AI agents can browse the web, call APIs, and complete tasks on their own. But the moment they need to buy something? They're stuck. No credit card. No way to pay.
We built AgentCard to fix this. Your agent can issue its own virtual card, grab the details, and make purchases — completely on its own. Or you can do it for them. Either way, the whole thing takes about 60 seconds. Here's how.
What you need
- Node.js 18+ installed on your machine
- An email address for sign-up
- A payment method (credit or debit card) for buying the virtual card
That's it. No KYC. No paperwork. No approval process. We wanted this to be dead simple.
Step 1: Install the AgentCard CLI
AgentCard is a command-line tool. Install it globally:
npm install -g agentcard
Verify it's installed:
agentcard --version
Step 2: Sign up
We use passwordless magic-link auth. No passwords to manage:
agentcard signup --email you@example.com
Check your inbox, click the magic link, and you're in. Your session is stored at ~/.agentcard/config.json.
Step 3: Buy a virtual card
Purchase a card for any amount from $5 to $200 (multiples of $5):
agentcard create --amount 25
This opens a Stripe Checkout page. Complete payment and your card is provisioned in about 4 seconds. Seriously — it's fast.
Step 4: Get the card details
Retrieve the full card number, CVV, and expiry:
agentcard details <card-id>
You'll see the 16-digit card number, 3-digit CVV, and expiration date — everything an agent needs to make a purchase.
Step 5: Let your agent take over (or do it yourself)
Here's the part that matters: your agent can run this entire flow on its own. CLI-based agents like Claude Code or Cursor just execute agentcard create and agentcard details directly. No manual handoff. The agent creates the card, grabs the credentials, and checks out. You don't touch anything.
Or, if you'd rather stay in the loop, run the commands yourself and hand the details over. Both work great:
- Autonomous flow — your agent runs the CLI commands, retrieves card details, and makes the purchase end-to-end
- Assisted flow — you create the card, share the details, and your agent handles checkout
- MCP clients (Claude Code, Cursor) — AgentCard exposes a skill endpoint at
agentcard.ai/skillthat agents can read for structured instructions
What happens next
Your agent uses the card details to fill in checkout forms and buy stuff. The card has a fixed balance, so the agent can only spend what you loaded. $25 means $25. Not a cent more.
When you're done, refund any unused balance:
agentcard refund <card-id> --amount <n>
Why virtual cards are better for agents
Look, we get it — why not just paste your credit card into the prompt? We've heard this a lot. Here's why that's a terrible idea:
- Hard spending limits — a virtual card with a fixed balance can't exceed that balance, ever. Your credit card can.
- Isolation — if an agent gets compromised, the blast radius is limited to one small card, not your entire credit line.
- No surprise charges — no subscriptions, no recurring billing on a disposable virtual card.
- Disposability — use a card for one task, then throw it away. No need to update card details anywhere.
What's next: native agentic payments
Virtual cards are the best solution available right now, but the payments industry is catching up. Visa Intelligent Commerce and MasterCard Agent Pay are both building native infrastructure for AI agents — letting them transact through payment networks without card numbers at all.
We're actively working on integrations for both. When those protocols go live, AgentCard users will be first in line.
Which agents work with AgentCard?
Pretty much all of them. If your agent can make HTTP requests or fill out web forms, it works. We've seen people use AgentCard with Claude Code, Cursor, Devin, OpenAI Codex, Copilot, Windsurf, Cline, Aider, Bolt, Lovable, Replit Agent, v0, Amazon Q — and plenty of custom-built agents too.
Get started
The whole process takes under 60 seconds:
npm install -g agentcard
agentcard signup --email you@example.com
agentcard create --amount 25
agentcard details <card-id>
Your agent can now buy things. Go build something cool.