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

# Terminate a card

> Ends the card permanently and sweeps its remaining balance. The card is frozen first, moves to `terminating`, and reaches `terminated` once the sweep settles.

<Warning>Termination is irreversible. There is no way to reopen a terminated card, and the PAN cannot be recovered.</Warning>

## The balance

Whatever is left sweeps to `destinationAccountId`, or to the card’s own settlement account when you do not name one. The named account must be one of yours and able to receive.

If the card is still **holding an authorisation**, the operation comes back `pending` and completes once the hold clears — termination waits rather than stranding the money.

## Error codes

| Status | `code` | Cause |
| - | - | - |
| `400` | `validation_failed` | A field failed validation. |
| `403` | `card_client_account_required` | The destination account is a customer wallet. |
| `409` | `card_terminal` | The card is already used, terminating, terminated, failed, or marked fraud. |
| `409` | `card_account_ineligible` | The destination account is missing, inactive, or cannot be credited. |
| `503` | `card_provider_unavailable` | The card provider could not be reached. |
| `401` | `INVALID_API_KEY` | The key is missing, invalid, inactive, expired, from the other environment, or blocked by its IP allowlist. |
| `404` | `card_not_found` | No such card for this business. |
| `429` | `api_key_rate_limit_exceeded` | The per-minute limit for this key was exceeded. |


