$gpc external-transactions

--json

Manage external transactions for apps using alternative billing systems.

usagegpc external-transactions <subcommand> [options]

When users pay outside Google Play Billing, through alternative billing (for example under the EU Digital Markets Act) or the US external offers and external content links programs, you must report each transaction to Google Play. These commands create, fetch, and refund those reports.

Commands

Command	Description
external-transactions create	Report an external transaction
external-transactions get	Get details of an external transaction
external-transactions refund	Refund an external transaction

external-transactions create

Report a new external transaction. The transaction body comes from a JSON file and is sent to Google Play unchanged, so every field of Google's ExternalTransaction resource works.

Synopsis

gpc external-transactions create --file <path> --transaction-id <id> [options]
gpc ext-txn create --file <path> --transaction-id <id> [options]

Options

Flag	Type	Default	Description
--file	string	(required)	JSON file with the transaction
--transaction-id	string	(required)	Your unique ID for the transaction (1-63 characters)
--app	string		App package name (global option)
--dry-run	flag		Print what would be sent without calling Google (global)
--json	flag		Output as JSON (global)

Example

A one-time purchase made through alternative billing:

{
  "originalPreTaxAmount": { "priceMicros": "9990000", "currency": "EUR" },
  "originalTaxAmount": { "priceMicros": "1900000", "currency": "EUR" },
  "transactionTime": "2026-09-25T10:30:00Z",
  "userTaxAddress": { "regionCode": "DE" },
  "oneTimeTransaction": { "externalTransactionToken": "<token from Play Billing Library>" }
}

gpc ext-txn create --app com.example.app --file txn.json --transaction-id order-1001

External content links (US)

Apps in Google's US external content links program add externalContentLinkDetails. This is separate from the older externalOfferDetails used by the external offers program.

Field	Values	When
linkType	LINK_TO_DIGITAL_CONTENT_OFFER, LINK_TO_APP_DOWNLOAD	Always
installedAppPackage	Package name of the downloaded app	App installs only
externalAppCategory	APP, GAME (must match your Play Console verification)	App installs only

An app install reported through the program:

{
  "originalPreTaxAmount": { "priceMicros": "0", "currency": "USD" },
  "originalTaxAmount": { "priceMicros": "0", "currency": "USD" },
  "transactionTime": "2026-09-25T10:30:00Z",
  "userTaxAddress": { "regionCode": "US" },
  "oneTimeTransaction": { "externalTransactionToken": "<token from Play Billing Library>" },
  "externalContentLinkDetails": {
    "linkType": "LINK_TO_APP_DOWNLOAD",
    "installedAppPackage": "com.example.game",
    "externalAppCategory": "GAME"
  }
}

Reporting deadlines

Google requires enrolled developers to report purchases made through external content links from October 1, 2026, and app downloads by December 1, 2026. Check the program requirements for the current dates and fees.

---

external-transactions get

Retrieve a previously reported external transaction.

Synopsis

gpc external-transactions get <transaction-id> [options]
gpc ext-txn get <transaction-id> [options]

Example

gpc ext-txn get order-1001 --app com.example.app --json

---

external-transactions refund

Report that a previously reported transaction was refunded, fully or in part. You must choose the refund type explicitly. Google requires a refund time on every refund, and GPC sends the current time unless you pass --refund-time.

Synopsis

gpc external-transactions refund <transaction-id> --full [options]
gpc external-transactions refund <transaction-id> --partial-amount <micros> --currency <code> --refund-id <id> [options]

Options

Flag	Type	Default	Description
--full	flag		Refund the whole transaction
--partial-amount	string		Pre-tax amount to refund, in micros (1990000 = 1.99)
--currency	string		ISO 4217 currency code (required with --partial-amount)
--refund-id	string		Unique ID for this partial refund (required with --partial-amount); Google rejects a repeated ID
--refund-time	string	now	When the refund happened, ISO 8601
--yes	flag		Skip the confirmation prompt (global). Required in non-interactive runs (CI, piped stdin)
--dry-run	flag		Print the refund request without sending it (global)

Example

Full refund:

gpc ext-txn refund order-1001 --app com.example.app --full

Partial refund of 4.99:

gpc ext-txn refund order-1001 --app com.example.app \
  --partial-amount 4990000 --currency EUR --refund-id order-1001-r1

Errors

Code	Exit	Description
EXT_TXN_REFUND_INVALID	2	Refund options are missing or invalid; nothing was sent to Google Play

Errors returned by Google Play use the standard API codes listed in Exit codes.

Related

• purchases -- Standard Google Play Billing purchases
• subscriptions -- Subscription management
• one-time-products -- One-time product management