Authorize a merchant initiated transaction

mutation AuthorizeRecurring($input: AuthorizeRecurringInput!) {
  authorizeRecurring(authorizeRecurringInput: $input) {
    authorizationResponse {
      status: __typename
      cardDetails {
        paymentBrand
        last4
      }
      tokenDetails {
        token
      }
      transactionId
      paymentId
    }
    errors {
      ... on Error {
        message
        __typename
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "input": {
    "acceptorId": "05a39b14-f29f-443b-a107-da3e3e8969fb",
    "transactionReference": "a3f9d2c1-8b7e-4a2d-9f6c-1e0d5b4c3a2f",
    "channel": "ECOMMERCE",
    "reason": "GENERAL_PURCHASE",
    "citReference": {
      "citPaymentId": "c0b554b8-7819-11ee-acb0-7445f363cd81"
    },
    "originalPurchaseDate": "2026-01-15",
    "paymentMethodDetails": {
      "acquirerTokenDetails": {
        "token": "ae1d0699-a5f3-4548-aaa8-068b57564118",
        "expirationMonth": "09",
        "expirationYear": "2051",
        "securityCode": {
          "omissionReason": "VERIFICATION_NOT_REQUESTED"
        }
      }
    },
    "transactionAmountDetails": {
      "totalAmount": 14.99,
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "automaticCapture": "ON_APPROVAL"
  }
}

{
  "data": {
    "authorizeRecurring": {
      "authorizationResponse": {
        "status": "AuthorizationApproval",
        "networkTransactionId": "012345678901234",
        "cardDetails": {
          "paymentBrand": "VISA",
          "last4": "6204"
        },
        "tokenDetails": {
          "token": "ae1d0699-a5f3-4548-aaa8-068b57564118"
        },
        "transactionId": "d8b2f3e4-5c6a-7890-1bcd-ef2345678901",
        "paymentId": "c9a1e2d3-4b5f-6789-0abc-def123456789",
        "systemTraceAuditNumber": "901234",
        "networkResponseDetails": {
          "processorResponseCode": "A0000",
          "networkResponseCode": "00"
        },
        "avsResponseDetails": {
          "networkCode": null
        },
        "errors": null
      }
    }
  }
}

A merchant initiated transaction (MIT) is a charge submitted by the merchant without the cardholder actively participating in the transaction at the time of payment. Unlike a customer initiated transaction where the customer is present and authorizes the charge, MITs rely on a standing agreement the cardholder previously consented to. Common examples of merchant initiated transactions include recurring payments, installment plans, deferred charges (e.g., hotel minibar), no-show penalties, and scheduled top-ups.

Tesouro currently supports recurring payments only. Support for other MIT types is planned for a future release.

When to Use

You need to charge a cardholder on a scheduled, recurring basis (e.g., monthly subscription, weekly service fee).
The cardholder is not actively present to authorize the payment.
You have a prior customer initiated transaction or account verification on file to reference.

ExampleLast month, Ben subscribed to StreamHQ’s monthly plan. Each subsequent month, StreamHQ submits a merchant initiated recurring transaction to charge Ben’s card on file. Because Ben consented to recurring charges during sign-up, StreamHQ can charge his card each month without requiring him to actively authorize each payment.

Prerequisites

Every authorizeRecurring request must reference a prior transaction from Tesouro’s platform. Before submitting a merchant initiated transaction, you must have on file either:

A previously approved customer initiated transaction, or
A previously approved account verification

You will need the paymentId and the date of that original transaction to complete the request.

Steps

Call the authorizeRecurring mutation, passing in the required and optional input fields:

Required input	Description
`acceptorId`	The unique, 36 character identifier assigned to the entity providing the goods or services to the cardholder. Other processors may refer to this as the Merchant ID (MID), Outlet ID, or Customer number.
`transactionReference`	The unique transaction identifier created by YOU to distinguish this transaction from another.
`channel`	How the consumer interacts with the acceptor. Defaults to `ECOMMERCE` if not provided.
`paymentMethodDetails`	Includes the pertinent payment method details for the card being charged. Accepts an acquirer token, a full PAN, or a network token pass-through.
`transactionAmountDetails`	The amount of the transaction and its currency.
`citReference`	A reference to the `paymentId` of the original customer initiated transaction or account verification that established the cardholder’s consent.
`originalPurchaseDate`	The submission date of the original customer initiated transaction or account verification being referenced, as recorded within the partner’s system.
`automaticCapture`	Specifies if the authorization should be automatically captured upon approval. If you instruct to not automatically capture the authorization, keep track of the `paymentId` in the response, as it will be needed to capture the authorization. If you instructed to automatically capture upon approval, then you are done with the authorization.

