Issuing lifecycle controls

You can use lifecycle controls to automatically cancel a virtual card after a specified number of payments. This provides support for single-use or n-use cards. To enable this functionality, set the lifecycle_controls parameter when creating a virtual card.

How it works

Set lifecycle_controls.cancel_after.payment_count to specify the number of payments after which you want the virtual card automatically canceled. After the card reaches this payment count, its status automatically updates to canceled, and all future authorizations are declined.

What counts as a payment

The following events count towards the payment_count:

1. Approved authorizations >1 USD: Standard card transactions that are approved
2. Captured authorizations ≤1 USD: Small transactions (≤1 USD) that are actually captured and result in a transaction
3. Force posts: When a business captures funds without an authorization

Special handling for ≤1 USD authorizations

Many businesses use ≤1 USD authorizations to test if a card is valid, but don’t capture these authorizations to transfer funds. To prevent premature card cancellation:

• Uncaptured ≤1 USD authorizations don’t count towards payment_count
• Only up to payment_count uncaptured ≤1 USD authorizations are allowed

Examples

The following scenarios demonstrate how lifecycle controls work for a single-use card (payment_count: 1):

Create the single-use card:

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/issuing/cards \
  -u "sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2:" \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d type=virtual \
  -d "cardholder=
{{CARDHOLDER_ID}}" \
  -d "lifecycle_controls[cancel_after][payment_count]=1"