> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.payra.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create a payment method session > Creates a short-lived context for collecting a card or a US bank account in a browser. Your server calls this with a secret key and hands the `client_secret` to the page, which opens the session with your publishable key. A `us_bank_account` session without a customer names the `amount` the account holder will authorize. The session expires 30 minutes after creation and can only collect: it cannot charge or refund. ## OpenAPI ````yaml /api-reference/openapi-v1.json post /payment-method-sessions openapi: 3.1.0 info: title: Payra API version: v1 description: >- The Payra API. Authenticate with a secret key: `Authorization: Bearer sk_test_...`. The two payment method session endpoints Payra Elements calls also take a publishable key with the session's `client_secret`. servers: - url: https://api-dashboard.payra.com/v1 description: 'Sandbox and live: the key decides which' security: [] paths: /payment-method-sessions: post: tags: - Payment method sessions summary: Create a payment method session description: >- Creates a short-lived context for collecting a card or a US bank account in a browser. Your server calls this with a secret key and hands the `client_secret` to the page, which opens the session with your publishable key. A `us_bank_account` session without a customer names the `amount` the account holder will authorize. The session expires 30 minutes after creation and can only collect: it cannot charge or refund. requestBody: required: false content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: customer: type: string format: uuid description: >- A customer of your workspace the collected method will belong to. payment_method_types: type: array items: type: string enum: - card - us_bank_account minItems: 1 description: One type. `card` when omitted. example: - card amount: type: integer exclusiveMinimum: 0 example: 21375 description: >- Required for a `us_bank_account` session without a customer: the amount the account holder authorizes, in cents. The charge must match it. currency: type: string enum: - USD - usd example: USD description: With `amount`; USD only. responses: '201': description: The session, with its client secret content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/PaymentMethodSessionCreated' '400': description: Invalid parameters, including an unknown customer content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' '401': description: Missing, invalid or revoked API key content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' '403': description: The API is not enabled for the workspace, or the key lacks the scope content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' '429': description: Rate limit exceeded; see Retry-After content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' '500': description: Internal error content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' security: - bearerAuth: [] components: schemas: PaymentMethodSessionCreated: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/PaymentMethodSession' - type: object properties: client_secret: type: string description: >- Returned only here. Hand it to the browser; never store it server-side. example: >- pms_test_7Hs2kQ9mL1pXv4cR8tWzAbCd_secret_9qmY2w6f0Rj8XpLs3vTb1nHc7KdGaZe4 required: - client_secret Error: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: type: type: string enum: - invalid_request_error - authentication_error - permission_error - rate_limit_error - idempotency_error - card_error - api_error code: type: string message: type: string param: type: string request_id: type: string required: - type - code - message - request_id additionalProperties: type: string required: - error PaymentMethodSession: type: object properties: object: type: string enum: - payment_method_session id: type: string example: pms_test_7Hs2kQ9mL1pXv4cR8tWzAbCd status: type: string enum: - requires_payment_method - succeeded - canceled - expired example: requires_payment_method customer: type: - string - 'null' format: uuid example: null payment_method_types: type: array items: type: string enum: - card - us_bank_account example: - card amount: type: - integer - 'null' example: null description: >- What a one-time bank debit will authorize, in the smallest unit of `currency`. Null on a card session and when a bank account is being saved. currency: type: - string - 'null' enum: - USD example: null livemode: type: boolean example: false expires_at: type: string format: date-time example: '2026-09-17T18:30:00.000Z' canceled_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time example: null succeeded_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time example: null card: $ref: '#/components/schemas/PaymentMethodSessionCard' us_bank_account: $ref: '#/components/schemas/PaymentMethodSessionBankAccount' ach_authorization: $ref: '#/components/schemas/PaymentMethodSessionAchAuthorization' payment_method: type: - string - 'null' example: null description: >- The payment method your server created from this session, once it did. created_at: type: string format: date-time example: '2026-09-17T18:00:00.000Z' required: - object - id - status - customer - payment_method_types - amount - currency - livemode - expires_at - canceled_at - succeeded_at - card - us_bank_account - ach_authorization - payment_method - created_at PaymentMethodSessionCard: type: - object - 'null' properties: brand: type: - string - 'null' example: visa last4: type: string example: '4242' exp_month: type: integer example: 12 exp_year: type: integer example: 2030 required: - brand - last4 - exp_month - exp_year description: Set once the browser confirmed a card. example: null PaymentMethodSessionBankAccount: type: - object - 'null' properties: last4: type: string example: '6789' account_type: type: string enum: - checking - savings example: checking account_holder_type: type: string enum: - individual - company example: individual required: - last4 - account_type - account_holder_type description: Set once the browser confirmed a bank account. example: null PaymentMethodSessionAchAuthorization: type: - object - 'null' properties: scope: type: string enum: - single - standing example: single description: >- `single` authorizes one debit of `amount`; `standing` (a session with a customer) authorizes debits for amounts owed until revoked. terms_version: type: string example: 2026-08-21.v1 short_text: type: string example: >- I authorize Northwind Traders to electronically debit the bank account provided for this one-time payment of $213.75, in accordance with the ACH Authorization. description: The sentence Payra Elements shows next to the checkbox. full_text: type: string description: The complete authorization, paragraphs separated by blank lines. accepted_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time example: null description: >- When the account holder accepted it, by the server clock; null until the session succeeds. required: - scope - terms_version - short_text - full_text - accepted_at description: >- On a `us_bank_account` session: the authorization shown to the account holder, and when they accepted it. example: null securitySchemes: bearerAuth: type: http scheme: bearer description: >- A secret key, `sk_test_...` or `sk_live_...`; a publishable key (`pk_...`) on the browser routes only ````