ChatGPT Gets a Built-In Payment Tool as OpenAI Teams Up With Visa, Mastercard and Amex

Starting Friday, ChatGPT users can let an AI agent complete a purchase without leaving the chat. Shoppers approve each order with a face scan or fingerprint, and the card networks then create a single use digital credential for that one transaction. Merchants and the agent itself never see the real card number. OpenAI says it is also working with payment processors and fraud prevention companies so these orders can run through the checkout systems stores already use.

Rollout and Future Plans

For now, the feature is limited to ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the US who hold eligible cards issued there. OpenAI intends to add support later for purchases within preset spending limits and other rules, so users would not need to approve every single order.

Big Tech and Crypto Race to Power Agent Payments

The move shifts AI assistants from suggesting products to actually buying them. Google introduced its Agent Payments Protocol in 2025, and Visa and Mastercard have launched their own programs for AI initiated payments. Crypto firms are in the race too. Coinbase created the x402 protocol for autonomous stablecoin payments, Circle released an Agent Stack in May that lets agents hold and spend USDC within set limits, and Crossmint blends stablecoin wallets with traditional card rails.

Juniper Research projects global agentic commerce transaction value will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, compared with an estimated $8 billion in 2026.