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# How do I get my UniHop API key and connect a partner app?

Your UniHop API key lives in the UniHop portal, and it becomes active once your account has a payment method on file. Create a free business account, add a payment method under Billing, copy the key, then paste it into the partner app.

### Details

###### 1. Create a free business account

Sign up at [portal.unihop.app/register](https://portal.unihop.app/register). Creating an account is free.

###### 2. Add a payment method

Go to [Billing](https://portal.unihop.app/billing) and add a payment method. Until one is on file, your account stays pending and the API key is not active — even though the portal already displays it. You do not need to place a delivery to activate the account.

###### 3. Copy your API key

Copy the key from the UniHop portal. Each merchant uses their own key, so if you run more than one business account, each one has its own.

###### 4. Paste the key into the partner app

Where that field lives is covered in each partner's own documentation:

* **Zapiet (Pickup + Delivery):** Settings > Last mile delivery > Activate UniHop > Save
* **Bird by BirdChime:** Settings > Integrations > UniHop > Connect
* **Hailship:** Carriers > Connect on UniHop > Save

|| Add your payment method before you paste the key. Almost every connection problem we see is an account that is still pending because Billing was skipped.

### If the key is not accepted

Check these in order:

1. **A payment method is on file.** Open [Billing](https://portal.unihop.app/billing) and confirm one is saved. Until the account is active, the key cannot be validated.
2. **The whole key was copied.** A missing character or a trailing space will stop it from matching.
3. **The key is the current one.** If you regenerated it in the portal, the earlier key stopped working the moment you did.

If all three check out and the key still is not accepted, contact Support with your business name and we will look at the account.

### Regenerating your key

Regenerating the key in the portal stops the previous key immediately. Paste the new key into the partner app right away, or new orders will not dispatch until you do.

### How billing works

UniHop bills you directly for deliveries. That is separate from anything the partner app charges you or your shopper. Delivery pricing is a base fee plus a per-mile rate — see [unihop.app/pricing](https://unihop.app/pricing) for current rates.

### Where UniHop delivers

All 50 US states and select Canadian markets. Orders are accepted 24/7/365, and our dispatch team monitors deliveries from 5 AM to midnight.

### What's Next

* [Zapiet (Pickup + Delivery) integration](https://unihop.app/integrations/zapiet)
* [Bird by BirdChime integration](https://unihop.app/integrations/birdchime)
* [Hailship integration](https://unihop.app/integrations/hailship)
* [Does UniHop work with Shopify?](https://help.unihop.app/en-us/article/does-unihop-work-with-shopify-1jzd9jr/)