Generate a PAD Link from a Contact

Work in progressThis section is currently under active development as part of improvements planned for 2026. Content may change as we expand product capabilities.If you’re interested in early access or want to learn more about what’s coming, feel free to reach out to the team.

This guide walks through the complete flow to generate a PAD (Pre-Authorized Debit) signing link using the EFT API, starting from a contact ID. The PAD link is a URL you present to your end user so they can authorize the payment.

Prerequisites

A valid x-client-id API key
A stored contact with at least one EFT bank account

Overview

The flow requires four API calls in sequence:

Step	Endpoint	Returns
1	`GET /api/v1/contacts/{contactId}`	Contact details + bank account IDs
2	`POST /api/v1/transactions`	Schedule with `id`
3	`GET /api/v1/schedules/{scheduleId}`	Schedule details with `padId`
4	`GET /api/v1/pads/{padId}`	PAD details with `padLink`

Step 1: Get the Contact

Retrieve the contact to obtain their EFT bank account ID.

curl 'https://payments.flinksapp.com/api/v1/contacts/{{contactId}}' \
  --header 'x-client-id: {{your-client-id}}'

From the response, note the id from the contact’s EFT account. You’ll use it as the accountId in the transaction request.

Step 2: Create the Transaction

Create a DEBIT transaction using the contact’s contactId and accountId from Step 1, and a transactionCode from the transaction codes reference.

curl 'https://payments.flinksapp.com/api/v1/transactions' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-client-id: {{your-client-id}}' \
  --data '[{
    "transactionCode": 450,
    "amount": 250.00,
    "paymentDirection": "DEBIT",
    "currency": "CAD",
    "payor": {
      "accountInfo": {
        "accountId": "{{accountId}}"
      },
      "contactInfo": {
        "contactId": "{{contactId}}"
      }
    },
    "scheduleInfo": {
      "paymentFrequency": "Monthly",
      "startDate": "2026-05-01",
      "transactionsCount": 12
    }
  }]'

The response contains a schedules array. Note the id (schedule ID) from the first item.

The padId field in the create transaction response is null at this point. The PAD agreement is generated asynchronously. You need to poll the schedule to obtain it.

Step 3: Get the Schedule (poll for padId)

Retrieve the schedule to check if the PAD has been generated.

curl 'https://payments.flinksapp.com/api/v1/schedules/{{scheduleId}}' \
  --header 'x-client-id: {{your-client-id}}'

Check the padId field in the response:

If padId is not null: proceed to Step 4
If padId is null: the PAD is still being generated; wait and retry

We recommend polling every 2 to 3 seconds for up to 30 seconds. If padId is still null after that, contact Flinks support.

Step 4: Get the PAD Link

Once you have the padId, retrieve the PAD agreement details including the signing link.

curl 'https://payments.flinksapp.com/api/v1/pads/{{padId}}' \
  --header 'x-client-id: {{your-client-id}}'

The response includes a padLink field: this is the URL you present to your end user.

Presenting the PAD to the End User

Redirect or display the padLink to your end user so they can review and sign the PAD agreement. Once signed, the payment schedule becomes active.

// Example: redirect user to the PAD signing page
window.location.href = padLink;

Complete Example

const BASE_URL = 'https://payments.flinksapp.com/api/v1';
const headers = {
  'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  'x-client-id': 'your-client-id'
};

async function generatePadLink(contactId) {
  // Step 1: Get contact details
  const contact = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/contacts/${contactId}`, { headers })
    .then(r => r.json());

  const accountId = contact.accounts.eftAccounts[0].id;

  // Step 2: Create transaction (450 = Misc. Payments, see transaction codes reference)
  const txResponse = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/transactions`, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers,
    body: JSON.stringify([{
      transactionCode: 450,
      amount: 250.00,
      paymentDirection: 'DEBIT',
      currency: 'CAD',
      payor: {
        accountInfo: { accountId },
        contactInfo: { contactId }
      },
      scheduleInfo: {
        paymentFrequency: 'Monthly',
        startDate: '2026-05-01',
        transactionsCount: 12
      }
    }])
  }).then(r => r.json());

  const scheduleId = txResponse.schedules[0].id;

  // Step 3: Poll schedule for padId
  let padId = null;
  for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    const schedule = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/schedules/${scheduleId}`, { headers })
      .then(r => r.json());

    if (schedule.padId) {
      padId = schedule.padId;
      break;
    }
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000));
  }

  if (!padId) throw new Error('PAD not generated within timeout');

  // Step 4: Get PAD link
  const pad = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/pads/${padId}`, { headers })
    .then(r => r.json());

  return pad.padLink;
}

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Prerequisites

Overview

Step 1: Get the Contact

Step 2: Create the Transaction

Step 3: Get the Schedule (poll for padId)

Step 4: Get the PAD Link

Presenting the PAD to the End User

Complete Example

API Reference

​Prerequisites

​Overview

​Step 1: Get the Contact

​Step 2: Create the Transaction

​Step 3: Get the Schedule (poll for padId)

​Step 4: Get the PAD Link

​Presenting the PAD to the End User

​Complete Example

​API Reference

Prerequisites

Overview

Step 1: Get the Contact

Step 2: Create the Transaction

Step 3: Get the Schedule (poll for padId)

Step 4: Get the PAD Link

Presenting the PAD to the End User

Complete Example

API Reference