Sending or Receiving Funds Using Transfer UI

Plaid Transfer UI is a user interface that makes it easy for end users to authorize transfers. With Transfer UI, users are able to authorize two types of transfers: payments or disbursements. Before authorizing a transfer, users are able to review transfer details, such as amount, fund origination account, fund target account, and more.

Transfer UI also provides the same series of return risk checks that are provided by a direct API integration with the Transfer API. These checks analyze proposed transfers and inform users of any potential problems with a transfer. When a potential return is detected, users can remediate the problem within the UI.

1. Call /transfer/intent/create to obtain a transfer_intent.id.

2. Call /link/token/create, specifying transfer in the products parameter, the transfer_intent.id in the transfer.intent_id parameter, and the name of your Link customization in the link_customization_name parameter. If you already have an access_token for this user, you can provide it to /link/token/create to streamline the Link flow.

3. Initialize a Link instance using the link_token created in the previous step. For more details for your specific platform, see the Link documentation.

4. The user will now go through the Link flow to perform their transfer. The onSuccess callback will indicate they have completed the Link flow.

5. (Optional) You will receive a public_token from the onSuccess callback. If you do not already have an access token for this user's account, call /item/public_token/exchange to exchange this public token for an access_token in order to streamline future transfers for this user.

The following prerequisites are enabled by default for all new Plaid customers; however, some developers on legacy accounts may be using older configurations.

• You must be using Link tokens. If you are using public keys instead, learn how to migrate to Link tokens.

• You must have Account Select v2 enabled. If you are not using Account Select V2, see the Account Select v2 migration guide.

In the Plaid Dashboard, create a customization for Transfer UI with the Account Select behavior set to "Enabled for one account". This is the only Account Select behavior supported by Transfer UI. Note that you must also have Account Select v2 enabled.

To use Transfer UI, call the /transfer/intent/create endpoint. This endpoint invokes the Transfer UI and generates a transfer intent object. Take special note of the id field returned in the transfer intent object. The value of this field is Plaid's unique identifier for the transfer intent object and can be used later to track the status of a transfer intent.

1const request: TransferIntentCreateRequest = {
2  account_id: '3gE5gnRzNyfXpBK5wEEKcymJ5albGVUqg77gr',
3  mode: 'PAYMENT'
4  amount: '12.34',
5  description: 'Foobar',
6  ach_class: 'ppd',
7  user: {
8    legal_name: 'Leslie Knope',
9  }
10};
11
12try {
13  const response = await client.transferIntentCreate(request);
14} catch (error) {
15  // handle error
16}

1{
2  "transfer_intent": {
3    "account_id": "3gE5gnRzNyfXpBK5wEEKcymJ5albGVUqg77gr",
4    "ach_class": "ppd",
5    "amount": "12.34",
6    "iso_currency_code": "USD",
7    "created": "2020-08-06T17:27:15Z",
8    "description": "Foobar",
9    "id": "460cbe92-2dcc-8eae-5ad6-b37d0ec90fd9",
10    "metadata": {
11      "key1": "value1",
12      "key2": "value2"
13    },
14    "mode": "PAYMENT",
15    "origination_account_id": "9853defc-e703-463d-86b1-dc0607a45359",
16    "status": "PENDING",
17    "user": {
18      "address": {
19        "street": "100 Market Street",
20        "city": "San Francisco",
21        "region": "CA",
22        "postal_code": "94103",
23        "country": "US"
24      },
25      "email_address": "lknope@email.com",
26      "legal_name": "Leslie Knope",
27      "phone_number": "123-456-7890"
28    }
29  },
30  "request_id": "saKrIBuEB9qJZno"
31}

Generate a Link token by calling /link/token/create and specify the following:

• "transfer", in the products array. Ensure that "transfer" is the only product being initialized.

• A transfer object in the body of the create request. Within the transfer object, specify the transfer intent ID using the value of id returned by /transfer/intent/create.

• The name of your Link customization for Transfer UI. For more details on creating this Link customization, see Creating a Link customization.

• If you already have an access token, provide it in the access_token parameter to streamline the user's Link flow. If you do not have an access token, you will have the opportunity to create one after the Transfer is complete.

1const request: LinkTokenCreateRequest = {
2  user: {
3    client_user_id: 'user-id',
4  },
5  client_name: 'Plaid App',
6  products: ['transfer'],
7  country_codes: ['US'],
8  language: 'en',
9  webhook: 'https://sample-web-hook.com',
10  redirect_uri: 'https://domainname.com/oauth-page.html',
11  transfer: {
12    intent_id: 'TRANSFER_INTENT_ID',
13  },
14  account_filters: {
15    depository: {
16      account_subtypes: [
17        'DepositoryAccountSubtype.Checking, DepositoryAccountSubtype.Savings',
18      ],
19    },
20  },
21  link_customization_name: 'single-account-select-transfer-ui',
22};
23try {
24  const response = await plaidClient.linkTokenCreate(request);
25  const linkToken = response.data.link_token;
26} catch (error) {
27  // handle error
28}

Once you have a link token, you can provide it to Link in order to initialize a Link session. The user can then transfer funds within the Link flow. For more details, see Link.

