List Channels

The List Channels endpoint allows you to retrieve all available payment channels supported by JPay. Use this to display channel options to users or to validate channel codes before initiating transactions.

Endpoint

GET /channels

Authentication

Required: Yes (Bearer Token)

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN

Request

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
type	string	No	-	Filter by channel type: bank, mobile_money, or internal
active_only	boolean	No	true	Only return active channels
page	integer	No	1	Page number for pagination
page_size	integer	No	100	Number of items per page

Example Request

curl -X GET "https://sandbox.api.jpay.africa/api/v1/channels?type=bank&page=1&page_size=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response

Success Response (200 OK)

{
  "items": [
    {
      "code": 0,
      "name": "JPay",
      "type": "internal",
      "type_display": "Internal",
      "is_active": true
    },
    {
      "code": 1,
      "name": "KCB",
      "type": "bank",
      "type_display": "Bank",
      "is_active": true
    },
    {
      "code": 7,
      "name": "NCBA",
      "type": "bank",
      "type_display": "Bank",
      "is_active": true
    },
    {
      "code": 68,
      "name": "Equity Bank",
      "type": "bank",
      "type_display": "Bank",
      "is_active": true
    },
    {
      "code": 63902,
      "name": "MPesa",
      "type": "mobile_money",
      "type_display": "Mobile Money",
      "is_active": true
    },
    {
      "code": 63903,
      "name": "AirtelMoney",
      "type": "mobile_money",
      "type_display": "Mobile Money",
      "is_active": true
    },
    {
      "code": 63907,
      "name": "T-Kash",
      "type": "mobile_money",
      "type_display": "Mobile Money",
      "is_active": true
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "count": 40,
    "page": 1,
    "page_size": 100,
    "total_pages": 1
  }
}

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
items	array	List of channel objects
pagination	object	Pagination information

Channel Object

Field	Type	Description
code	integer	Unique channel code used in transactions
name	string	Human-readable channel name
type	string	Channel type: mobile_money, bank, or internal
type_display	string	Display-friendly channel type: "Mobile Money", "Bank", or "Internal"
is_active	boolean	Whether the channel is currently active

Pagination Object

Field	Type	Description
count	integer	Total number of channels matching the filters
page	integer	Current page number
page_size	integer	Number of items per page
total_pages	integer	Total number of pages

Status Codes

Code	Status	Description
200	Success	Channels retrieved successfully
401	Unauthorized	Invalid or expired token
500	Server Error	Internal server error

Error Responses

401 Unauthorized

{
  "detail": "Invalid or expired token"
}

Examples

cURL

curl -X GET "https://sandbox.api.jpay.africa/api/v1/channels?page=1&page_size=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Python

import requests

def get_channels(access_token, channel_type=None, page=1, page_size=100):
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {access_token}',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }

    params = {
        'page': page,
        'page_size': page_size
    }
    if channel_type:
        params['type'] = channel_type

    response = requests.get(
        'https://sandbox.api.jpay.africa/api/v1/channels',
        headers=headers,
        params=params
    )

    if response.status_code == 200:
        data = response.json()
        channels = data['items']
        pagination = data['pagination']

        print(f"Page {pagination['page']} of {pagination['total_pages']} ({pagination['count']} total)")
        for channel in channels:
            print(f"{channel['name']} ({channel['code']}) - {channel['type_display']}")
        return data
    else:
        print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")
        print(response.json())
        return None

# Usage
data = get_channels('your_access_token')
# Filter by type
bank_channels = get_channels('your_access_token', channel_type='bank')

JavaScript

async function getChannels(accessToken, channelType = null, page = 1, pageSize = 100) {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    page: page.toString(),
    page_size: pageSize.toString()
  });
  if (channelType) {
    params.append('type', channelType);
  }

  const response = await fetch(
    `https://sandbox.api.jpay.africa/api/v1/channels?${params}`,
    {
      method: 'GET',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();

  if (response.ok) {
    const { items: channels, pagination } = data;
    console.log(`Page ${pagination.page} of ${pagination.total_pages} (${pagination.count} total)`);
    console.log('Available Channels:');
    channels.forEach(channel => {
      console.log(`${channel.name} (${channel.code}) - ${channel.type_display}`);
    });
    return data;
  } else {
    console.error('Error:', data);
    throw new Error(data.detail);
  }
}

// Usage
try {
  const data = await getChannels('your_access_token');
  // Filter by type
  const bankChannels = await getChannels('your_access_token', 'bank');
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Failed to get channels:', error);
}

Channel Types

Mobile Money Channels

Mobile money channels are used for payments to/from mobile wallets. These are the most common payment method in Kenya.

