Synchrony aims to integrate your Amazon and Walmart store cards into ChatGPT.

      Synchrony Financial, the issuer of store credit cards for Amazon, Walmart, and Lowe’s, is collaborating with OpenAI to allow customers to make purchases within ChatGPT using these cards. According to the company’s chief strategy officer, general-purpose cards will take six to twelve months to integrate, while store-specific cards will take longer due to the need for each retailer to be onboarded individually.

      Synchrony Financial aims to have its cards available within ChatGPT. The issuer, which provides store cards for Amazon, Walmart, and Lowe’s, is working with OpenAI so that customers can complete transactions within the chat interface instead of being redirected to a retailer’s website.

      However, progress has not yet reached this stage. Chief strategy officer Maran Nalluswami stated that integrating general-purpose cards into ChatGPT will take six to twelve months, and that private label store cards will require more time because each retailer needs to be individually incorporated.

      The issue being addressed is significant. “Currently, the transaction doesn't happen smoothly at a provider like OpenAI,” Nalluswami explained, emphasizing the necessity of ensuring Synchrony’s cards are properly positioned at the right moment.

      This situation is becoming increasingly familiar. Earlier this year, two hotel companies entered ChatGPT, but they also do not allow payments to be made there.

      Despite the challenges, OpenAI is continuing to make progress, having struck deals with Stripe and integrating Visa into ChatGPT for agent-initiated payments.

      Synchrony is not relying on a single platform. It is in discussions with Anthropic and Google about embedding its cards within Claude and Gemini, as Amazon also pushes Alexa into this area.

      An unanswered issue remains regarding payment distribution. No consensus has been reached on how the fees from transactions finalized within ChatGPT should be shared among the retailer, the issuer, and OpenAI, with Nalluswami noting that these negotiations are necessary.

      Consumer demand does not appear to be rushing in either. Many consumers express caution about providing their card information to an AI system or allowing software to finalize purchases on their behalf.

      In Europe, the challenge is more legal than commercial. Agentic payments are still subject to PSD2 and its strong customer authentication requirements, which were established based on the expectation that a person approves a specific payee, amount, and moment.

      This presents difficulties for a product that inherently suggests that user presence is unnecessary. There isn’t a distinct framework for agentic payments in Europe, nor is there any supervisory guidance, leading to uncertainties about whether a customer authorized a purchase or simply delegated the authority to make purchases.

      Published August 17, 2026 - 4:54 pm UTC

      Back to top