## OpenAPI

````yaml /openapi.json post /v1/cards/{cardId}/terminate
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Sakawave Business API
  version: 1.0.0-draft
  summary: >-
    Accounts, transfers, FX quotes, and transaction reconciliation for Sakawave
    businesses.
  description: >-
    Generated from the public NestJS controllers and their Zod request schemas.
    Public URLs and policy statements remain draft until the Phase 1 contract
    checklist is approved.
  contact:
    name: Sakawave API Support
    email: api-support@sakawave.example
servers:
  - url: https://sandbox-api.sakawave.example
    description: Sandbox (default)
  - url: https://api.sakawave.example
    description: Live
security:
  - bearerAuth: []
tags:
  - name: Bill payments
    description: Browse the biller catalog, validate a customer, and pay a bill.
  - name: Cards
    description: Issue, fund, and control USD virtual and disposable cards.
  - name: eSIM
    description: >-
      Sell mobile data abroad: browse the catalog, buy an eSIM, and manage it
      once installed.
  - name: Currencies and countries
    description: >-
      Reference data: what may be held, what may be sent where, and which
      jurisdictions are served.
  - name: Customers
    description: Create and manage customers of your business.
  - name: Accounts
    description: >-
      Open business and customer accounts, and issue the destinations that fund
      them.
  - name: Transfer destinations
    description: Resolve temporary destinations and saved recipients.
  - name: FX quotes
    description: Create and retrieve time-limited cross-currency quotes.
  - name: Transfers
    description: Preview, create, and monitor transfers.
  - name: Transactions
    description: Read ledger entries for reconciliation.
paths:
  /v1/cards/{cardId}/terminate:
    post:
      tags:
        - Cards
      summary: Terminate a card
      description: >-
        Ends the card permanently and sweeps its remaining balance. The card is
        frozen first, moves to `terminating`, and reaches `terminated` once the
        sweep settles.
      operationId: terminateCard
      parameters:
        - name: cardId
          in: path
          required: true
          description: Card ULID.
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Ulid'
      requestBody:
        required: true
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: '#/components/schemas/TerminateCardRequest'
            example:
              externalReference: card_terminate_20260814_001
              destinationAccountId: 01K2Z3AB4D5E6F7G8H9JKMNPQR
      responses:
        '201':
          description: Successful response.
          headers:
            X-Request-ID:
              description: >-
                The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in
                support requests.
              schema:
                type: string
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CardOperationResponse'
              example:
                id: 01K2Z3AB4R5S6T7V8WXYZABCDE
                cardId: 01K2Z3AB4S5T6V7W8XYZABCDEF
                type: termination
                status: pending
                sourceCurrency: USD
                destinationCurrency: USD
                sourceAmount: '5000'
                destinationAmount: '5000'
                failureCode: null
                failureReason: null
                completedAt: null
                createdAt: '2026-08-14T09:11:40.000Z'
                updatedAt: '2026-08-14T09:12:00.000Z'
        '400':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ValidationError'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/AuthenticationError'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ForbiddenError'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/NotFoundError'
        '409':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ConflictError'
        '429':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/RateLimitError'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ServerError'
        '503':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ProviderUnavailableError'
      security:
        - bearerAuth: []
components:
  schemas:
    Ulid:
      type: string
      minLength: 26
      maxLength: 26
      pattern: ^[0-7][0-9A-HJKMNP-TV-Z]{25}$
      example: 01K2Z3AB4C5D6E7F8G9HJKMNPQ
      description: A 26-character ULID.
    TerminateCardRequest:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        externalReference:
          type: string
          minLength: 1
          maxLength: 120
        destinationAccountId:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Ulid'
          description: >-
            Where the remaining balance goes. Defaults to the card’s own
            settlement account.
      required:
        - externalReference
    CardOperationResponse:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        id:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Ulid'
        cardId:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Ulid'
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - issuance
            - funding
            - withdrawal
            - termination
        status:
          type: string
          enum:
            - created
            - submitting
            - pending
            - completed
            - failed
        sourceCurrency:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AssetCode'
        destinationCurrency:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AssetCode'
        sourceAmount:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/MinorUnits'
        destinationAmount:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/MinorUnits'
        failureCode:
          anyOf:
            - type: string
            - type: 'null'
        failureReason:
          anyOf:
            - type: string
            - type: 'null'
        completedAt:
          anyOf:
            - $ref: '#/components/schemas/IsoTimestamp'
            - type: 'null'
        createdAt:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/IsoTimestamp'
        updatedAt:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/IsoTimestamp'
      required:
        - id
        - cardId
        - type
        - status
        - sourceCurrency
        - destinationCurrency
        - sourceAmount
        - destinationAmount
        - failureCode
        - failureReason
        - completedAt
        - createdAt
        - updatedAt
    AssetCode:
      type: string
      enum:
        - NGN
        - USD
        - GBP
        - EUR
        - GHS
        - ZAR
        - UGX
        - CAD
        - MXN
        - AED
        - BTC
        - ETH
        - USDT
        - USDC
    MinorUnits:
      type: string
      pattern: ^-?\d+$
      example: '2500000'
      description: >-
        An integer number of the asset’s smallest unit. Use this value for
        arithmetic.
    IsoTimestamp:
      type: string
      format: date-time
      example: '2026-08-14T09:00:00.000Z'
    RequestError:
      anyOf:
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/ValidationError'
        - $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
      description: >-
        Either a field-level validation failure carrying an errors array, or a
        rule the request broke, identified by code.
    Error:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: true
      properties:
        statusCode:
          type: integer
        message:
          type: string
          description: >-
            A sentence suitable for a log or a support conversation, not for a
            user interface.
        code:
          type: string
          description: >-
            The stable machine-readable reason. Branch on this, never on the
            message.
      required:
        - message
        - code
      description: >-
        An error body. Individual errors may add context fields alongside these
        three.
    ForbiddenError:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        statusCode:
          const: 403
        message:
          type: string
        code:
          type: string
          enum:
            - kyc_approval_required
            - international_questionnaire_required
            - international_account_approval_required
            - international_customer_wallet_not_supported
          description: >-
            Present on verification, international access, and customer wallet
            refusals. Absent on tier denials, which carry `reason` instead.
        reason:
          type: string
          enum:
            - currency_not_available
            - feature_not_available
          description: Present on tier denials. Absent on every other refusal.
        currency:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AssetCode'
        feature:
          type: string
        currentTier:
          type: integer
          enum:
            - 1
            - 2
            - 3
        requiredTier:
          type: integer
          enum:
            - 1
            - 2
            - 3
      required:
        - statusCode
        - message
    RateLimitError:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        statusCode:
          const: 429
        message:
          type: string
        code:
          const: api_key_rate_limit_exceeded
        retryAfterSeconds:
          type: integer
          minimum: 1
      required:
        - statusCode
        - message
        - code
        - retryAfterSeconds
    ValidationError:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        statusCode:
          const: 400
        message:
          type: string
          description: The single failure, or a count when more than one field failed.
        code:
          const: validation_failed
        errors:
          type: array
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ValidationFailure'
      required:
        - statusCode
        - message
        - code
        - errors
    ValidationFailure:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        message:
          type: string
        field:
          type: string
        code:
          type: string
        path:
          type: array
          items:
            anyOf:
              - type: string
              - type: integer
      required:
        - message
        - field
        - code
        - path
  responses:
    ValidationError:
      description: >-
        The request was rejected before it was acted on. Field failures list
        every failing field.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/RequestError'
          example:
            statusCode: 400
            message: Must be a valid identifier.
            code: validation_failed
            errors:
              - message: Must be a valid identifier.
                field: accountId
                code: custom
                path:
                  - accountId
    AuthenticationError:
      description: >-
        The API key is missing, invalid, inactive, expired, for another
        environment, or blocked by its IP allowlist.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            statusCode: 401
            code: INVALID_API_KEY
            message: Invalid or inactive API credentials.
    ForbiddenError:
      description: >-
        Authenticated, but not permitted to hold or use this currency.
        Entitlement refusals carry `code`; tier denials carry `reason`,
        `currentTier`, and `requiredTier` instead.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ForbiddenError'
          example:
            statusCode: 403
            message: >-
              International wallets for your customers are not available yet.
              Your own approval cannot be used for a customer wallet.
            code: international_customer_wallet_not_supported
            currency: USD
    NotFoundError:
      description: The requested resource was not found for this business.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            statusCode: 404
            code: resource_not_found
            message: Resource not found.
    ConflictError:
      description: The request conflicts with the current resource state.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            statusCode: 409
            code: resource_conflict
            message: The request conflicts with the current resource state.
    RateLimitError:
      description: The API key rate limit was exceeded.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/RateLimitError'
          example:
            statusCode: 429
            message: Too many API requests. Try again later.
            code: api_key_rate_limit_exceeded
            retryAfterSeconds: 17
    ServerError:
      description: An unexpected server error occurred.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            statusCode: 500
            code: internal_server_error
            message: An unexpected error occurred.
    ProviderUnavailableError:
      description: >-
        A payment provider could not be reached. The request had no effect;
        retry shortly.
      headers:
        X-Request-ID:
          description: >-
            The request identifier assigned by Sakawave. Include it in support
            requests.
          schema:
            type: string
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            statusCode: 503
            code: provider_unavailable
            message: We could not issue an account number just now. Try again shortly.
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      bearerFormat: Sakawave API key
      description: >-
        A secret API key, sent as `Authorization: Bearer sk_test_…` in sandbox
        or `Bearer sk_live_…` in live.

````

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