Code	Name	Description
63902	MPesa	Safaricom's mobile money service
63903	AirtelMoney	Airtel Kenya's mobile money service
63907	T-Kash	Telkom Kenya's mobile money service

info

Collections only support mobile money channels. When initiating a collection, you must use a mobile money channel or let the system auto-infer based on the phone carrier.

Bank Channels

Bank channels are used for payouts to bank accounts.

Code	Name	Description
01	KCB	Kenya Commercial Bank
02	Standard Chartered Bank KE	Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
03	Absa Bank	Absa Bank Kenya (formerly Barclays)
07	NCBA	NCBA Bank Kenya
10	Prime Bank	Prime Bank Kenya
11	Cooperative Bank	Co-operative Bank of Kenya
12	National Bank	National Bank of Kenya
14	M-Oriental	M-Oriental Bank
16	Citibank	Citibank Kenya
18	Middle East Bank	Middle East Bank Kenya
19	Bank of Africa	Bank of Africa Kenya
23	Consolidated Bank	Consolidated Bank of Kenya
25	Credit Bank	Credit Bank Kenya
31	Stanbic Bank	Stanbic Bank Kenya
35	ABC Bank	African Banking Corporation
36	Choice Microfinance Bank	Choice Microfinance Bank
43	Eco Bank	Ecobank Kenya
50	Paramount Universal Bank	Paramount Universal Bank
51	Kingdom Bank	Kingdom Bank Kenya
53	Guaranty Bank	Guaranty Trust Bank Kenya
54	Victoria Commercial Bank	Victoria Commercial Bank
55	Guardian Bank	Guardian Bank Kenya
57	I&M Bank	I&M Bank Kenya
61	HFC Bank	HFC Bank Kenya
63	DTB	Diamond Trust Bank Kenya
65	Mayfair Bank	Mayfair Bank Kenya
66	Sidian Bank	Sidian Bank Kenya
68	Equity Bank	Equity Bank Kenya
70	Family Bank	Family Bank Kenya
72	Gulf African Bank	Gulf African Bank
74	First Community Bank	First Community Bank
75	DIB Bank	Dubai Islamic Bank Kenya
76	UBA	United Bank for Africa Kenya
78	KWFT Bank	Kenya Women Finance Trust Bank
89	Stima Sacco	Stima Deposit Taking Sacco

info

Payouts support both mobile money and bank channels. When paying to a bank account, you must specify the bank channel code.

Internal Channels

Internal channels are used for transferring funds between JPay merchant accounts.

Code	Name	Description
00	JPay	Internal transfers between JPay merchant accounts

info

Internal channels are used exclusively for moving funds between JPay merchant accounts. These are not available for external collections or payouts.

Auto-Inference for Phone Numbers

When initiating a transaction with a phone number and no channel specified, JPay automatically infers the channel based on the phone carrier:

Phone Prefix	Carrier	Auto-Selected Channel
+2547xx	Safaricom	M-Pesa (63902)
+2541xx	Safaricom	M-Pesa (63902)
+25473x	Airtel	Airtel Money (63903)
+25478x	Airtel	Airtel Money (63903)
+25477x	Telkom	T-Kash (63907)

tip

Best Practice: For phone number transactions, you can omit the channel field and let JPay auto-detect the appropriate mobile money channel. This ensures customers always use the correct channel for their carrier.

Important Notes

danger

Channel Availability:

• Channels may be temporarily disabled for maintenance
• Always check the is_active field before using a channel
• Some channels may have transaction limits or restrictions

tip

Integration Tips:

• Cache the channel list to reduce API calls
• Implement fallback handling if a channel becomes unavailable
• Display user-friendly channel names (use name field, not code)

Next Steps

• Initiate Collection - Use channels for collections
• Initiate Payout - Use channels for payouts
• Best Practices - Integration best practices