business.

What you're building

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

• A Pine Labs Online merchant account
• A working checkout that accepts cards, UPI, wallets, and netbanking
• Test transactions verified on the Dashboard
• A clear path to go live

Before you begin

No backend yet? Start with Payment Links — zero code required.

Choose your integration path

We recommend Hosted Checkout for most startups — it's fast to set up and handles payment method display, validation, and security for you.

Step-by-step: Hosted Checkout

Step 1 — Get your API credentials

After signing up, retrieve your credentials from the Dashboard:

1. Log in to the Pine Labs Dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
3. Copy your Client ID and Client Secret

Security: Store credentials in environment variables or a secrets manager. Never commit them to source code.

Step 2 — Generate an access token

All API calls require a Bearer token. Generate one from your backend:

curl --location 'https://pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in/api/auth/v1/token' \
--header 'accept: application/json' \
--header 'content-type: application/json' \
--data '{
  "client_id": "<your_client_id>",
  "client_secret": "<your_client_secret>",
  "grant_type": "client_credentials"
}'

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "expires_in": 3600
}

Step 3 — Create an order

Create an order for ₹500 (value in paise: 50000):

curl --location 'https://pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in/api/pay/v1/orders' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer <access_token>' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'Request-ID: <unique_uuid>' \
--header 'Request-Timestamp: 2024-07-09T07:57:08.022Z' \
--data '{
  "merchant_order_reference": "STARTUP-ORDER-001",
  "order_amount": {
    "value": 50000,
    "currency": "INR"
  },
  "pre_auth": false,
  "allowed_payment_methods": [
    "CARD", "UPI", "NETBANKING", "WALLET"
  ],
  "callback_url": "https://your-domain.com/payment/success",
  "failure_callback_url": "https://your-domain.com/payment/failure",
  "purchase_details": {
    "customer": {
      "email_id": "customer@example.com",
      "first_name": "Rahul",
      "last_name": "Sharma",
      "customer_id": "CUST-001",
      "mobile_number": "9876543210",
      "country_code": "91"
    }
  }
}'

Response includes:

{
  "order_id": "v1-2505051234-aa-xYzAbC",
  "checkout_url": "https://checkout.pluralonline.com/...",
  "status": "CREATED"
}

Step 4 — Redirect to checkout

Redirect your customer to the checkout_url from the order response. Pine Labs handles:

• Payment method selection (cards, UPI, wallets, netbanking)
• Card number validation and 3D Secure authentication
• UPI intent and collect flows
• Success and failure redirects back to your URLs

<form action="/create-order" method="POST">
  <button type="submit">Pay ₹500</button>
</form>

Your server-side handler creates the order and redirects:

// Express.js example
app.post('/create-order', async (req, res) => {
  const order = await createPineLabsOrder(); // your API call
  res.redirect(order.checkout_url);
});

Step 5 — Handle the callback

After payment, Pine Labs redirects the customer to your callback_url with:

{
  "order_id": "v1-2505051234-aa-xYzAbC",
  "payment_status": "AUTHORIZED",
  "signature": "a1b2c3d4..."
}

Verify the signature on your server (mandatory):

Signature string: order_id=<order_id>&status=AUTHORIZED
Algorithm: SHA256 HMAC with your secret_key

Then capture the order:

curl --request PUT \
'https://pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in/api/pay/v1/orders/{order_id}/capture' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer <access_token>'

Step 6 — Configure webhooks

Set up webhooks in the Dashboard for real-time payment notifications:

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings → Webhooks
2. Add your endpoint URL
3. Select events: ORDER_AUTHORIZED, ORDER_CAPTURED, REFUND_PROCESSED

Why webhooks? Don't rely solely on callback redirects. Customers may close their browser before the redirect completes. Webhooks guarantee you receive payment notifications.

Test your integration

Use the UAT environment to test without processing real payments:

Go live checklist

Before switching from UAT to production:

• Verify your merchant account — complete KYC verification in the Dashboard
• Switch base URL — replace pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in with api.pluralonline.com
• Update credentials — use production Client ID and Client Secret
• Configure production webhooks — point to your live server
• Test on production — make a small real payment and refund it
• Set up signature verification — mandatory for all callbacks
• Enable TLS 1.2+ — required for all API communication

What's next?

Once you're live, explore features that help your startup grow:

FAQ