One-time cards

A one-time card is a virtual card that automatically cancels itself after a single transaction event you choose at creation — either the first approved authorization or the first successful capture (settlement). After the card cancels, any unused balance is released back to your issuing balance, and the card cannot be reactivated. Business Visa only

When to use a one-time card

Scenario	Why a one-time card fits
Single SaaS or API charge	Card auto-cancels after the charge, so the merchant cannot silently rebill or convert the trial into a subscription.
Per-trip travel or one-off reimbursement	Limit is locked at creation and the card disappears after use, simplifying control and reconciliation.
Anti-fraud for one-shot payments	Even if the card number leaks after the transaction, it cannot be used again.

How a one-time card differs from a standard card

Behavior	Standard card	One-time card
Number of transactions	Multiple	One transaction event, then cancelled
Limit	Adjustable; supports recharge and withdraw	Locked at creation; no recharge, withdraw, or limit change
Cancellation	Manual cancellation only	Auto-cancellation on trigger event or at `expiry_at`
Reuse after cancel	Card cannot be reactivated	Card cannot be reactivated

Supported card BINs

One-time cards are available on selected card BINs only. To work with one-time cards in sandbox, use product BIN 40963608. For production, contact your UQPAY account manager to confirm which BINs on your account have one-time card enabled. If you call Create Card with usage_type: ONE_TIME against a BIN that does not have the feature enabled, the request is rejected.

Create a one-time card

Send the same Create Card request you would for a standard card, plus three additional fields:

Field	When required	Description
`usage_type`	To issue a one-time card, set to `ONE_TIME`. Defaults to `NORMAL`.	Selects between standard and one-time card.
`auto_cancel_trigger`	When `usage_type` is `ONE_TIME`	The transaction event that auto-cancels the card. See Cancel-trigger modes.
`expiry_at`	When `usage_type` is `ONE_TIME`	Absolute date-time after which the card auto-cancels if no qualifying transaction has occurred. Must be in the future.

Example

curl -X POST https://api-sandbox.uqpaytech.com/api/v1/issuing/cards \
  -H "x-auth-token: YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "x-idempotency-key: $(uuidgen | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "cardholder_id": "3a1d3ce4-977b-4f1d-8076-8d2dd59e942c",
    "card_product_id": "467e993f-317a-49fc-9ea0-bf49de7d1f76",
    "card_currency": "USD",
    "card_limit": 50,
    "usage_type": "ONE_TIME",
    "auto_cancel_trigger": "ON_AUTH",
    "expiry_at": "2026-12-31T23:59:59+08:00"
  }'

Response:

{
  "card_order_id": "2ee8b7c4-9458-4c6a-90cc-7f4cb4299b73",
  "card_id": "246c1e6a-90ba-4968-9b41-3a5a09395391",
  "cardholder_id": "3a1d3ce4-977b-4f1d-8076-8d2dd59e942c",
  "card_status": "PENDING",
  "order_status": "PROCESSING",
  "create_time": "2026-04-27T15:32:17+08:00"
}

The card starts in PENDING status. Within seconds, it transitions to ACTIVE and is ready for the single transaction.

Cancel-trigger modes

Pick one mode at creation. The card cannot switch modes later.

`ON_AUTH` — cancel after the first approved authorization

Choose this when you want the card to be unusable the moment it is authorized once. As soon as one authorization is approved, the card is cancelled. Any subsequent authorization on the same card — including from the same merchant — is declined.

`ON_CAPTURE` — cancel after the first successful capture

The card stays usable until the first authorization clears (settles). During the window between authorization and capture, the card is locked to the merchant of the first approved authorization: that merchant can re-authorize on the same card (for example, to adjust the amount or retry), and any of those authorizations will be approved as long as the available balance allows. Authorizations from any other merchant are declined. After the first capture clears, the card is cancelled.

Decision summary

Trigger mode	First authorization	Same-merchant re-authorization (before capture)	Other-merchant authorization	Card cancels at
`ON_AUTH`	Approved (if balance sufficient)	Declined	Declined	First approved authorization
`ON_CAPTURE`	Approved (if balance sufficient); merchant is locked to this card	Approved (if balance sufficient)	Declined	First successful capture

Verification authorizations under USD 1 (or the equivalent in another currency) are intentionally excluded from the trigger so that customers can complete card-on-file binding before the real charge.

Operations not allowed on a one-time card

The following endpoints reject one-time cards with HTTP 400:

Update Card — when changing card_limit
Card Recharge
Card Withdraw
Assign Card — re-assigning the card to a different cardholder

Example response:

{
  "code": "400",
  "message": "This operation cannot be performed on One-Time Card."
}

What happens after a one-time card is cancelled

The card transitions directly to CANCELLED and cannot be reactivated. It does not pass through the PRE_CANCEL intermediate state used when a standard card is manually cancelled.
Any unused available balance is released back to your issuing balance automatically.
The card record is retained and can be retrieved by card_id for reconciliation.
Refunds and reversals are still accepted on the cancelled card; the refunded amount is credited to your issuing balance, not to the cancelled card.

Fees and quotas

Card-count quotas are shared with standard cards. A one-time card consumes one slot from the same per-cardholder and per-account card limits.

FAQ

Can a one-time card be used again after the trigger fires?

No. Once the trigger fires (or expiry_at is reached), the card is permanently cancelled and cannot be reactivated.

In ON_CAPTURE mode, why was a second authorization on the same card declined?

ON_CAPTURE mode locks the card to the merchant of the first approved authorization. If the second authorization came from a different merchant, it is declined by design. Authorizations from the same merchant continue to be approved until the first capture clears.

Can the cardholder still receive a refund after the card is cancelled?

Yes. Refunds and reversals on a cancelled one-time card are accepted; the refunded amount is credited to your issuing balance.

Getting Started

Cardholders

Cards

Funding

Controls & Security

Integration

Reference

When to use a one-time card

How a one-time card differs from a standard card

Supported card BINs

Create a one-time card

Example

Cancel-trigger modes

`ON_AUTH` — cancel after the first approved authorization

`ON_CAPTURE` — cancel after the first successful capture

Decision summary

Operations not allowed on a one-time card

What happens after a one-time card is cancelled

Fees and quotas

FAQ

​When to use a one-time card

​How a one-time card differs from a standard card

​Supported card BINs

​Create a one-time card

​Example

​Cancel-trigger modes

​ON_AUTH — cancel after the first approved authorization

​ON_CAPTURE — cancel after the first successful capture

​Decision summary

​Operations not allowed on a one-time card

​What happens after a one-time card is cancelled

​Fees and quotas

​FAQ

​Related

When to use a one-time card

How a one-time card differs from a standard card

Supported card BINs

Create a one-time card

Example

Cancel-trigger modes

`ON_AUTH` — cancel after the first approved authorization

`ON_CAPTURE` — cancel after the first successful capture

Decision summary

Operations not allowed on a one-time card

What happens after a one-time card is cancelled

Fees and quotas

FAQ

Related