FAQ

Questions? Good. We love those.

Everything you need to know about giving your AI agent a wallet it can't misuse.

On this page
  1. How does Allowance keep my card number safe?
  2. How do I connect my agent to Allowance?
  3. What cards are supported by Allowance?
  4. Do I still earn rewards on purchases my agent makes?
  5. How much does Allowance cost?
  6. Does my agent need my approval for every purchase?
  7. I approved a purchase — can I cancel it?
  8. Is my card data stored securely? Is Allowance PCI compliant?
  9. What AI agents does Allowance work with?
  10. Can I see a history of what my agent spent?
  11. Does Allowance work outside the US?
  12. Can I add multiple cards?
01
How does Allowance keep my card number safe?

You add your real card once inside the Allowance app — your agent never sees it. When your agent wants to make a purchase, it sends you an approval request. You review and approve it.

Once approved, Allowance generates a one-time virtual card number unique to that transaction. The moment it's charged, the number is retired — it can never be used again. Even if a merchant's systems are ever compromised, your real card stays untouched.

On top of that, every virtual card comes with a spend limit, a merchant lock (only the approved merchant can charge it), and an automatic expiry. Three layers of protection, on every single purchase.

02
How do I connect my agent to Allowance?

Allowance connects to AI agents through MCP — the open protocol that lets AI tools talk to external services. Add the Allowance MCP server to your app, authenticate once, and your agent can request purchase approvals and receive a one-time card on the spot.

MCP URL: https://mcp.useallowance.com

OpenClaw
  1. Install OpenClaw and sign in.
  2. Install the Allowance CLI.
  3. Run allowance openclaw install and complete OTP login.
  4. Run allowance openclaw doctor to verify the connection.
  5. Start using OpenClaw — Allowance is ready.

The CLI automatically provisions the hosted Allowance MCP and stores the connection token in your OpenClaw config. Nothing to set up manually.

OpenAI Codex
  1. Open Codex and go to Settings → MCP Servers → Add Server.
  2. Set the server type to Streamable HTTP.
  3. Name it Allowance, paste https://mcp.useallowance.com, and save.
  4. Click Authenticate and sign in to your Allowance account.
  5. Start a Codex session with Allowance enabled and ask it to buy something.

Codex also needs browser use enabled so it can complete checkout after Allowance issues a one-time card.

Claude Desktop
  1. Install Claude Desktop and sign in.
  2. Open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
  3. Name it Allowance, paste https://mcp.useallowance.com, and complete sign-in.
  4. Mark Allowance tools as Always Approve for a smoother experience.
  5. Install Claude for Chrome so Claude can complete merchant checkout.
  6. Start a Claude chat and ask it to buy something with Allowance.

Always Approve only approves Claude's tool calls — actual spending still requires your explicit Allowance approval every single time.

03
What cards are supported by Allowance?

Allowance works with the cards most people already carry:

Personal Mastercard
Personal Visa
Chase cards — not supported yet
Business cards — not supported yet
04
Do I still earn rewards on purchases my agent makes?

Yes. Allowance charges your real card as the funding source, so every purchase your agent makes earns rewards exactly as if you'd paid yourself — points, cash back, miles, all of it.

05
How much does Allowance cost?

Allowance is free to use right now.

06
Does my agent need my approval for every purchase?

Yes — every single purchase requires your explicit approval. That's the whole point. Your agent can never spend money you haven't specifically said yes to.

07
I approved a purchase — can I cancel it?

Yes. You can pause, revoke, or edit the allowance amount at any time before the agent issues the one-time card. Once the card has been issued and charged, the transaction is complete.

08
Is my card data stored securely? Is Allowance PCI compliant?

Yes. Your card is vaulted with our card vault provider and the system is PCI compliant. Even Allowance never sees your actual card number — it's encrypted and stored by the vault, not us.

09
What AI agents does Allowance work with?

Allowance currently supports OpenClaw, OpenAI Codex, and Claude Desktop. More integrations are coming.

10
Can I see a history of what my agent spent?

Yes. The Allowance app shows a full log of every purchase your agent has made or attempted.

11
Does Allowance work outside the US?

Not yet — Allowance is currently US-only.

12
Can I add multiple cards?

Yes, you can add multiple cards to your Allowance account.

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