Resources · Zapier integration

AffiniPay Zapier integrationAutomate AffiniPay with Zapier.

The AffiniPay Zapier integration gives you 1 trigger, 5 actions and 3 searches. The trigger is instant, the actions create contacts, charges and quick bills, and the searches find a client or a saved payment method before a Zap bills anyone.

See the 9 operations

Verified Trustpilot reviews · AI, automation & growth agency

Overview

What the AffiniPay Zapier integration does for a practice

AffiniPay is a payment tool built for professionals who bill clients. Zapier links apps without code: an event in one app sets off work in another. With AffiniPay, the traffic goes both ways. One trigger reports what happens in your account, and five actions plus three searches let other tools create and look things up there.

Three results that come up often. A payment log your bookkeeper can read: Events starts the Zap, Format Amount turns the cents into a normal figure, and a spreadsheet row records it. A client file created once, not twice: a new client in your intake tool becomes an AffiniPay contact through Create Contact, so nobody types the same name again. A bill sent from the case tool: when a matter closes elsewhere, Create Quick Bill sends the client a bill to the address you mapped.

What Zapier does not do for AffiniPay: it does not edit or delete what exists. The five actions all create or format, and the three searches only read. Refunds, edits and cleanup stay in AffiniPay itself.

One detail decides half the failures: AffiniPay counts money in cents, so 115 means 1.15. If you are still choosing an automation tool, the Make vs Zapier and n8n vs Zapier comparisons go through the criteria one by one.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words carry this whole page. Here they are without jargon.

Zap
A single automation: AffiniPay or another app starts it, then one or more actions follow, each time that starting event occurs.
Trigger
The event that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it. AffiniPay has one, called Events.
Action
What the Zap does once started: the step that creates, sends or formats something, here in AffiniPay.
Task
What your plan counts: each action that goes through once. A charge created is one; a charge that fails is none.
Polling vs instant
Polling: Zapier checks the app on a timer. Instant: the app tells Zapier the moment something happens. AffiniPay's trigger is instant.
Filter
A checkpoint between steps: the Zap goes on only if the incoming data passes your rule, for example a given event type.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in AffiniPay, a contact or a payment method, so later steps can use it.
Connection
Your AffiniPay account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step that talks to AffiniPay.
Cost

What it really costs

AffiniPay is not reserved for paid plans: it works from the free plan.

  • Paid plan requiredNo, works on Free
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps
  • Search or filterMakes the Zap multi-step (paid)
  • AffiniPay trigger1, instant

The trigger never costs a task. Each action that succeeds counts once; a failed one does not. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap stops at two steps: one trigger, one action. A search or a filter turns it into a multi-step Zap, and so does a second action, which means a paid plan. In practice, the useful AffiniPay Zaps (find the contact, then charge) are multi-step. The interval grid (15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional, 1 on Team and Enterprise) only applies to polling triggers, so it never delays the Events trigger.

Connect

Connect AffiniPay to Zapier in three steps

  1. 01

    Start from your Apps page

    In Zapier, open the Apps page of your account and click + Add connection. In the dialog, search for AffiniPay by name and pick it from the list of results.

  2. 02

    Sign in to AffiniPay

    Click Add connection. AffiniPay opens in a new tab: sign in with the account that holds your clients and deposit accounts, since the Zap only reaches what that login reaches.

  3. 03

    Grant access

    Allow Zapier to use the account. The connection then shows on your Apps page, and every AffiniPay step in every Zap reuses it, so this is a one-time setup.

First Zap

Your first Zap: every AffiniPay event into a readable log

GoalKeep a running log of AffiniPay events where amounts read as normal figures, not cents.

  1. 01

    Set the trigger

    Create a Zap, pick AffiniPay as the app and Events as the event, then choose the AffiniPay connection you created earlier.

  2. 02

    Test it on real data

    Run the trigger test. Zapier brings back the three most recent events of the account, so you map against a real transaction instead of an empty sample.

  3. 03

    Convert the amount

    Add Format Amount and map the amount in cents from the test. This second step makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Write the row

    Add your spreadsheet app as the last step and map the formatted amount, plus the event details you care about, into the columns.

