> ## 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.

# Getting Started

> Create an entity, verify identity, and connect credit cards — the foundational 3-step flow for every commerce integration.

Every commerce integration begins the same way: represent your user, verify their identity, and discover their credit cards. For commerce, the primary goal is connecting the user's credit cards for linking, transactions, or tokenization.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an Entity">
    Every end user maps to an [Entity](/guides/entities/overview) in Method. Create one with the user's identifying information. This is the foundational object that verification, card discovery, and all downstream products attach to.

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities \
      -X POST \
      -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "type": "individual",
        "individual": {
          "first_name": "Emily",
          "last_name": "Park",
          "phone": "+13105550789",
          "email": "emily.park@email.com",
          "dob": "1995-11-08"
        },
        "address": {
          "line1": "789 Sunset Blvd",
          "line2": null,
          "city": "Los Angeles",
          "state": "CA",
          "zip": "90028"
        }
      }'
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "id": "ent_BzirqpLEm3BW7",
      "type": "individual",
      "individual": {
        "first_name": "Emily",
        "last_name": "Park",
        "phone": "+13105550789",
        "dob": "1995-11-08",
        "email": "emily.park@email.com",
        "ssn_4": null,
        "ssn": null
      },
      "error": null,
      "address": {
        "line1": "789 Sunset Blvd",
        "line2": null,
        "city": "Los Angeles",
        "state": "CA",
        "zip": "90028"
      },
      "status": "incomplete",
      "verification": {
        "identity": {
          "verified": false,
          "matched": false,
          "latest_verification_session": null,
          "methods": [
            "element",
            "kba"
          ]
        },
        "phone": {
          "verified": false,
          "latest_verification_session": null,
          "methods": [
            "sms",
            "sna",
            "byo_sms"
          ]
        }
      },
      "connect": null,
      "credit_score": null,
      "products": [
        "identity"
      ],
      "restricted_products": [
        "connect",
        "credit_score",
        "attribute"
      ],
      "subscriptions": [],
      "available_subscriptions": [
        "connect",
        "credit_score"
      ],
      "restricted_subscriptions": [],
      "metadata": null,
      "created_at": "2025-12-10T14:22:31.024Z",
      "updated_at": "2025-12-10T14:22:31.024Z"
    }
    ```

    The Entity is created in `incomplete` status. Before you can discover Emily's credit cards, you need to verify her identity.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Identity">
    Method requires phone verification before card discovery. Initiate an SMS verification session — this sends a one-time code to Emily's phone number on record.

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_BzirqpLEm3BW7/verification_sessions \
      -X POST \
      -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "type": "phone",
        "method": "sms",
        "sms": {}
      }'
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "id": "evf_nKLp7WzQdR4mF",
      "entity_id": "ent_BzirqpLEm3BW7",
      "status": "in_progress",
      "type": "phone",
      "method": "sms",
      "sms": {},
      "error": null,
      "created_at": "2025-12-10T14:23:12.271Z",
      "updated_at": "2025-12-10T14:23:12.271Z"
    }
    ```

    After Emily receives and submits the SMS code, the verification session transitions to `verified`. Once both phone and identity verification are complete, the Entity status updates to `active` and Connect becomes available.

    <Note>
      For a complete overview of all verification methods (SMS, SNA, BYO-SMS, KBA), see the [Identity Verification](/guides/identity-verification/overview) guide.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect Credit Cards">
    With verification complete, call Connect to discover Emily's credit cards via a soft-pull credit report. This has no impact on the user's credit score.

    For commerce use cases, the key discovery is **credit cards** — these are the accounts you'll use for card linking, brand enrichment, transaction streaming, and tokenization.

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_BzirqpLEm3BW7/connect \
      -X POST \
      -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc"
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "id": "cxn_7hTmRvXkYpN3w",
      "entity_id": "ent_BzirqpLEm3BW7",
      "status": "completed",
      "accounts": [
        "acc_LxwEqNicr66yP",
        "acc_4m9amk4KFiaQX",
        "acc_XtKTpHLGhD9Qn",
        "acc_GAzrD99cUqGEN"
      ],
      "requested_products": [],
      "requested_subscriptions": [],
      "error": null,
      "created_at": "2025-12-10T14:24:45.645Z",
      "updated_at": "2025-12-10T14:24:45.645Z"
    }
    ```

    Method discovered 4 credit card accounts for Emily:

    | Account ID          | Card                            |
    | ------------------- | ------------------------------- |
    | `acc_LxwEqNicr66yP` | Chase Sapphire Preferred (Visa) |
    | `acc_4m9amk4KFiaQX` | Amex Gold (Amex)                |
    | `acc_XtKTpHLGhD9Qn` | Citi Double Cash (Mastercard)   |
    | `acc_GAzrD99cUqGEN` | Capital One Venture X (Visa)    |

    These accounts are now ready for [card brand enrichment](/guides/use-cases/commerce/card-linking-checkout), [transaction streaming](/guides/use-cases/commerce/expense-tracking), and [payment instrument tokenization](/guides/use-cases/commerce/card-linking-checkout#checkout--card-on-file).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Card Linking & Checkout" icon="credit-card" href="/guides/use-cases/commerce/card-linking-checkout">
    Enrich cards with brand art, tokenize for checkout, and create card-on-file instruments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Expense Tracking" icon="receipt" href="/guides/use-cases/commerce/expense-tracking">
    Stream transactions, manage spend, and handle manual card entry.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>