OpenAI’s ChatGPT Wallet Lets Dots Agents Shop for US Pro Subscribers

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Wallet, a feature that lets its Dots AI agents complete purchases for you. It is rolling out first to ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the US who are 18 or older, have a US billing address and hold an eligible US-issued American Express, Chase, Mastercard or Visa card, according to The Verge.

Every purchase still needs your sign-off. Before the agent checks out, you see the merchant, the items, the total and the card it will charge, and you approve the payment with a biometric check such as Face ID or a fingerprint scan.

How a Dots agent pays at checkout

Setup happens once. You add a card to the wallet, then ask your dot (OpenAI’s name for each agent) to help find something, such as a sweater or a hotel for a trip. TechCrunch reports that you do not have to type card details again for later purchases.

When you approve a purchase, the payment network creates a token: a stand-in card number with its own security code and expiration date. That token is charged, and the charge lands on your real card. GSMArena reports that your actual card details never reach the agent or the store. The Verge compares the setup to tap to pay, Apple Pay and Google Wallet, which use the same kind of substitution.

The merchant receives what it needs to send the order, such as your shipping address and contact details, from the dot, OpenAI told TechCrunch. Each approval also leaves a record of what you allowed the agent to buy.

Card rewards and disputes

OpenAI says purchases made through the wallet still earn your card’s usual rewards. The card’s protections also apply, including the right to dispute an eligible charge, for example when an item arrives defective.

Why it matters for online shoppers

An AI assistant can now go past recommending a product and actually pay for it, with your approval at each step. The biometric check and the token mean the agent never sees your card number, which limits what can leak if something goes wrong on the agent’s side or the merchant’s.

The feature will not work on every site. Some retailers restrict AI agents or block them. TechCrunch names Amazon as the largest retailer that bans them, and The Verge reports that Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse agents earlier this year. To get more stores on board, OpenAI has published a Commerce Partner Playbook that explains how sites can avoid rejecting legitimate purchases made by agents.

OpenAI is joining a crowded field. TechCrunch notes that DoorDash and Uber have reported low numbers of orders placed by AI agents, while shopping has become a top activity in Meta’s Muse, which has over 10 million users. Other personal agents, such as Instinct, can also buy things for their users.

What OpenAI plans next

For now, availability is limited so OpenAI can test the feature before a wider rollout, TechCrunch reports. The company wants to let users hand purchases over to their agent entirely by setting spending limits, purchase categories or time periods, then pre-approving buys that fit those rules. No date has been given for that step.

The wallet follows ChatGPT Finance, launched a few months ago, which connects bank accounts to the chatbot. ChatGPT Agent, the first version that could carry out tasks for users, arrived well over a year earlier.

Sources: GSMArena, The Verge, TechCrunch