1const handler = Plaid.create({
2  token: 'GENERATED_LINK_TOKEN',
3  onSuccess: (public_token, metadata) => {},
4  onLoad: () => {},
5  onExit: (err, metadata) => {},
6  onEvent: (eventName, metadata) => {},
7  //required for OAuth; if not using OAuth, set to null or omit:
8  receivedRedirectUri: window.location.href,
9});

If the user successfully completes their transfer, Link will emit an onSuccess callback containing a public_token. If you would like to save the user's payment information to make subsequent transfers faster, retrieve this public_token and call /item/public_token/exchange to exchange it for an access_token. If this access token is provided to /link/token/create when initializing Link for subsequent transfers, the user will be able to skip entering their login credentials.

Next, initialize Link using the Link token you generated, and then open Link. If a new Item is being created, end users will first be prompted to link their bank account via Link before they can authorize and review the transfer. For existing Items (where an access token has been stored for the associated Item), end users will bypass the account linking flow in Link and immediately be able to authorize and review the proposed transfer.

When integrating Transfer UI, it's best to store access tokens associated with Items so that you can use them when invoking subsequent transfer requests. This will provide end users with an expedited Transfer UI experience by allowing them to bypass the account linking flow in Link so that they can quickly authorize and review transfers.

For more information on initializing Link, see Plaid Link: Web.

1const handler = Plaid.create({
2  token: 'GENERATED_LINK_TOKEN',
3  onSuccess: (public_token, metadata) => {},
4  onLoad: () => {},
5  onExit: (err, metadata) => {},
6  onEvent: (eventName, metadata) => {},
7  receivedRedirectUri: null,
8});
9
10// Open Link
11handler.open();

You can determine whether a transfer was successfully created by referring to the transfer_status field in the metadata object returned by onSuccess. A value of complete indicates that the transfer was successfully originated. A value of incomplete indicates that the transfer was not originated. Note that this field only indicates the status of a transfer creation. It does not indicate the status of a transfer (i.e., funds movement). For more information on transfer intents, see Retrieving additional information about transfer intents. For help troubleshooting incomplete transfers, see Troubleshooting transfers.

In addition, when using Transfer UI, the onSuccess callback is called at a different point in time in the Link flow. Typically, the onSuccess callback is called after an account is successfully linked using Link. When using Transfer UI, however, the onSuccess callback is called only after both of the following conditions are met: an account is successfully linked using Link and a transfer is confirmed via the UI. Note that the onSuccess callback only indicates that an account was successfully linked. It does not indicate a successful transfer (i.e., funds movement).

1{
2  institution: {
3    name: 'Wells Fargo',
4    institution_id: 'ins_4'
5  },
6  accounts: [
7    {
8      id: 'ygPnJweommTWNr9doD6ZfGR6GGVQy7fyREmWy',
9      name: 'Plaid Checking',
10      mask: '0000',
11      type: 'depository',
12      subtype: 'checking',
13      verification_status: ''
14    },
15    {
16      id: '9ebEyJAl33FRrZNLBG8ECxD9xxpwWnuRNZ1V4',
17      name: 'Plaid Saving',
18      mask: '1111',
19      type: 'depository',
20      subtype: 'savings'
21    }
22    ...
23  ],
24  transfer_status: 'incomplete',
25  link_session_id: '79e772be-547d-4c9c-8b76-4ac4ed4c441a'
26}

To retrieve more information about a transfer intent, call the /transfer/intent/get endpoint and pass in a transfer intent id (returned by the /transfer/intent/create endpoint).

1const request: TransferIntentGetRequest = {
2  transfer_intent_id: '460cbe92-2dcc-8eae-5ad6-b37d0ec90fd9',
3};
4
5try {
6  const response = await client.transferIntentGet(request);
7} catch (error) {
8  // handle error
9}

1{
2  "transfer_intent": {
3    "account_id": "3gE5gnRzNyfXpBK5wEEKcymJ5albGVUqg77gr",
4    "ach_class": "ppd",
5    "amount": "15.75",
6    "authorization_decision": "APPROVED",
7    "authorization_decision_rationale": null,
8    "created": "2020-08-06T17:27:15Z",
9    "description": "Desc",
10    "failure_reason": null,
11    "id": "460cbe92-2dcc-8eae-5ad6-b37d0ec90fd9",
12    "metadata": {
13      "key1": "value1",
14      "key2": "value2"
15    },
16    "mode": "DISBURSEMENT",
17    "origination_account_id": "9853defc-e703-463d-86b1-dc0607a45359",
18    "status": "SUCCEEDED",
19    "transfer_id": "8945fedc-e703-463d-86b1-dc0607b55460",
20    "user": {
21      "address": {
22        "street": "100 Market Street",
23        "city": "San Francisco",
24        "region": "California",
25        "postal_code": "94103",
26        "country": "US"
27      },
28      "email_address": "lknope@email.com",
29      "legal_name": "Leslie Knope",
30      "phone_number": "123-456-7890"
31    }
32  },
33  "request_id": "saKrIBuEB9qJZno"
34}

The response is a transfer_intent object with more information about the transfer intent.