  5. 05

    Test and publish

    Run each step once and read what came back, then click Publish. Each event now costs two tasks: one per action that succeeds.

Triggers

The AffiniPay trigger

1 event starts a Zap when something happens in AffiniPay, and one of them is instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Events

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when new AffiniPay webhook events are created.”

Starts the Zap whenever AffiniPay creates a new event on your account. It is the only way to hear about what happens inside AffiniPay, so every outbound flow begins here, and it is the trigger Zapier puts forward for this app.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
log activity in a spreadsheet, or alert a colleague in your team chat as soon as something moves on the account.
Watch out
amounts arrive in cents. Run them through Format Amount before a person reads them, or 115 will look like a much bigger sum than 1.15.
Actions

The 5 AffiniPay actions

AffiniPay gives you 5 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Charge

Action

In Zapier“Creates a charge.”

Charges a client directly on a saved payment method. You supply the amount and the payment method, both required, and AffiniPay takes the money.

When to use it
a recurring retainer for a client who already saved a card through an info request.
Watch out
the amount is in cents, and you need the payment method first, which is what Get Payment Methods is for.
2

Create Contact

Action

In Zapier“Creates a contact.”

Adds a client to AffiniPay with a first name, a last name and an email address, all three required. It is the base every bill and charge builds on.

When to use it
a new client fills your intake form, and the contact appears in AffiniPay without retyping.
Watch out
run Search Contacts first, or the same client can be created twice.
3

Create Info Request

Action

In Zapier“Creates an InfoRequest for a given Contact to save their own payment method for future charges. The InfoRequest will be sent to the Contact via email by AffiniPay, so the Contact must have at least one email address defined. After the Contact submits this information, the payment method is saved and available for future charges. For more information see: Creating an InfoRequest.”

Asks a contact, by email sent from AffiniPay, to save their own payment method for later charges. You give the contact's ID, a subject and a message.

When to use it
right after a client signs an engagement, so a card is on file before the first invoice.
Watch out
the contact needs at least one email address, or nothing can be sent.
4

Create Quick Bill

Action

In Zapier“Creates a quick bill.”

Sends a client a quick bill for an amount you set, paid into the deposit account you choose. Three fields are required: the deposit account ID, the recipient's email and the amount.

When to use it
a matter is marked as finished in your case tool and the fee should go out the same day.
Watch out
the amount is in cents, so 115 bills 1.15.
5

Format Amount

Action

In Zapier“Formats the amount field on a transaction event from cents.”

Turns the amount carried by a transaction event from cents into a normal figure. It writes nothing in AffiniPay: it only prepares the number for the next step.

When to use it
just after the Events trigger, before an amount lands in a sheet, a message or an accounting tool.
Watch out
it is still an action, so it costs a task each time it succeeds.
Searches

The 3 AffiniPay searches

3 search steps look for data that already exists in AffiniPay, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks up what already exists in AffiniPay and hands it to the next steps. The searches sit at the bottom of the action-event list, under SEARCH. Some action fields also offer + Add search step, which inserts one and wires the result in for you. AffiniPay has no find-or-create variant. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not the expected one:

1

Get Contact

Search

In Zapier“Returns a contact by contactId”

Fetches one contact when you already hold its contact ID. Precise, but only useful if an earlier step carried that ID.

When to use it
an earlier step handed you a contact ID and you need the full record before writing to your CRM.
Watch out
with no ID in hand, use Search Contacts instead.
2

Search Contacts

Search

In Zapier“Returns contacts by query.”

Looks contacts up by a query rather than an ID. Place it before Create Contact, and a returning client is found instead of duplicated.

When to use it
your intake form sends an email address. Is that client already on file? This answers it.
Watch out
one query can match several people, so choose deliberately what the multiple-results setting does.
3

Get Payment Methods

Search

In Zapier“Returns payment methods by contactId.”

Returns the payment methods saved on a contact, from its contact ID. It is the missing piece between an info request and a charge.

