# Virtual Terminal

![Virtual Terminal](/assets/virtual-terminal.ec12abd21153afb7fd08d11a82bbc9e0c9b95df4861c3760b04866bf4a45a282.fec90461.svg)

This article details how to create payments using the Virtual Terminal. The Virtual Terminal enables you to charge any credit or debit card directly from the Finix Dashboard.

## Step 1: Create a Payment

To access the Virtual Terminal and manually create a payment:

1. Log in to the Finix Dashboard.
2. Click **Transactions** > **Payments**.
3. Click **Take a Payment**.


![Take a Payment](/assets/virtual-terminal-1-v2.99f4e2453a7eb30451fae19258ee260f40bddff32ff69f07ac857326a1abd5e7.08ff7529.png)

## Step 2: Enter Payment Details

After clicking **Create Payment**, you'll see the **Virtual Terminal** form. You have the option to create a sale or authorization.

- **Sale**: A one-step transaction that immediately charges the buyer.
- **Authorization**: A two-step transaction that first places an Authorization, which you can later capture to complete the charge.


Sale
Entering payment details into the form is designed to be intuitive and straightforward. We recommend filling out every field in the **Take a Payment** form to make the payment easier to search for.

1. Enter the **Total Purchase Amount**. This is the amount that will be charged to the buyer’s debit or credit card.
2. In the **Description** field, add any helpful details, such as order numbers or invoice information, to make the transaction easier to reference later.
3. Select the **Buyer**. If the buyer isn’t listed, click **Add New Buyer** to enter their details.
4. Select the **Payment Method** to charge. You’ll only see the first six and last four digits of the card number. If the buyer’s card isn’t shown, click **Add a new payment method** to add it.
5. To split the transaction across multiple merchants, tick the **Split this transaction across multiple merchants** checkbox. For more information, see [Split Transactions](/guides/online-payments/payment-features/split-transactions).
6. Click **Review Transaction**.


![Payment Form](/assets/virtual-terminal-5-v2.bac21db91e5ccafcbdf395d6ba94289bddc364f7ace4e7e3360832654ea7fab6.08ff7529.png)

Review the **Purchase Details** and **Payment Details** to ensure the transaction gets processed as expected. You can choose to send a receipt to the buyer, to yourself, or both. When you're ready, click **Process Payment** to complete the transaction.

![Review Payment](/assets/virtual-terminal-2-v2.ac78a74486fb0aa0246de73f1a8a23235ea090ae0ef498869b46d620147c31fc.08ff7529.png)

Authorization
Entering payment details into the form is designed to be intuitive and straightforward. We recommend filling out every field in the **Take a Payment** form to make the payment easier to search for.

1. Enter the **Total Purchase Amount**. This is the amount that will be charged to the buyer’s debit or credit card.
2. In the **Description** field, add any helpful details, such as order numbers or invoice information, to make the transaction easier to reference later.
3. Select the **Buyer**. If the buyer isn’t listed, click **Add New Buyer** to enter their details.
4. Select the **Payment Method** to charge. You’ll only see the first six and last four digits of the card number. If the buyer’s card isn’t shown, click **Add a new payment method** to add it.
5. Click **Review Transaction**.


![Payment Form](/assets/virtual-terminal-auth-1.8d0bf330b318a4641026ff611d820567e62431370859a1ee17be823e771bef82.08ff7529.png)

Review the **Purchase Details** and **Payment Details** to ensure the authorization gets processed as expected. You can choose to send a receipt to the buyer, to yourself, or both. When you're ready, click **Process Authorization**.

![Review Authorization](/assets/virtual-terminal-auth-2.267eccb1eb10f37eec573940abc52625eaa43ce1db41a7201f73b74bc7c8159a.08ff7529.png)

## Step 3: Payment Confirmation

Sale
Once you've submitted the payment, a confirmation message will appear confirming that the payment was initiated.

- A **Payment ID** is returned to help you track the status of the payment. The **Payment ID** is taken from the `Transfer` created to debit funds from the buyer.
- Click **View Receipt** to view and print payment details and to provide your buyer with a receipt.


![Payment Confirmation](/assets/virtual-terminal-3-v2.6156a3d570e4f39b7deb8c2c3f3ba97691f7467d0c3a2b7c122c24e1823673fc.08ff7529.png)

Authorization
Once you've submitted the authorization, a confirmation message will appear confirming that the authorization was initiated.

- An **Authorization ID** is returned to help you track the status of the payment.
- Click **View Receipt** to view and print payment details and to provide your buyer with a receipt.


![Payment Confirmation](/assets/virtual-terminal-auth-3.957a222ba0d5e1508446b025002813ff084e934c9e5d276b1ef83f80e8e54fed.08ff7529.png)

## Step 4: Managing Payments

Sale
Click on the **Payment ID** to review the payment in detail, update the description, or create a refund.

![Managing Payments](/assets/virtual-terminal-4-v2.0ca398063dc33db188bcd43d7890c837ab41cf5dc454284c764972f358985273.08ff7529.png)

Authorization
Click on the **Authorization ID** to review the authorization in detail. From there, click the three-dot icon in the top-right corner to either capture or void the authorization.

![Managing Payments](/assets/virtual-terminal-auth-4.d5a08b868b28f04f15bd357aa41b23cdc85db51629aa960ca5c52f95657b1dce.08ff7529.png)

You can also use the tools available on the **Payments** page in the sidebar to search and retrieve past transactions.