Virtual Cards for AI Agents
Virtual cards are the fastest way to give agents real purchasing power without exposing a main card. The production pattern is simple: isolate spend per agent, enforce hard controls, and verify each transaction against intent.
What It Is
A dedicated payment credential per agent or workflow, so one malfunctioning run cannot drain a shared card line.
Who It Is For
Teams running autonomous purchasing, SaaS renewals, cloud spend, marketplace sourcing, and operational workflows where spend controls must be enforceable.
How It Works
Agent declares intent. Policy checks execute. A locked virtual card is issued or unlocked for the approved window. Transaction is matched back to intent for evidence.
Controls That Matter
Hard amount limits, merchant locks, MCC/category restrictions, velocity caps, and approval routing for high-risk intents.
Rail Reality
| RAIL | BEST FOR | ADVANTAGE | LIMITATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card rails | General ecommerce and SaaS | Highest merchant acceptance | Needs strict credential lifecycle controls |
| Stablecoins | Crypto-native counterparties | Fast programmable settlement | Lower checkout acceptance |
| Protocol-native APIs | Machine-to-machine billing | Developer-native flow | Fragmented standards |
4-Step Setup
1) Create intent
Capture purpose, expected amount, and merchant so policy has concrete decision inputs.
2) Evaluate policy
Run risk checks and approve/decline before sensitive credentials are available to the agent.
3) Release card JIT
Issue or unlock only for the purchase window, then lock immediately after execution.
4) Verify + log
Attach transaction outcomes to the original intent for reconciliation, disputes, and audits.
proxy.intents.create({
purpose: "Buy monthly monitoring plan",
expectedAmount: 3900,
expectedMerchant: "Datadog"
})
proxy.cards.get_sensitive({
cardId: "card_abc",
intentId: "int_123",
reason: "Checkout"
})