Wex Health and Benefits APIs

Authentication

WEX Health Benefits Platform APIs use OAuth 2.0 with the Client Credentials Grant Type for secure authentication. This industry-standard protocol ensures that only authorized business partners can access the APIs.

Overview

All API requests must include a valid access token in the Authorization header. To obtain an access token, you'll authenticate using your client credentials (Client ID and Client Secret). These credentials can be created using the self-service portal.

⚠️ Token Expiration and Refresh

IMPORTANT: Access tokens expire after 10 minutes of being issued.

Handling Token Expiration

When your token expires, API requests will return a 401 Unauthorized response in the RFC 7807 specification for problem details.

Plain text

HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
Content-Type: application/problem+json
{
  "type": "https://platform.benefits.wexglobal.com/api/dksj",
  "title": "Unauthorized",
  "detail": "The request requires user authentication.",
  "instance": "path/to/resource",
}    HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
Content-Type: application/problem+json
{
  "type": "https://platform.benefits.wexglobal.com/api/dksj",
  "title": "Unauthorized",
  "detail": "The request requires user authentication.",
  "instance": "path/to/resource",
}

Response Strategy:

Detect 401 Unauthorized responses in your application
Request a new access token using the authentication flow below
Retry the failed request with the new token
Implement exponential backoff for retry logic

Getting Your Credentials

Before you can authenticate, you need to obtain your API credentials:

Partner Status Required: These APIs are exclusively available to WEX business partners
Access your Admin Portal: API Client credentials can be created in the Admin Portal
Secure Storage: Store credentials securely using environment variables or a secrets management system
Never Expose: Do not commit credentials to version control or expose them in client-side code

Authentication Flow

Step 1: Request an Access Token

Make a POST request to the token endpoint with your client credentials.

Endpoint:

Plain text

POST https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/authorize    POST https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/authorize

Headers:

Plain text

Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded    Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Request Body:

Plain text

grant_type=client_credentials
&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET    grant_type=client_credentials
&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET

Parameters:

Title

Description

Placeholder text

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
grant_type	string	Yes	Must be client_credentials
client_id	string	Yes	Your unique client identifier created in the API key managment portal
client_secret	string	Yes	The secret key from the API Key managment portal

Step 2: Receive the Access Token

Success Response (200 OK):

Plain text

 {
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "expires_in": 600
}

Response Fields:

access_token String - The JWT access token returned, use this in your API requests.

Error Response (401 Unauthorized):

Plain text

 {
  "error": "invalid_client",
  "error_description": "Client authentication failed"
}

Step 3: Use the Access Token

Include the access token in the Authorization header of all API requests:

Header:

Plain text

Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...    Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

Example API Request:

Plain text

GET https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/apisandbox/v1/consumers/12345
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...    GET https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/apisandbox/v1/consumers/12345
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

Code Examples

cURL

Plain text

 # Request Access Token
curl -X POST https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/authorize \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials" \
  -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
  -d "client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
# Use Access Token in API Request
curl -X GET https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/api/v1/consumers/12345 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

JavaScript (Node.js)

Plain text

 const axios = require('axios');
class WEXAuthClient {
  constructor(clientId, clientSecret, baseUrl) {
    this.clientId = clientId;
    this.clientSecret = clientSecret;
    this.baseUrl = baseUrl;
    this.token = null;
    this.tokenExpiry = 0;
  }
  async getAccessToken() {
    const url = `${this.baseUrl}/oauth/token`;
    const params = new URLSearchParams();
    params.append('grant_type', 'client_credentials');
    params.append('client_id', this.clientId);
    params.append('client_secret', this.clientSecret);
    const response = await axios.post(url, params, {
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'
      }
    });
    this.token = response.data.access_token;
    // Set expiry time (current time + expires_in - 60 second buffer)
    this.tokenExpiry = Date.now() + (response.data.expires_in * 1000) - 60000;
    return this.token;
  }
  async getValidToken() {
    if (!this.token || Date.now() >= this.tokenExpiry) {
      return await this.getAccessToken();
    }
    return this.token;
  }
  async makeApiRequest(endpoint, options = {}) {
    const url = `${this.baseUrl}${endpoint}`;
    // Get valid token
    const token = await this.getValidToken();
    const config = {
      ...options,
      headers: {
        ...options.headers,
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`
      }
    };
    try {
      return await axios(url, config);
    } catch (error) {
      // Handle token expiration
      if (error.response && error.response.status === 401) {
        // Refresh token and retry
        const newToken = await this.getAccessToken();
        config.headers['Authorization'] = `Bearer ${newToken}`;
        return await axios(url, config);
      }
      throw error;
    }
  }
}
// Usage
const client = new WEXAuthClient(
  'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
  'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
  'https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/authorize'
);
// Make API requests
client.makeApiRequest('/v1/consumers/12345')
  .then(response => console.log(response.data))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

