# Virtual Terminal

This article details how to create payments using the Virtual Terminal. The Virtual Terminal enables you to charge any credit or debit card directly from the Finix Dashboard.

## Step 1: Create a Payment

To access the Virtual Terminal and manually create a payment:

1. Log in to the Finix Dashboard.
2. Click **Transactions** > **Payments**.
3. Click **Take a Payment**.

## Step 2: Enter Payment Details

After clicking **Create Payment**, you'll see the **Virtual Terminal** form. You have the option to create a sale or authorization.

- **Sale**: A one-step transaction that immediately charges the buyer.
- **Authorization**: A two-step transaction that first places an Authorization, which you can later capture to complete the charge.

### Sale
Entering payment details into the form is designed to be intuitive and straightforward. We recommend filling out every field in the **Take a Payment** form to make the payment easier to search for.

1. Enter the **Total Purchase Amount**. This is the amount that will be charged to the buyer’s debit or credit card.
2. In the **Description** field, add any helpful details, such as order numbers or invoice information, to make the transaction easier to reference later.
3. Select the **Buyer**. If the buyer isn’t listed, click **Add New Buyer** to enter their details.
4. Select the **Payment Method** to charge. You’ll only see the first six and last four digits of the card number. If the buyer’s card isn’t shown, click **Add a new payment method** to add it.
5. To split the transaction across multiple merchants, tick the **Split this transaction across multiple merchants** checkbox. For more information, see [Split Transactions](/guides/online-payments/payment-features/split-transactions).
6. Click **Review Transaction**.

Review the **Purchase Details** and **Payment Details** to ensure the transaction gets processed as expected. You can choose to send a receipt to the buyer, to yourself, or both. When you're ready, click **Process Payment** to complete the transaction.

### Authorization
Entering payment details into the form is designed to be intuitive and straightforward. We recommend filling out every field in the **Take a Payment** form to make the payment easier to search for.

Review the **Purchase Details** and **Payment Details** to ensure the authorization gets processed as expected. You can choose to send a receipt to the buyer, to yourself, or both. When you're ready, click **Process Authorization**.

## Step 3: Payment Confirmation

### Sale
Once you've submitted the payment, a confirmation message will appear confirming that the payment was initiated.

- A **Payment ID** is returned to help you track the status of the payment. The **Payment ID** is taken from the `Transfer` created to debit funds from the buyer.
- Click **View Receipt** to view and print payment details and to provide your buyer with a receipt.

### Authorization
Once you've submitted the authorization, a confirmation message will appear confirming that the authorization was initiated.

- An **Authorization ID** is returned to help you track the status of the payment.
- Click **View Receipt** to view and print payment details and to provide your buyer with a receipt.

## Step 4: Managing Payments

### Sale
Click on the **Payment ID** to review the payment in detail, update the description, or create a refund.

### Authorization
Click on the **Authorization ID** to review the authorization in detail. From there, click the three-dot icon in the top-right corner to either capture or void the authorization.

You can also use the tools available on the **Payments** page in the sidebar to search and retrieve past transactions.