The status field in the response indicates whether the transfer intent was successfully captured. It can have one of the following values: FAILED, SUCCEEDED, or PENDING.

If the value of status is FAILED, the transfer intent was not captured. The transfer_id field will be "null" and the failure_reason object will contain information about why the transfer intent failed. Some possible reasons may include: the authorization was declined, the account is blocked, or the origination account was invalid.

If the value of status is SUCCEEDED, the transfer intent was successfully captured. The accompanying transfer_id field in the response will be set to the ID of the originated transfer. This ID can be used with other Transfer API endpoints.

A value of PENDING can mean one of the following:

• The transfer intent has not yet been processed by the authorization engine (authorization_decision is "null"). This is the initial state of all transfer intents.

• The transfer intent was processed and approved by the authorization engine (authorization_decision is "approved"), but has not yet been processed by the transfer creation processor.

• The transfer intent was processed by the authorization engine and was declined (authorization_decision is "declined") due to insufficient funds (authorization_decision_rationale.code is "NSF"). If this is the case, the end user can retry the transfer intent up to three times. The transfer intent status will remain as "PENDING" throughout the retry intents. After three unsuccessful retries, the transfer intent status will be "FAILED".

While transfer UI provides a Nacha-compliant UI for your transfers, to maximize conversion, it is recommended to still provide context in your own app to your end users about the transfer. We recommend that your app implement a UI where the customer selects or confirms the transfer amount and, if applicable, the funds source or destination. To maximize user confidence, your app should also provide a post-Link success pane confirming the transfer details, including amount and effective date.

For a real-life example of an app that incorporates Transfer UI, see the Node-based Plaid Pattern Transfer sample app. Pattern Transfer is a sample subscriptions payment app that enables ACH bank transfers. The Transfer UI code can be found in transfers.js

Transfer UI also works with Guarantee. For guaranteed ACH customers, the default behavior for Transfer UI is to proceed with the transfer regardless of the guarantee decision. If you wish to only allow transfers that are guaranteed by Plaid, you can set require_guarantee to true when calling /transfer/intent/create.

If a transfer is not guaranteed and require_guarantee is set to true, the transfer intent will fail with failure_reason.error_code set to TRANSFER_INTENT_NOT_GUARANTEED.

1{
2  "transfer_intent": {
3    "account_id": "3gE5gnRzNyfXpBK5wEEKcymJ5albGVUqg77gr",
4    "ach_class": "ppd",
5    "amount": "15.75",
6    "authorization_decision": "APPROVED",
7    "authorization_decision_rationale": null,
8    "created": "2019-12-09T17:27:15Z",
9    "description": "Desc",
10    "failure_reason": {
11      "error_code": "TRANSFER_INTENT_NOT_GUARANTEED",
12      "error_message": "transfer intent was not guaranteed",
13      "error_type": "TRANSFER_ERROR"
14    },
15    "guarantee_decision": "NOT_GUARANTEED",
16    "guarantee_decision_rationale": {
17      "code": "RISK_ESTIMATE_UNAVAILABLE",
18      "description": "A risk estimate is unavailable for this item."
19    },
20    "id": "460cbe92-2dcc-8eae-5ad6-b37d0ec90fd9",
21    "metadata": {
22      "key1": "value1",
23      "key2": "value2"
24    },
25    "mode": "PAYMENT",
26    "origination_account_id": "9853defc-e703-463d-86b1-dc0607a45359",
27    "require_guarantee": true,
28    "status": "FAILED",
29    "transfer_id": null,
30    "user": {
31      "address": {
32        "street": "123 Main St.",
33        "city": "San Francisco",
34        "region": "California",
35        "postal_code": "94053",
36        "country": "US"
37      },
38      "email_address": "acharleston@email.com",
39      "legal_name": "Anne Charleston",
40      "phone_number": "510-555-0128"
41    }
42  },
43  "request_id": "saKrIBuEB9qJZno"
44}

If the onExit callback is called, the Link session failed to link an account. The transfer intent could not be initiated.

The onSuccess callback is not an indication of a successful transfer creation or a successful transfer (i.e., funds movement). It only indicates the successful linking of an account. To fully diagnose incomplete transfer intents (i.e., when the transfer_status field in the metadata object returned by onSuccess is incomplete), call the /transfer/intent/get endpoint and pass in the corresponding transfer intent ID as an argument. Information about the transfer intent can be found in the status, failure_reason, authorization_decision, and authorization_decision_rationale fields in the response.

Network errors or institution connection issues can also result in incomplete transfer intents. In such cases, generate a new Link token using the existing access_token and invoke Transfer UI to allow the end user to attempt the transfer intent again.