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Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) lets customers pay with their mobile phone number. The mobile carrier adds the amount to the customer’s phone bill, or deducts it from their prepaid balance. DCB suits subscriptions: the customer gives consent once with a one-time password (OTP), and you charge later payments without asking again. Payrails processes DCB through Boku. Pick the PSP below for its setup steps and request examples.

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How a DCB payment works

DCB uses an OTP opt-in for the first payment, then charges the saved opt-in:
  1. The customer selects DCB at checkout and enters their mobile number.
  2. You authorize the payment. Payrails starts an opt-in with the PSP, and the PSP sends an OTP to the customer’s phone by SMS.
  3. The authorize response asks you to confirm the payment. You collect the OTP from the customer and send it in a confirm request.
  4. Payrails validates the OTP with the PSP, confirms the opt-in and charges the first payment to the customer’s carrier account.
  5. Payrails saves the opt-in as a payment instrument. For later payments, you authorize with that instrument and the customer doesn’t enter an OTP again.
Payrails captures DCB payments immediately, so a successful payment is final. To return funds, refund the payment.

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Supported currencies and countries

DCB is available in the countries below. Charge each payment in the local currency of the customer’s carrier country.

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Integrate DCB

Choose the PSP that processes DCB for you. The guide covers the PSP-side setup, the Payrails configuration and the request fields that PSP requires.

Boku

DCB via Boku

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Check PSPs

Save Instruments and merchant-initiated transactions (MIT) work through the saved opt-in. The first DCB payment creates the opt-in, and Payrails charges later payments against it.

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Ways to integrate DCB

  • Payrails SDK: the Web SDK shows DCB when your workflow returns it as a payment option.
  • Payrails API: call lookup payment options, authorize with dcb as the paymentMethodCode, then confirm the first payment with the OTP. The PSP guide lists the meta fields that PSP requires.
In both cases, confirm the final result through webhook notifications or the execution status before you grant access.
Last modified on October 5, 2026