iugu

iugu Payment Gateway Overview for Merchants

iugu is a Brazil-based payment platform that helps online businesses accept and manage payments across Pix, boleto bancário, and credit cards, with tools for recurring billing, marketplace split, and developer-friendly APIs.

iugu At A Glance

• Core methods: Pix, boleto bancário, credit cards, payment links, and carnê installment slips.

• Key products: Online payments, Recorrência for subscriptions, Split for marketplaces and multi-party payouts, and a customizable checkout.

• Developer tooling: REST APIs, card tokenization, webhooks, and SDKs, plus ready-made plugins for WooCommerce and connectors for VTEX and Shopify via Yampi.

• Security: PCI DSS controls, tokenization, and optional anti-fraud features.

Supported Payment Methods And Buyer Experience

Pix

Pix is supported end to end with QR code generation and instant payment confirmation. Funds from Pix are credited to the merchant’s iugu balance immediately and can be requested for payout according to account settings.

Boleto Bancário

iugu issues registered boletos and supports automated reconciliation after bank return files are received. Boletos typically become available for withdrawal after bank compensation, which can take about 1 to 3 business days.

Credit Cards

iugu supports one-time and recurring card payments, including a two-card split to complete a single purchase. Tokenization keeps raw card data off your servers and enables one-click experiences. Configurable soft descriptors are available on card statements.

Bolepix

For conversion uplift, iugu offers Bolepix, which presents three ways to pay on one invoice: barcode boleto, Pix QR, and a card link. This can reduce drop-off by letting the customer choose the path that clears fastest for them.

Settlement, Payouts, And Receivables

• Card receivables: Card payments typically settle to available balance after about 30 days, aligning with the Brazil card cycle.

• Pix: Credited instantly to the account once approved.

• Boletos: Balance is released after bank compensation, commonly 1 to 3 business days.

• Payouts: Withdrawals are processed on D+1 business day after request, subject to timing and business days.

• Receivables advance: iugu provides APIs and workflows to simulate and request antecipação de recebíveis so you can bring card receivables forward when you need liquidity.

Recurring Billing And Dunning

The iugu Recorrência suite lets you create plans, subscribe customers, manage cycle timing, and automate communications. Capabilities include:

• Flexible periodicity for charges and plan changes with optional pro-rata.

• Add or remove items on active subscriptions and change next charge dates.

• Email and SMS reminders, expiration windows on invoices, and optional rules to keep dunning in place if a charge attempt fails.

• Recurring charges can run on card, Pix, or boleto depending on your setup.

Marketplaces, Platforms, And Split

For platforms that need to route funds to multiple parties, iugu Split supports:

• Split by account defaults or split per invoice with fixed amounts and percentages, combined if needed.

• Split across Pix, boleto, card, payment link, and carnê flows.

• Subaccounts for each seller with API endpoints to create, verify, and manage them.

• Rules determine who pays fees and the order of split calculations, giving you control over commissions, partners, and franchise models.

Checkout Options And Prebuilt Integrations

• Checkout Transparente: Build a native payment page and tokenize cards with iugu.js.

• Hosted Checkout: Use the iugu checkout experience for faster time to market.

• Plugins and connectors:

  • WooCommerce plugin supports card, Pix, boleto, and carnê, including subscription flows.

  • VTEX connector with split support for marketplaces.

  • Shopify via Yampi for merchants using Yampi’s checkout.

These options reduce custom work and let you validate the business case before deep API investments.

Developer Experience

• REST API: Standard endpoints for invoices, charges, refunds, subscriptions, recipients, and split.

• Card tokenization: iugu.js or API token endpoints create single-use tokens; your server never handles raw PAN data.

• Webhooks and triggers: Event coverage includes invoice status, subscription lifecycle, Pix deposit state changes, receivables simulation, and more, with retry and resend utilities.

• Quality-of-life features: Two-card charges, soft descriptors, reusable flows for recurring billing, and detailed error tables in docs.

Risk, Security, And Chargebacks

• PCI: iugu states it follows PCI DSS requirements and isolates billing subsystems, with strict access controls and tokenization of card data.

• Anti-fraud: iugu communicates an advanced antifraud layer and has public materials referencing a partnership with Kount to score and block suspicious transactions.

• Chargeback handling: iugu provides a structured process and a merchant manual detailing responsibilities, deadlines to submit evidence, and thresholds. With the “iugu Protege” antifraud service, iugu indicates coverage up to a stated limit in specific scenarios defined in the terms.

Onboarding, KYC, And Compliance Controls

• Subaccounts: Marketplaces and platforms can create and verify subaccounts via API.

• KYC timing: Verification endpoints have operational constraints, including time windows after subaccount creation.

• Payout bank validation: The withdrawal bank account must match the verified CPF or CNPJ of the subaccount holder.

• AML policy: Public documentation outlines KYC data collection, periodic reviews, and PLD/FT controls, which merchants should factor into their onboarding and monitoring workflows.

Refunds, Reversals, And Customer Care

• Refund rules vary by method: cards allow partial refunds with typical card network timelines; Pix can be refunded with near-instant result if rules are met; boleto support for refunds is limited because of how bank compensation works.

• Disputes and dunning are controllable via invoice settings, webhooks, and communications rules so finance and support teams can act early.

Where iugu fits well

• Brazil-focused e-commerce and SaaS with Pix, boleto, and card in one stack.

• Marketplaces and platforms needing robust split and subaccount KYC.

• Subscription businesses that want granular control of billing cycles, pro-rata, and dunning.