OpenAI launches ChatGPT Wallet, letting AI agents shop and check out for you

OpenAI on Friday (November 13) launched ChatGPT Wallet, a payment feature that lets its always-on personal agents, called dots, complete shopping and checkout for users. According to OpenAI, users link a payment card once, then ask their dot to find products, compare options and place orders; before each purchase, the user reviews the items, the total and the card, and approves with a security check such as Face ID or a fingerprint before the agent can pay.

Card details stay hidden from agents and merchants

When a purchase is approved, the card network supplies a single-use payment token in place of the real card number, security code and expiry date, so neither the merchant nor the agent ever sees the user's actual card details. OpenAI says the transaction remains between the shopper and the merchant, which keeps control of pricing, delivery, returns and customer service, and eligible card rewards and dispute protections still apply.

Limited launch for U.S. Pro subscribers

Wallet is initially open only to U.S. ChatGPT Pro subscribers aged 18 and over who hold an eligible U.S.-issued Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, and it works only inside conversations with a dot; OpenAI has given no timetable for Free, Go or Plus users, or for the UK and Europe. The launch was built with American Express, Mastercard and Visa, and OpenAI is working with fraud-prevention partners Forter, Riskified, Sardine and Signifyd, and payment providers Adyen, Checkout.com and Stripe, so merchants' risk systems can recognise legitimate agent purchases.

A second attempt — with no cut for OpenAI

This is OpenAI's second attempt to move ChatGPT from product research to checkout: Instant Checkout, launched in September 2025, was wound down in March after OpenAI said it lacked flexibility for merchants. CNBC reports OpenAI is not taking a cut of transactions at launch. OpenAI also published a Commerce Partner Playbook urging merchants not to block agent traffic and offering product-feed and verification tools. The company says 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT each week, many of them to research products and compare options. In future, OpenAI hopes to let users pre-authorise purchases within set spending limits, categories and time windows, but at launch every purchase still needs the user's own approval.

(Sources: OpenAI; TechCrunch; CNBC. Photo: file image.)