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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.methodfi.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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What Update Subscriptions Do

For products that need to keep data current without requiring users to manually refresh, Update Subscriptions provide a set-and-forget monitoring capability.
  • A direct Update subscription tells Method to periodically pull fresh data from the financial institution and deliver it to you via webhook as it becomes available. The refresh cadence depends on the institution and account type.
  • A snapshot-only subscription delivers new data whenever the credit report refreshes (typically monthly), ensuring your baseline data stays current without manual intervention.
Subscriptions are essential for: dashboards and account overview screens that should always show reasonably current data, alerting systems that detect changes (missed payments, balance spikes, rate changes), progress tracking features that show debt paydown over time, and any feature where the user expects data to be fresh without taking action. The combination of on-demand Updates for user-initiated actions and subscription-based Updates for background freshness gives you a complete data strategy.

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Creating a Subscription

You can set up subscriptions either at Connect time (recommended for new accounts) or individually on existing accounts. Include subscriptions in your Connect request to automatically subscribe all discovered accounts: 
curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_au22b1fbFJbp8/connect \
  -X POST \
  -H "Method-Version: 2026-03-30" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "subscriptions": ["update"]
  }'

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On an Existing Account

curl https://production.methodfi.com/accounts/acc_yVf3mkzbhz9tj/subscriptions \
  -X POST \
  -H "Method-Version: 2026-03-30" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type": "update"}'

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Subscription Types

TypeWhat it does
updatePeriodically pulls real-time data directly from the financial institution and delivers via webhook. Refresh cadence depends on the institution and account type.
update.snapshotDelivers new credit report data whenever the bureau refreshes (typically monthly). Lower cost, broader coverage.
Check the account’s available_subscriptions array before creating a subscription. If update isn’t listed, direct subscriptions aren’t available for that account.

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Refresh Cadence

The frequency of updates for direct subscriptions depends on the liability type and the individual account. Credit cards generally update more frequently (every 1 to 3 days), while personal loans and mortgages typically refresh every ~30 days, aligning with billing cycles and account activity. Snapshot subscriptions refresh whenever the credit bureau receives updated data from the creditor, usually on a monthly basis.

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Receiving Updates via Webhook

When a subscription triggers a refresh, Method sends an update.create webhook followed by an update.update webhook when the data is ready: 
{
  "type": "update.update",
  "path": "/accounts/acc_yVf3mkzbhz9tj/updates/upt_NYV5kfjskTTCJ"
}
Retrieve the Update from the path to get the fresh data. Your application should process these webhooks to update its local data store or cache.

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Managing Subscriptions

  • List active subscriptions: GET /accounts/{acc_id}/subscriptions
  • Delete a subscription: DELETE /accounts/{acc_id}/subscriptions/{sub_id}
Subscriptions remain active until explicitly deleted or the account is disabled/closed.

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When to Use Subscriptions vs On-Demand Updates

ScenarioApproach
Dashboard showing current balancesSubscription (background refresh)
Pre-payment balance confirmationOn-demand direct Update
Debt paydown progress trackingSubscription
One-time underwriting checkOn-demand direct Update
Alerting on missed payments or balance spikesSubscription