# Working with Group Payment Sessions (/docs/guides/group-payment/group-payment-sessions) 

A group payment session tracks a shared total that several people contribute to. You create the session with the total, its line items and the
group owner, redirect the owner to the `customerUrl` in the response, and they invite the rest of the group from there. Progress reaches your
system through [webhooks](/docs/guides/group-payment/group-payment-webhooks), or by polling the session.

<Cards>
  <Card description="Send a POST request with the total, line items, split type and the group owner, then redirect the owner to customerUrl." href="/docs/guides/group-payment/group-payment-sessions/create-a-group-payment-session" title="Create a session" />

  <Card description="Fetch a session by id to see members, invites, item allocation and each member's payment." href="/docs/guides/group-payment/group-payment-sessions/retrieve-a-group-payment-session" title="Retrieve a session" />
</Cards>

## Session statuses [#session-statuses]

| Status      | Meaning                                                                    |
| ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `PENDING`   | The session has been created and is waiting on the group.                  |
| `APPROVED`  | Every share of the total has been authorized.                              |
| `COMPLETED` | The authorized payments have been captured.                                |
| `EXPIRED`   | The session passed its `expirationDate` before the total was authorized.   |
| `CANCELLED` | The session was cancelled, and any outstanding authorizations were voided. |

<Callout type="info">
  Redirect the group owner to &#x2A;*`customerUrl`**, not `url`. The `url` field is the group *invite* link that the owner shares with the rest of the
  group.
</Callout>

Once the flow works end to end, see [Reconcile Group Payments](/docs/guides/group-payment/group-payment-reconcilation) for matching each member's
contribution back to your own order records.