When to use it
before Create Charge, to pick the card the client saved.
Watch out
a contact who never answered the info request has nothing saved, so decide whether the Zap should stop there.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left as is, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap and skips the steps that depended on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into a find-or-create. AffiniPay offers none, so you will not see it on these three searches.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or hand all matches on at once.
When it breaks

When it breaks

Zapier links no help article to AffiniPay, so the cases below combine the general limits with the required fields of the app.

Six cases worth knowing before you publish.

  • Amounts off by a factor

    AffiniPay counts in cents. Type 115 and you bill 1.15. Map amounts from a field already in cents, or convert them before the action.

  • Info request with no email

    Create Info Request needs a contact with at least one email address. A contact created without one cannot receive the request.

  • No history, ever

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Older events stay in AffiniPay; moving them is a separate job.

  • A Zap feeding itself

    Write into AffiniPay from a Zap that AffiniPay events start, and each write can set off the same Zap again, draining tasks.

  • Bulk batches held back

    After a bulk import or a migration, a sudden flood of events can be held back by Zapier's flood protection.

  • Search found nothing

    By default a search with no result stops the Zap, and the charge or bill after it never runs. Switch the setting on only when that is fine.
Need help

Need help automating AffiniPay with Zapier?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

AffiniPay Zapier integration: questions

01Is the AffiniPay Zapier integration free?
Yes for simple Zaps, because AffiniPay is not reserved for paid plans. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap is limited to two steps: one trigger and one action. The moment you add a search, a filter or a second action, the Zap becomes multi-step and needs a paid plan. Most useful AffiniPay flows, like finding a contact before charging it, fall into that second group, so budget for it.
02How many tasks does an AffiniPay Zap use?
The trigger costs nothing; each action that succeeds costs one task. A Zap that formats an amount and then writes a row uses two tasks per event. An action that fails is not counted. Searches help you avoid duplicates but add a step, so they turn the Zap into a multi-step one. Count how many events your account produces in a month before you pick a plan, since 100 tasks go quickly once Format Amount runs on every event.
03Does the AffiniPay trigger run in real time?
Yes. Events is an instant trigger: AffiniPay tells Zapier the moment something happens, and the Zap starts right away. The plan intervals (15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional, 1 on Team and Enterprise) only apply to polling triggers, so they never slow this one down. That is true on every plan, including Free. In the editor, a Zap built on an instant trigger shows a lightning bolt next to it, which is an easy way to check.
04What does it take to connect AffiniPay to Zapier?
An AffiniPay account, plus access to the clients and deposit accounts the Zap will touch. In Zapier, open the Apps page, click + Add connection, search for AffiniPay, sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. The connection is saved once and reused by every AffiniPay step. Before you build, make sure you know the Deposit Account ID that Create Quick Bill requires, since the action cannot run without it.
05Why does an AffiniPay charge show the wrong amount?
Almost always because of cents. AffiniPay reads every amount in cents, so 115 means 1.15, not one hundred and fifteen. Create Charge and Create Quick Bill both expect cents, and the Events trigger sends cents too. When a person needs to read the number, add Format Amount first. When the number goes back into AffiniPay, keep it in cents. Testing each step once before publishing shows the problem before a client sees it.
06What if the AffiniPay action you need does not exist?
Check the list first: five actions that create contacts, charges, quick bills and info requests or format an amount, and three searches that read contacts and payment methods. Editing, refunding or deleting is not offered, so those steps stay in AffiniPay. Nothing in the Zapier editor adds an operation the app does not offer. If the missing step is essential, keep it as a manual task in AffiniPay, and let the Zap handle the part that exists, such as creating the contact.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for AffiniPay?
It depends on the criterion, not on a ranking. On Zapier, AffiniPay works on the free plan and its trigger is instant, but the realistic flows (search, then charge) are multi-step and need a paid plan. Compare how each tool bills those extra steps for your monthly volume. Where client payment data may live is another criterion to put on the table. Pick the tool that fits your payment volume and the skills your team already has.
Same platform

Other docs you might need on this stack.

Browse all integrations