Linking to a Wise User Account

At a high level there are two steps to gaining access to an existing Wise account.

• Obtain an authorization code
• Exchange the authorization code for API tokens

There are two possible ways to get an authorization code — by opening the Wise website,

• Having the user login and agree to connect accounts and then redirect back to your app.
• By us sending an email to the end user with a link to login to Wise and the user then manually typing a code in to your app.

The redirection flow is always preferred as it requires no manual user actions. In some cases it is not possible to securely open the Wise website within your app, in which case the email flow can be used. Before using the email flow please discuss the implications with your implementation teams.

Redirecting to the Wise website

The standard website redirection flow is as follows:

• Your app redirects the user to Wise authorization web page.
• The user logs in to Wise.
• The user agrees to provide access to partner application.
• The user is redirected back to your pre-configured redirect_url, including an authorization code you can use to generate user tokens. e.g. https://www.yourbank.com/transferwise-link-page/?code=[CODE]&profileID=[PROFILE_ID]

These steps are explained in more detail below.

1. Your banking app redirects user to Wise authorization web page

Your website or app opens the following url in the user's browser - environment information

2. The user logs in to Wise

Our usual log in screens are presented to the user if they are not already logged in on the browser being used. If enabled for a user they will also be prompted to go through our two-factor authentication procedure.

3. The user agrees to grant access and we forward them to your redirect_url

Once a user gives your application authorization to connect to Wise and access their data, the user is redirected back to your redirect_url with a generated code query string value. For example

https://www.yourbank.com/transferwise-link-page/?code=[CODE]&profileID=[PROFILE_ID]

Your website or service can then use this code to obtain the access token to act on behalf of the user account described in the Exchange an authorization code for API tokens section

If you are building your Wise integration as a native mobile phone app then the redirect URL should be able to handle returning the user to the correct place in the app, using a "deep link" based on a custom URL scheme defined by your mobile app.

Wise sends an email to the customer to give them an authorization code

If the website based flow is not possible for you then you can request for Wise to email the customer with a link for them to get an authorization code. This enables the user linking flow but avoids having to redirect the user to an external website.

In the event of a 409 response(the user already has a Wise account) the flow should be as follows:

• Wise emails the customer a link to log in and generate an authorization code.
• The user opens their email app and clicks the link in the email. They login to their Wise account, grant access, and are presented the code.
• The user can then enter the authorization code in to your app.
• Your backend exchanges the authorization code for access tokens.

Exchange an authorization code for API tokens

The final step is to use the authorization code and exchange it for customer tokens - API Reference.

Actions after linking an account

Upon linking to an existing Wise account you need to ensure that you have connected to an account that represents the same natural person or business. To do this for personal profiles please check the date of birth of the connected wise profile matched the date of birth you hold for that customer in your platform. For businesses the comparison required changes with the region you are servicing, please discuss the best approach with your implementation team.

Below is an end-to-end sequence diagram for connecting to an existing Wise user.