NederlandsOpenAI introduces ChatGPT Wallet for purchases by AI agents
With ChatGPT Wallet, OpenAI's AI agents can pay for online purchases with a stored payment card. The user approves every payment. For now, the feature is only available with a Pro subscription in the United States.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, launched ChatGPT Wallet . It lets users store a credit or debit card, so that the company's AI agents can use it to pay for online purchases. An AI agent is an AI program that carries out tasks on its own, such as finding and ordering a product. OpenAI calls its agents 'dots'; the company presented them at the end of September 2026.
For now, only adults in the United States with a ChatGPT Pro subscription and a US card can use the feature. Cards from American Express, Chase, Mastercard and Visa are supported. OpenAI is deliberately starting small, to learn from real-world use and to make the service more reliable together with shops, banks and payment networks. It is not yet known when other countries will follow.
The user approves every purchase
Before each purchase, the user sees what is in the shopping basket, the total amount and which card will be used. This is followed by a check with face recognition or a fingerprint. Without that approval, the agent cannot complete the purchase.
After approval, the payment network creates a replacement card number, with its own security code and expiry date, that is valid for that one payment only. The money is taken from the chosen card as usual. This way, neither the agent nor the shop ever sees the real card details. According to OpenAI, the card's reward points and the protection for disputed payments still apply. The company calls it the first digital wallet that lets agents pay without knowing the real card details.
Not welcome everywhere
The Wallet works with the normal system for card payments; cryptocurrencies play no part in it. It does not work on websites that block agents. According to the US broadcaster CNBC, Amazon stops agents from making purchases, and United Airlines does not want agents to book tickets either. OpenAI has explained to shops how to avoid blocking the agents by accident.
What does this mean for the road to the singularity?
An AI assistant that finds and compares products is already normal. What is new is that the agent also takes the last step: paying. If that works safely and easily, online shopping will change. People say what they need, and the agent finds it, compares prices and presents a single payment that they approve with a fingerprint.
That leaves shops with a choice. A shop that blocks agents keeps the customer on its own website, but misses out on sales as more and more people buy through an agent. If one large competitor does let agents in, it becomes hard for the others to keep them out. If that trend continues, agents will become an ordinary way of shopping, and they could also take over dull chores such as restocking groceries or finding a cheaper energy supplier. What must remain is that people see what is being paid on their behalf and make the decision themselves. With a check on every purchase, that protection is already in place.
What is the technological singularity? Read the explanation →
