OpenAI’s AI agents can now make payments on their own. With a new feature called ChatGPT Wallet, dots, which are always-on agents running on their own cloud computer and launched by OpenAI in late September, can buy products online or book hotels. OpenAI built the feature with American Express, Mastercard and Visa.
Release notes dated November 13 say the feature is rolling out gradually to Pro subscribers who are 18 or older, live in the US and have a US billing address. OpenAI has not announced plans for other countries.
How card approval and payment tokens work
Users enter a card once through a secure form rather than in the chat. Before each purchase, the dot displays the merchant, items, total and chosen card, and nothing happens until the user confirms with Face ID, Touch ID or a fingerprint.
The card network then issues a payment token, a stand-in card with a distinct number, security code and expiry date. OpenAI says neither the merchant nor the agent receives the real card number. Existing card perks and dispute protections remain available where eligible. OpenAI’s Wallet help page adds that the feature works only in conversations with a dot and only with credit cards, since debit cards are not supported.
Approval does not guarantee a completed order
Approving a purchase does not place the order itself. OpenAI says the “Ready to check out” status only means the user has finished approving, and only the merchant’s confirmation shows that the order went through. If the result is unclear and the user buys again, they could end up with a duplicate order.
Subscriptions agreed to during approval may be charged again later, because the merchant can save the token. Those recurring charges can only be cancelled with the merchant. Removing a card from Wallet stops new agent payments, but existing orders and stored Wallet data remain in place.
Merchants can still block agent purchases
Merchants can still block or decline purchases made by agents. Amazon and several US banks already stopped AI agents from making purchases in October. OpenAI has published a guide for merchants explaining how to allow signed agent requests and adjust fraud filters.
OpenAI says users may later be able to set spending limits, categories or time frames for their dot and pre-approve purchases. The company has not said when that option will be available.
