Agent payments let software complete a purchase without a person pressing the final button. The owner grants an agent a payment credential, usually a token standing in for a card or account, together with a mandate: what it may buy, from whom, and up to what amount. The payment network checks that the agent is recognised and that the purchase fits the mandate before approving it. Mastercard launched Agent Pay and Visa announced Visa Intelligent Commerce in April 2025, a day apart.
The hard questions are liability and intent. When an agent buys the wrong item, pays twice or is tricked by a malicious site, someone has to carry the loss, and existing card rules were written for purchases a human approved. Merchants also lose their usual ways of winning the sale, because an agent compares price, availability and terms rather than branding or store layout.
A good mandate is narrow. Limits set by the owner and enforced by the payment rails are far safer than limits the agent is merely instructed to respect.