---
api: 'Merchant API'
---

# Customers

The Customers resource in the Merchant API is a pivotal tool for tracking and managing customer-related transactions within your e-commerce or retail platform. This resource provides a structured approach to customer management, enabling you to maintain a consistent record of customer transactions.

A `Customer` object can be created using the [Create a customer](/docs/api/merchant#create-a-customer) endpoint and you can then retrieve, update and delete a customer using its `id`. `Customer` objects enable you to track multiple transactions in your system associated with the same customer in the Merchant API.

You can save and store payment methods of a customer in the `payment_method` object, for more information, see: [Charge a customer's saved payment method](/docs/guides/merchant/optimise-checkout/save-payment-methods/charge-saved-payment-method). A merchant can store the details of the payment securely and group transactions from the same payment method in their system.

A payment method is unique for each customer. For example, if the same card is used for a transaction by two different customers, two payment method objects are created linked to each customer.

Similar principle applies when saving payment methods via Revolut Pay for merchant initiated transaction (MIT - useful for recurring payments). If a customer saves their details through Revolut Pay for MIT in separate sessions, each session will create a new payment method object linked to the customer.

:::note
You cannot create a payment method explicitly because they are generated as part of a payment. You can only retrieve, update or delete a payment method, or you can retrieve all payment methods of a customer.
:::