Overview · step 3 of 3
Paying through AI agents: what exists and what is coming
Payment providers and card networks are building ways for a customer's AI agent to pay on the customer's behalf, within limits the customer sets. Most of it is new or still in development. This page tells you what exists, so you can ask your own payment provider the right questions. We do not recommend any of them, and VegvisAI never takes part in payments.
Status 5 October 2026. This field changes every month. Listed alphabetically by name, with the source we used. Check with the provider before you decide anything.
What it means for you
Today (step 2) the agent fills the cart and the customer pays in your checkout. With agent payments, the customer gives their agent permission in advance, for example «up to 80 euros for a birthday cake from the bakery on Friday», and the agent completes the payment through your existing provider. The customer's bank or wallet still confirms who the customer is.
Solutions and protocols
| Name | Behind it | What it does | Status and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent Pay | Mastercard | Lets agents pay on the Mastercard network with tokens tied to the customer | A version for machine payments launched June 2026 (Juniper Research) |
| Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) | Started by Google, now FIDO Alliance | An open protocol for the customer's mandate to an agent, also when the customer is not present | Version 0.2 (overview) |
| Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) | OpenAI and Stripe | Checkout inside an AI assistant, with payment tokens the shop receives | Stripe's suite for it from December 2025 (MindStudio) |
| Intelligent Commerce Connect | Visa | One entry for shops to accept agent payments across several protocols | Launched April 2026 (PYMNTS) |
| Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) | Stripe and Tempo | Payments between agents and services over the web | Launched March 2026 (overview) |
| Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) with Vipps MobilePay | Vipps MobilePay supports UCP | Vipps and card payments in AI and chat flows through a Vipps MobilePay payment handler | Documentation «under development» (Vipps MobilePay) |
For most businesses the payment solution is a card provider, a mobile wallet (in Norway often Vipps MobilePay) or the payment built into the web shop platform. Those are the first to ask.
What you can do now
- Do step 1 and 2 first. WebMCP forms and agents filling the cart work with the checkout you already have.
- Ask your payment provider whether and when they will support payments from AI agents, which protocol they use, and what it costs.
- Avoid locking yourself in. Several protocols compete. Prefer solutions that work with more than one assistant.
- Keep the customer in control. The customer sets the limits and can see and stop what the agent does.
The rules still apply
An agent payment is still a sale to a consumer: the required information before the order, the right of withdrawal where it applies, and strong customer authentication by the bank or wallet. Who answers for a wrong order made by an agent is still being settled; check your provider's terms before you switch it on.
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice, and not a recommendation of any provider. Names belong to their owners.