Citi and US Bank customers get first access to Mastercard Agent Pay

Unveiled in April, Mastercard Agent Pay is the firm’s bid to tap into the potentially hugely lucrative agentic payments arena.

Citi and US Bank Mastercard cardholders will be the first to have the opportunity to experience AI-enabled shopping, with all of the card giant’s US users added by the holiday season and a global rollout set to follow.

Explaining the technology earlier this year, Mastercard used the example of someone planning a birthday party who chats with an AI agent to curate a selection of outfits and accessories from local boutiques and online retailers based on their style, the venue’s ambience, and weather forecasts. Based on her preferences and feedback, the agent can make the purchase, and also recommend the best way to pay.

Separately, Mastercard has launched an Agent Toolkit to help AI assistants and agentic tools access and interpret Mastercard’s API documentation.

“AI-powered payments aren’t just a trend — they’re a transformation,” says Craig Vosburg, chief services officer, Mastercard. “Payments must be native to the agentic experience. We’re building the infrastructure for a new generation of intelligent transactions, where consumers and developers can empower AI agents to act on their behalf with trust, transparency and precision.”