**Last updated**: 17 October 2025 | [**Change log**](/access/products/payment-queries/changelog/)

# Transaction reference queries

Provide a `transactionReference` to find the matching card payment.

Note
The API returns data for payments processed after 25 June 2024. For payments processed before then, you can [query for historical payments](/access/products/payment-queries/query-archive).

## Request

The transaction reference is a **unique** reference generated by you. It is used to identify a payment throughout its lifecycle. We highly recommend that you save the `transactionReference` of a payment and use it to query payments when needed.


`GET` `https://try.access.worldpay-bsh.securedataplatform.com/paymentQueries/payments?transactionReference={transactionReference}`

### Example

`GET` `https://try.access.worldpay-bsh.securedataplatform.com/paymentQueries/payments?transactionReference=Memory265-13/08/1876`

### Parameter description

| Parameter | Required | Description |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| `transactionReference` | ✅ | A **unique** reference generated by you. It is used to identify a payment throughout its lifecycle. |


## Response

The response contains summary information about the payment associated with the `transactionReference`. For detailed information about a payment you should run a [query using the `paymentId`](/access/products/payment-queries/retrieve-by-payment-id).

### Response schema

### Response examples


```json
{
  "_links":{
    "self":{
      "href":"/paymentQueries/payments?transactionReference=myTransactionRef"
    }
  },
  "_embedded":{
    "payments":[
      {
        "timestamp":"2025-07-07T12:42:49.180Z",
        "paymentId":"pay8-y92Hu8vA-m30qa4C_9w0",
        "transactionReference":"myTransactionRef",
        "narrative":{
          "line1":"narrativeline1",
          "line2":"narrativeline2"
        },
        "transactionType":"cardOnFile",
        "authorizationType":"authorization",
        "lastEvent": "authorizationSucceeded",
        "entity":"default",
        "issuer":{
          "authorizationCode":"A12345"
        },
        "scheme":{
          "reference":"060720116005062"
        },
        "updatedPaymentInstrument":{
          "type":"card/plain+masked",
          "card":{
            "number":{
              "last4Digits":"0275",
              "cardBin":"478901"
            },
            "brand":"visa",
            "expiryDate":{
              "month":10,
              "year":2036
            },
            "countryCode":"GB",
            "fundingType":"credit"
          },
          "accountUpdaterMessage":"The account number was changed"
        },
        "paymentInstrument":{
          "type":"card/plain",
          "card":{
            "number":{
              "last4Digits":"0274",
              "cardBin":"478900"
            },
            "brand":"visa",
            "expiryDate":{
              "month":9,
              "year":2035
            },
            "countryCode":"GB",
            "fundingType":"debit",
            "issuerName":"A Card Issuer",
            "paymentAccountReference":"Q1HJZ28RKA1EBL470G9XYG90R5D3E",
            "category":"consumer"
          }
        },
        "value":{
          "currency":"GBP",
          "amount":1120
        },
        "_links":{
          "self":{
            "href":"/paymentQueries/payments/pay8-y92Hu8vA-m30qa4C_9w0"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

## Historical payments

If the payment was processed before 25 June 2024, you must query our [historical payments library](/access/products/payment-queries/query-archive).

You receive a next action link in the response. Add your `entityReference` and `transactionReference` to query historical payments.

### Example


```json
{
    "_links": {
        "self": {
            "href": "/paymentQueries/payments?transactionReference=demo-test1"
        },
        "paymentQueries:queryArchive": {
            "href": "/paymentQueries/archivedPayments?transactionReference=demo-test1&entityReference={entityReference}",
            "templated": true
        }
    },
    "_embedded": {
        "payments": []
    }
}
```