Transaction Flow
Overview
Affirm's basic process flow begins when the customer selects Affirm at checkout. The steps below represents what the customer experiences on the front-end, and how Affirm's integration handles the checkout on the back-end.
![Affirm_checkout flow_Isoflow_Diagram_6_22_2021.png 2580](https://files.readme.io/1fcb455-Affirm_checkout_flow_Isoflow_Diagram_6_22_2021.png)
Complete Affirm transaction flow
The full transaction flow consist of the following steps:
1. Customer begins checkout
2. Create checkout object
3. Collect customer information
4. Authorize the charge and complete the order
Customer begins checkout
![Customer_checkout_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png 805](https://files.readme.io/7854e80-Customer_checkout_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png)
The steps below represent the customer's checkout experience when they choose Affirm:
1. The customer goes to the shopping cart and begins checkout.
2. The customer selects the Affirm payment method during checkout.
3. The customer submits checkout.
Create Checkout object
![Create_checkout object_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png 1188](https://files.readme.io/a35b89d-Create_checkout_object_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png)
1. The merchant creates the checkout object.
2. The merchant sends the checkout object to Affirm.
3. The customer is either:
- redirected to Affirm.
- sees an Affirm modal.
Collect customer information
![Collect_customer details_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png 1188](https://files.readme.io/5046c26-Collect_customer_details_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png)
1. The customer signs in or creates an account with Affirm.
2. The customer selects loan terms.
3. The customer confirms loan terms.
4. Affirm redirects the customer to the merchant page defined in the user_confirmation_url
property of the checkout object.
5. Affirm sends an HTTP request with the checkout token to the merchant page.
6. The merchant parses the response and stores the checkout token.
Authorize the charge and complete the order
![Authorize_and complete order_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png 1236](https://files.readme.io/f30d20c-Authorize_and_complete_order_Isoflow_Diagram_3_31_2021.png)
1. The merchant sends an authorization request using checkout token to the Affirm Charge API
2. The Affirm Charge API responds with an authorized amount and the merchant-supplied order ID.
3. The merchant verifies that the authorized amount equals the order total.
4. The merchant verifies the order ID.
5. The merchant stores the charge ID, which is used for all future charge actions, retrieved from the Affirm [Charge API] response.
6. The merchant redirects the customer to order confirmation page or shows a confirmation message.
7. The order is complete.
After the order is complete, the merchant will fulfill the order.