Tokenization is the process of breaking a stream of text/numbers up into words, phrases, symbols, or other meaningful elements called tokens. This token can then be used in place of a card number or account and routing numbers when processing a transaction. This is useful when a developer does not want to take responsibility for the security requirements of storing payment method data.

This command validates the payment method data and then returns a payment method reference token. The payment method reference token can be used in the card number field or account and routing number fields in most scenarios. Tokens for cards only store the card number and the expiration date. Tokens for checks only store the account and routing numbers. Tokens are not related to a specific merchant and can be used across multiple merchants. Credit card numbers, check account numbers, and check routing numbers will not be retrievable after initial tokenization.

Note: If it is desired to use an External ID with the Payment Method, it must be associated to the Payment Method when the Payment Method is created.