# Quickstart

This is the shortest end-to-end path from a cardholder group to a reward notification. Your backend uses the API for identity, transaction, and webhook work; the web or mobile SDK handles showing offers and merchant activation.

## The Happy Path

1. **Register a cardholder group (CHG).** Create the cardholder group, cardholders, and cards through the [Cardholder Group API](/percents-api/branded-rewards/cardholder-groups). A CHG represents the reward entity whose offers, activations, and rewards are shared.
2. **Display offers.** Initialize the web or mobile SDK for the authenticated cardholder. The SDK presents the offers available to that CHG. For the web integration, see the [SDK Quickstart](/percents-api/embedded-widget/quickstart).
3. **The cardholder activates an offer.** The SDK records the activation through the issuer proxy. The activation applies to the CHG, not only to one browser session.
4. **Send the settled matching transaction.** When the card transaction settles, send it to Percents through transaction ingestion. Include the CHG's card and cardholder identifiers so Percents can match the activity to the activated offer. See [Transaction Ingestion](/percents-api/branded-rewards/transaction-ingestion).
5. **Receive the webhook.** Percents sends the resulting reward event to your webhook endpoint. Verify the webhook and update your own product experience as needed. See [Webhooks](/percents-api/auth-security/webhooks).
6. **Done 🎉** The cardholder has earned the applicable branded reward or cashback. The SDK can show the updated rewards experience, and your backend has the webhook record for notifications, support, or reconciliation.


## What Runs Where

| Your backend | SDK |
|  --- | --- |
| Registers CHGs, ingests settled transactions, and verifies webhooks. | Displays offers and lets cardholders activate merchants. |
| Keeps issuer credentials and cardholder identity server-side. | Uses the issuer's short-lived proxy session; it never receives issuer-wide API credentials. |


For a deeper walkthrough of the reward lifecycle, see the [Guided Overview](/percents-api/overview/guided-overview).