Know Your Customers, Everywhere
The Customer API creates unified profiles that span every payment channel. When a customer buys online, visits a store, or uses a kiosk, their data syncs automatically. Saved payment methods, purchase history, and custom metadata in one place.
The Single Customer Truth
Fragmented payment providers create fragmented customer data. Online customers are strangers in-store. Store customers have no history online. Surfboard unifies your customer view across every channel.
Every transaction, every saved card, every interaction is linked to a single customer profile. Your CRM, loyalty system, and analytics tools can finally see the complete picture of who your customers are and how they engage with your business.
Privacy-first by design
Customer data is stored securely with PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance. Payment methods are tokenized, never exposed. You control data retention and can delete customer profiles on request for GDPR compliance.
How Customer Profiles Work
Create customer profiles
POST /customers
{
"email": "customer@example.com",
"name": "Jane Smith",
"metadata": {
"loyaltyTier": "gold",
"externalId": "your-crm-id"
}
}
Payment methods sync automatically
Access unified purchase history
GET /customers/:customerId
{
"id": "cus_abc123",
"email": "customer@example.com",
"paymentMethods": [...],
"orders": {
"online": [...],
"in_store": [...]
}
}
What you can build
Unified customer data unlocks experiences that were impossible with siloed payment channels. Here's what becomes easy.
1. Unified Customer View
One customer profile across all touchpoints:
- Online purchases linked to store visits
- Complete transaction history in one place
- Customer lifetime value calculations
- Cross-channel behavior insights
Perfect for:
- CRM integrations
- Marketing automation
- Customer analytics platforms
2. Saved Payment Methods
Frictionless repeat purchases:
- Save card online, use in-store
- One-click checkout everywhere
- Secure network tokenization
- Automatic card updates
Customers save their payment method once. It works everywhere they interact with your business.
3. Customer Recognition at Terminal
Combine with Identification for instant recognition:
- Customer taps card at terminal
- Surfboard returns their customer ID
- Your system loads their profile instantly
- Personalized pricing, offers, or service
Turn every card tap into a personalized experience.
4. Subscription & Recurring Billing
Store payment methods for recurring charges:
- Tokenized card storage
- MIT (Merchant Initiated Transactions)
- Subscription management
- Automatic retry logic
Build subscription businesses with secure, compliant card-on-file storage.
5. Loyalty Program Integration
Link customers to loyalty programs:
- Attach loyalty IDs to customer profiles
- Track points across channels
- Trigger rewards based on purchase history
- Wallet-native loyalty passes
Customer data powers personalized loyalty without separate systems.
6. Data Portability & CRM Sync
Your customer data, accessible:
- REST API for customer queries
- Webhook events for customer updates
- Metadata fields for your IDs
- Export capabilities for analytics
Sync Surfboard customer data with your CRM, CDP, or data warehouse.
Customer data that works for you
One customer ID across online, in-store, and unattended.
Payment methods sync across all channels automatically.
Complete purchase history for analytics and personalization.
PCI-DSS Level 1. Tokenized storage. GDPR ready.
Combine with Identification
The Customer API becomes even more powerful when combined with our Identification product. Customer taps their card at a terminal, Surfboard returns their customer ID, your system instantly loads their profile, preferences, and entitlements.
Recognition without friction. Personalization without apps.
Start building customer experiences
The Customer API documentation covers profile creation, payment method storage, purchase history queries, and integration patterns for CRM systems.
// Fetch customer with payment methods and history
GET /customers/cus_abc123
{
"id": "cus_abc123",
"email": "customer@example.com",
"name": "Jane Smith",
"paymentMethods": [
{
"id": "pm_xyz789",
"type": "card",
"brand": "visa",
"last4": "4242"
}
],
"metadata": {
"loyaltyTier": "gold"
}
}