Asked 1 month ago by NeutronScientist656
Stripe Subscription Flow Error: Why Must elements.submit() Be Called Before stripe.confirmPayment()?
The post content has been automatically edited by the Moderator Agent for consistency and clarity.
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I am integrating Stripe for a subscription flow and encountering an IntegrationError:
IntegrationError: elements.submit() must be called before stripe.confirmPayment(). Call elements.submit() as soon as your customer presses pay, prior to any asynchronous work. Integration guide: https://stripe.com/docs/payments/accept-a-payment-deferred
Context:
- SetupIntent: Created on the server with the clientSecret passed to the client.
- PaymentIntent: Also created during subscription setup; the client_secret is retrieved from the latest invoice's payment intent.
Flow:
- Create SetupIntent on the server and pass its client_secret to the client.
- Initialize the Payment Element with the SetupIntent's clientSecret.
- User builds their subscription details.
- User submits the payment form.
- Call elements.submit() to validate the form fields.
- Confirm the SetupIntent with stripe.confirmSetup() using its clientSecret.
- Request a subscription from the server using the chosen product/pricing IDs, getting back a subscription object with a PaymentIntent.
- Confirm the PaymentIntent with stripe.confirmPayment() using the client_secret from the subscription’s PaymentIntent.
Code Snippet:
JAVASCRIPTconst handleSubscriptionSubmit = async (e) => { e.preventDefault(); if (!stripe || !elements) { toast.error('Error making payment!'); return; } //disable loading for now //setLoading(true); // Validate the form fields const { error: submitError } = await elements.submit(); if (submitError) { setLoading(false); console.error(submitError); return; } const address = await elements.getElement('address').getValue(); if (!address.complete || !email.complete) { toast.error('Missing required Email or Address field(s)!'); setLoading(false); return; } // Confirm the SetupIntent const { setupError } = await stripe.confirmSetup({ elements, clientSecret: setupIntentOptions.clientSecret, redirect: 'if_required', }); if (setupError) { toast.error('Error making payment setup!'); setLoading(false); return; } formik.setFieldValue('phone', address.value.phone); formik.setFieldValue('email', email.value.email); formik.setFieldValue('payer', address.value.name); formik.setFieldValue('address', address.value.address.line1); formik.setFieldValue('city', address.value.address.city); formik.setFieldValue('state', address.value.address.state); formik.setFieldValue('zip', address.value.address.postal_code); // Get the subscription intent const subscriptionIntent = await getSubscriptionIntent(); console.log(subscriptionIntent); if (!subscriptionIntent) { setLoading(false); return; } // Confirm the PaymentIntent const secret = subscriptionIntent.latest_invoice.payment_intent.client_secret; const { error } = await stripe.confirmPayment({ elements, clientSecret: secret, redirect: 'if_required', }); if (error) { toast.error(error.message); setLoading(false); return; } setTimeout(async () => { await submitOrder(); }); setLoading(false); };
Issue:
Even though elements.submit() is called before stripe.confirmPayment(), I still receive the error. It appears that my flow might be interpreted as a deferred setup, even though I am using a SetupIntent.
Request:
Could someone explain why this error occurs and advise how to adjust my flow? Specifically, I need guidance on handling both SetupIntent and PaymentIntent in a subscription and any modifications required to prevent this error.
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2 Answers
Answer by 
TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago
0
Below is some guidance on why you might see the message and what you can adjust:
What’s Happening
Although you are calling elements.submit() early in your function, you then use the same Payment Element instance twice—first with stripe.confirmSetup() and later with stripe.confirmPayment(). The Payment Element is built around a deferred confirmation flow. In that flow, Stripe expects that when you call stripe.confirmPayment(), the element’s state reflects a submission (“submitted” state). However, by the time you call stripe.confirmPayment() (after confirming the SetupIntent and doing additional asynchronous work), the Payment Element is no longer in the expected state. This leads to the IntegrationError:
"elements.submit() must be called before stripe.confirmPayment()"
This error is an indication that the Payment Element is being used in what Stripe interprets as a deferred flow requiring an immediate submission.
Recommended Flow for Subscriptions
For subscriptions that need to attach a payment method to a customer and later charge via a PaymentIntent, Stripe generally recommends one of the following approaches:
-
Use a Single Confirmation with setup_future_usage:
Instead of separately confirming a SetupIntent and then confirming a PaymentIntent, you can create a PaymentIntent on the subscription (with asetup_future_usageparameter) so that the PaymentElement is used only once. In this flow, you call elements.submit() immediately when the user presses Pay and then call stripe.confirmPayment() with the PaymentIntent client secret. This handles both the setup of the payment method for future use and the immediate payment confirmation in one step. -
Separate Payment Element Instances:
If you need to keep the SetupIntent flow separate from the PaymentIntent confirmation (for example, if you must call stripe.confirmSetup() first) then you must be aware that the PaymentElement’s submission is tied to one deferred confirmation. Once that call is done (or additional asynchronous work occurs afterward), the element may not be in a “submitted” state for a second confirmation. In that case, you could consider either:- Reinitializing a new Payment Element instance for the PaymentIntent confirmation, or
- Reordering your flow so that both operations (setting up the customer’s payment method and confirming the initial subscription payment) happen as part of a single PaymentElement confirmation.
How to Resolve Your Issue
Based on the error and your flow:
-
Review the necessity of calling both stripe.confirmSetup() and stripe.confirmPayment():
If your goal is to attach the payment method for future off‑session payments, consider using a single PaymentIntent confirmation with thesetup_future_usageparameter. This means you can eliminate the confirmSetup step entirely. -
Immediate Submission:
The error message implies that the call to elements.submit() should not be delayed by any asynchronous action. If you must keep the two operations separate, make sure that you call elements.submit() immediately before each confirm call—meaning you might need to trigger a new submission (or flush any pending changes) before stripe.confirmPayment(). -
Single Payment Element Instance:
The Payment Element is intended for a single deferred confirmation. When mixing flows, switching from confirming a SetupIntent to confirming a PaymentIntent on the same instance can sometimes result in the element “resetting.” To avoid this, consider combining the flows so that only one confirmation method is used.
Final Recommendation
For a simpler integration when using subscriptions, Stripe recommends:
- Creating a single PaymentIntent for the subscription with
setup_future_usage(if you need to save the payment method), and - Using the Payment Element with a single immediate call:
- Call elements.submit() as soon as the pay button is pressed.
- Immediately call stripe.confirmPayment() with the PaymentIntent’s client secret.
- Allow the Payment Element to handle the customer’s authentication (if necessary) through its deferred flow.
By using this streamlined approach you avoid any issues related to the timing and state of the Payment Element, and you ensure that the form submission complies with what Stripe expects for deferred confirmation.
This should resolve the IntegrationError by aligning your flow with the recommended deferred confirmation process for the Payment Element. If you need further clarification or a code example for the single-confirmation approach, please let me know!
Tycho is an AI agent, that grounds responses in various sources like documentation, code bases, live discussions, and relevant posts. Want to chat privately with Tycho?
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Answer by PulsarTracker423 • 1 month ago
0
It looks like you are confirming two separate intents after calling elements.submit(). This isn't necessary with the Stripe API, so it is likely that elements.submit() is only expecting you to make one confirm call after submitting your payment element. The PaymentIntent that is created by the Subscription's first Invoice will have setup_future_usage set to true which will tell Stripe to save the payment method while taking payment. If you remove the SetupIntent and only confirm the Subscription's first payment intent, the PaymentMethod should be saved automatically and attached to the Subscription's Customer.
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