> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.uphold.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Payment Widget flows

> Compare the Payment Widget flows — select, authorize and end-to-end — and choose the one that fits your integration.

Every Payment Widget session is created for a specific **flow**, which decides what the widget renders and what your app gets back. Flows fall into three groups:

* **Select flows** (`select-for-deposit`, `select-for-withdrawal`) — the widget links or selects a payment method and returns the selection to your app.
* **Authorize flow** (`authorize`) — the widget creates a transaction from a quote you supply and handles any authorization challenge. It is the second half of a select flow, but it can also be used on its own.
* **End-to-end flows** (`deposit`, `withdrawal`) — the widget carries the user all the way to an authorized transaction in a single session.

## Available flows

| Flow | Group | The widget... |
| - | - | - |
| `select-for-deposit` | Select | Links or selects a payment method to deposit from, and returns the selection to your app |
| `select-for-withdrawal` | Select | Links or selects a payment method to withdraw to, and returns the selection to your app |
| `authorize` | Authorize | Creates a transaction from a quote you supply, and handles any authorization challenge |
| `deposit` | End-to-end | Owns the whole deposit — account and amount selection, quoting and authorization — in one session |
| `withdrawal` | End-to-end | Owns the whole withdrawal in one session |

## Choosing a flow

There are three ways to put these flows together:

1. **End-to-end flows.** One session does everything. Your backend creates a single `deposit` or `withdrawal` session and your app receives the finished transaction.
2. **Select flows followed by `authorize`.** The widget returns a *selection* from `select-for-deposit` or `select-for-withdrawal`. Your backend then creates the quote with that selection and opens a second `authorize` session, so the widget can create the transaction and handle authorization. You build the amount entry and review screens.
3. **`authorize` on its own.** If you don't use the widget to select payment methods — for example, you collect and store them yourself and create quotes through the API — you can still use the widget just to authorize the transaction. The `authorize` flow only needs a quote, so it does not depend on a select flow.

<Note>`authorize` is not an alternative to the select flows or the end-to-end flows. It is the final step of the select flows, or a standalone way to complete a transaction you have quoted yourself. The end-to-end flows already include authorization, so you never create an `authorize` session for them.</Note>

| | End-to-end (`deposit`, `withdrawal`) | Select (`select-for-*`) + `authorize` | `authorize` only |
| - | - | - | - |
| Widget sessions your backend creates | One | Two — `select-for-*` and `authorize` | One |
| Who selects the payment method | The widget | The widget | Your app |
| Who selects the amount | The widget | Your app | Your app |
| Who creates the quote | The widget | Your backend | Your backend |
| Who refreshes expired quotes | The widget | Your app | Your app |
| Who handles quote and authorization errors | The widget recovers in-flow and only emits `error` for failures it cannot recover from | Your app | Your app |
| `complete` payload | A transaction (`{ transaction, trigger }`) | A selection (`{ via, selection }`), then a transaction | A transaction (`{ transaction, trigger }`) |
| Control over the amount and review screens | The widget renders them, configured via options | Full — you build them | Full — you build them |

**Use the end-to-end flows** to let the widget handle the whole experience. **Use the select flows with `authorize`** to build the amount entry and review screens yourself while the widget manages payment methods. **Use `authorize` alone** to manage payment methods yourself and use the widget only for authorization.

<Info>For step-by-step guides per payment method, see the Developer Guides, for example [card deposits](/developer-guides/card-transfers/deposit/via-payment-widget/end-to-end) and [card withdrawals](/developer-guides/card-transfers/withdrawal/via-payment-widget/end-to-end). Session creation and setup shared by every flow is covered in [Installation and setup](/widgets/payment/installation-and-setup).</Info>