Mastercard launches virtual cards for AI shopping agents
Mastercard has launched a new payment option allowing AI agents to use virtual cards for online purchases without needing the cardholder’s approval each time. Cardholders can set spending limits, restrict retailers, or require pre-purchase authorization. Survey data from ACI Worldwide suggests most U.S. and U.K. consumers are not comfortable letting AI complete purchases autonomously, with only a small minority willing to do so.
- Mastercard enables AI agents to use virtual payment cards
- Users can limit spending and select allowed retailers
- Visa has announced similar AI shopping tools
- Most consumers remain wary of fully autonomous AI shopping
- Mastercard uses a digital record to log agent purchases
Sources covering this
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