Java

Plain text

 import java.net.URI;
import java.net.http.HttpClient;
import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
import java.time.Instant;
import com.google.gson.JsonObject;
import com.google.gson.JsonParser;
public class WEXAuthClient {
    private final String clientId;
    private final String clientSecret;
    private final String baseUrl;
    private String token;
    private long tokenExpiry;
    private final HttpClient httpClient;
    public WEXAuthClient(String clientId, String clientSecret, String baseUrl) {
        this.clientId = clientId;
        this.clientSecret = clientSecret;
        this.baseUrl = baseUrl;
        this.httpClient = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
        this.tokenExpiry = 0;
    }
    public String getAccessToken() throws Exception {
        String url = baseUrl + "/oauth/token";
        String requestBody = String.format(
            "grant_type=client_credentials&client_id=%s&client_secret=%s",
            clientId, clientSecret
        );
        HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
            .uri(URI.create(url))
            .header("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded")
            .POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString(requestBody))
            .build();
        HttpResponse response = httpClient.send(
            request,
            HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString()
        );
        JsonObject jsonResponse = JsonParser.parseString(response.body())
            .getAsJsonObject();
        this.token = jsonResponse.get("access_token").getAsString();
        int expiresIn = jsonResponse.get("expires_in").getAsInt();
        // Set expiry time (current time + expires_in - 60 second buffer)
        this.tokenExpiry = Instant.now().getEpochSecond() + expiresIn - 60;
        return this.token;
    }
    public String getValidToken() throws Exception {
        if (token == null || Instant.now().getEpochSecond() >= tokenExpiry) {
            return getAccessToken();
        }
        return token;
    }
    public HttpResponse makeApiRequest(String endpoint) throws Exception {
        String url = baseUrl + endpoint;
        String validToken = getValidToken();
        HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
            .uri(URI.create(url))
            .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + validToken)
            .GET()
            .build();
        HttpResponse response = httpClient.send(
            request,
            HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString()
        );
        // Handle token expiration
        if (response.statusCode() == 401) {
            // Refresh token and retry
            String newToken = getAccessToken();
            request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
                .uri(URI.create(url))
                .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + newToken)
                .GET()
                .build();
            response = httpClient.send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
        }
        return response;
    }
    // Usage
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        WEXAuthClient client = new WEXAuthClient(
            "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
            "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
            "https://platform.uat.benefits.wexglobal.com/api"
        );
        HttpResponse response = client.makeApiRequest("/v1/consumers/86765C6A-C4DB-48AE-A6B8-388C31800D22");
        System.out.println(response.body());
    }
}

Security Best Practices

1. Protect Your Credentials

Never hardcode client credentials in your source code.
Use environment variables or secure secrets management systems (for example, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault).
Rotate credentials periodically.
Restrict access to credentials to only necessary personnel and systems.

2. Secure Token Storage

Store tokens in memory, not in persistent storage.
Never log or expose tokens in error messages.
Clear tokens from memory when no longer needed.

3. Use HTTPS Only

All API requests must use HTTPS.
Never send credentials or tokens over unencrypted connections.

4. Implement Token Refresh Logic

Proactively refresh tokens before expiration.
Handle 401 Unauthorized responses gracefully.
Implement retry logic with exponential backoff.

5. Monitor and Audit

Log authentication attempts (without exposing credentials).
Monitor for unusual authentication patterns.
Set up alerts for authentication failures.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Invalid Client Credentials

Error:

Plain text

 {
  "error": "invalid_client",
  "error_description": "Client authentication failed"
}

Solutions:

Verify your Client ID and Client Secret are correct.
Ensure credentials are URL-encoded if necessary.
Contact your WEX account manager to verify your credentials are active.

Token Expired

Error:

Plain text

 {
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "error_description": "Unauthorized"
}

Solutions:

Request a new access token.
Implement automatic token refresh logic.
Check your system clock is synchronized.

Missing Authorization Header

Error:

Plain text

 {
  "error": "unauthorized",
  "error_description": "Full authentication is required to access this resource"
}

Solutions:

Ensure the Authorization header is included in your request.
Verify the header format: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN
Check that the token is not empty or malformed.

Invalid Grant Type

Error:

Plain text

 {
  "error": "unsupported_grant_type",
  "error_description": "Grant type not supported"
}

Solutions:

Ensure grant_type=client_credentials is included in the token request.
Verify the request body is properly formatted as application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Rate Limiting

To ensure fair usage and system stability, authentication endpoints may be subject to rate limiting:

Limit: 100 token requests per minute per client.
Response: 429 Too Many Requests when limit is exceeded.
Best Practice: Cache and reuse tokens until they expire rather than requesting new tokens for each API call.

Support

If you encounter issues with authentication:

Review this documentation and code examples.
Contact your WEX account manager.
Reach out to WEX API Support with:
1. Your Client ID (never share your Client Secret).
2. Timestamp of the issue.
3. Error messages received.
4. Request/response details (redact sensitive information).

Sections

Authentication

Overview

⚠️ Token Expiration and Refresh

Handling Token Expiration

Getting Your Credentials

Authentication Flow

Step 1: Request an Access Token

Step 2: Receive the Access Token

Step 3: Use the Access Token

Code Examples

cURL

JavaScript (Node.js)

Java

Security Best Practices

1. Protect Your Credentials

2. Secure Token Storage

3. Use HTTPS Only

4. Implement Token Refresh Logic

5. Monitor and Audit

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Invalid Client Credentials

Token Expired

Missing Authorization Header

Invalid Grant Type

Rate Limiting

Support

On this page

Sections

Authentication

Overview

⚠️ Token Expiration and Refresh

Handling Token Expiration

Getting Your Credentials

Authentication Flow

Step 1: Request an Access Token

Step 2: Receive the Access Token

Step 3: Use the Access Token

Code Examples

cURL

JavaScript (Node.js)

Java

Security Best Practices

1. Protect Your Credentials

2. Secure Token Storage

3. Use HTTPS Only

4. Implement Token Refresh Logic

5. Monitor and Audit

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Invalid Client Credentials

Token Expired

Missing Authorization Header

Invalid Grant Type

Rate Limiting

Support

On this page

Ask an AI

Code with AI