OpenAI introduced a wallet feature on Friday that allows ChatGPT's AI agents, known as dots, to assist users with purchasing decisions and complete transactions on their behalf, according to a TechCrunch report. The capability is rolling out initially to a small group of U.S.-based ChatGPT Pro subscribers who are at least 18 years old and possess a U.S.-issued Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. The launch positions OpenAI more directly in the emerging space of agentic commerce, where AI tools handle shopping tasks for users.
The wallet operates by letting subscribers add eligible payment cards once, after which they can request their dot to facilitate a purchase. When a transaction occurs, the ChatGPT Wallet charges the chosen card using a payment token, which substitutes for the user's actual card information so those details aren't exposed to either the AI agent or the retailer. Users maintain full oversight of each purchase by reviewing the items, total cost, and payment card before checkout, and they must authorize transactions through security measures like Face ID or fingerprint authentication, creating a transaction record. The merchant automatically receives necessary fulfillment details such as shipping address and contact information from the dot. Customers shopping through their dots retain the ability to earn credit card rewards and access standard card protections, including the option to dispute transactions.
OpenAI states that the limited initial rollout will enable the company to test and refine the feature and its functionality before expanding availability. The company plans to give users additional control in the future by enabling them to establish spending caps or set parameters around purchase categories or timeframes, allowing for pre-approved purchases that agents can manage more independently. OpenAI also aims to broaden the number of retailers where the agentic shopping feature can be used.
The move comes as consumer AI products search for the right product-market fit in helping people work more efficiently on everyday tasks. The report notes that while companies like DoorDash and Uber have reported relatively low volumes of AI agent orders, Meta's Muse has attracted over 10 million users and seen AI-assisted shopping emerge as a leading activity on its platform. Other personal AI agents, including Instinct, already offer purchase-making capabilities on users' behalf. The retailer landscape presents challenges, however, as some merchants are blocking AI agents from accessing their sites. Amazon, the largest retailer to ban AI agents, is pushing users toward its own AI agent, Alexa, instead. To help merchants navigate this shift, OpenAI published a Commerce Partner Playbook providing tools and guidance for sites that want to accommodate customers using agents.
The restricted launch gives OpenAI room to refine how autonomous purchasing works before wider deployment, with future features designed to make the experience more hands-off through preset spending boundaries. The retailer playbook signals OpenAI's recognition that merchant buy-in is essential for agentic commerce to scale beyond early adopters. Payment tokenization and biometric approval are OpenAI's answer to the trust barrier that's slowed agent-based transactions elsewhere, betting that explicit user control at checkout will make the leap to automated buying feel less risky. The success of this wallet feature may hinge less on technical execution than on whether everyday shoppers see enough value in delegating purchase decisions to justify adding yet another layer between themselves and the products they buy.