CIT reference

Every authorizeRecurring request must include a citReference pointing to a prior customer initiated transaction or account verification processed through Tesouro. This reference is how the card networks verify that the cardholder previously consented to recurring charges. The citReference input accepts two forms depending on where the original transaction was processed:

Scenario	Fields to provide
The original CIT or card verification was processed through Tesouro	`citReference.citPaymentId` — the `paymentId` returned in the original transaction response
The original CIT was processed through another processor	`citReference.mitPassThrough.citNetworkTransactionId` — the network transaction ID from the original processor’s response

Automatic capture

Automatically capturing an authorization upon approval instructs Tesouro to submit a capture request on your behalf without requiring additional information or actions from you. To know if you should automatically capture upon approval, use the following chart:

Scenarios	Input
If the final amount to capture will NOT change from the authorized amount And all product line items will be shipped (or rendered) together	`automaticCapture:"ON_APPROVAL"`
If the final amount to capture may change from the authorized amount And some or all of the purchased goods or services are not immediately available to ship or render at the time of authorization.	`automaticCapture:"NEVER"`

If the authorization is not captured or reversed within 10 days, you will be assessed a Misuse of Authorization fee.

Payment transaction reason

When submitting an authorization, accurately specifying the reason for the payment request can:

Help qualify the transaction for better interchange rates
Ensure proper processing and reporting
Comply with relevant financial regulations

If a reason is not provided, it will default to GENERAL_PURCHASE. Supported reasons:

Value	Description
`GENERAL_PURCHASE`	Standard purchases of goods or services.
`DEBT_REPAYMENT`	The payment will be used to reduce or eliminate an outstanding debt, such as credit card balances, loans, or other forms of borrowing.

mutation AuthorizeRecurring($input: AuthorizeRecurringInput!) {
  authorizeRecurring(authorizeRecurringInput: $input) {
    authorizationResponse {
      status: __typename
      cardDetails {
        paymentBrand
        last4
      }
      tokenDetails {
        token
      }
      transactionId
      paymentId
    }
    errors {
      ... on Error {
        message
        __typename
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "input": {
    "acceptorId": "05a39b14-f29f-443b-a107-da3e3e8969fb",
    "transactionReference": "a3f9d2c1-8b7e-4a2d-9f6c-1e0d5b4c3a2f",
    "channel": "ECOMMERCE",
    "reason": "GENERAL_PURCHASE",
    "citReference": {
      "citPaymentId": "c0b554b8-7819-11ee-acb0-7445f363cd81"
    },
    "originalPurchaseDate": "2026-01-15",
    "paymentMethodDetails": {
      "acquirerTokenDetails": {
        "token": "ae1d0699-a5f3-4548-aaa8-068b57564118",
        "expirationMonth": "09",
        "expirationYear": "2051",
        "securityCode": {
          "omissionReason": "VERIFICATION_NOT_REQUESTED"
        }
      }
    },
    "transactionAmountDetails": {
      "totalAmount": 14.99,
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "automaticCapture": "ON_APPROVAL"
  }
}

{
  "data": {
    "authorizeRecurring": {
      "authorizationResponse": {
        "status": "AuthorizationApproval",
        "networkTransactionId": "012345678901234",
        "cardDetails": {
          "paymentBrand": "VISA",
          "last4": "6204"
        },
        "tokenDetails": {
          "token": "ae1d0699-a5f3-4548-aaa8-068b57564118"
        },
        "transactionId": "d8b2f3e4-5c6a-7890-1bcd-ef2345678901",
        "paymentId": "c9a1e2d3-4b5f-6789-0abc-def123456789",
        "systemTraceAuditNumber": "901234",
        "networkResponseDetails": {
          "processorResponseCode": "A0000",
          "networkResponseCode": "00"
        },
        "avsResponseDetails": {
          "networkCode": null
        },
        "errors": null
      }
    }
  }
}

Customer initiated Increment an authorization

⌘I

Card transactions

Bank transfers

Managing fees

Authorize a merchant initiated transaction

Prerequisites

Steps

CIT reference

Automatic capture

Payment transaction reason

​Prerequisites

​Steps

​CIT reference

​Automatic capture

​Payment transaction reason

Prerequisites

Steps

CIT reference

Automatic capture

Payment transaction reason