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Everything you need to know about giving your AI agent a wallet it can't misuse.
The basics
What is Allowance, and how does it work?
Allowance lets your AI buy things for you without giving it your real card number.
Tell your AI what you want and how much it can spend. Allowance sends the request to your phone, where you review and approve it. After you approve, Allowance provides a one-time virtual card limited to the purchase and amount you approved.
How can I use Allowance?
You can connect Allowance to an agent. One ChatGPT connection works across ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex. Connect Allowance to your Claude account from your desktop. Then use it on claude.ai, in Claude Code, Cowork, and the Claude mobile app. For a different MCP-compatible agent, connect at useallowance.com/mcp. See every option at useallowance.com/connect-agent.
You can also use Allowance Chat. Open the Allowance app and tell it what you want to buy. No AI-agent or computer setup is required.
Either way, you approve purchases on your phone before Allowance releases payment credentials.
How much does Allowance cost?
Allowance is free to use right now.
Do I need to provide my Social Security number or date of birth?
No. Creating an Allowance account does not require a Social Security number or date of birth.
Does Allowance work outside the US?
Not yet. Allowance is currently US-only.
Safety & approvals
How does Allowance keep my card number safe?
You add your real card once in the Allowance app. It is vaulted with PCI-compliant payment providers and is never shown to your agent.
After you approve a purchase, Allowance creates a one-time virtual card for that checkout. Your agent uses that card at the merchant instead of using your real card number.
The one-time card is limited by the amount and rules you approved. After it is charged, it is retired.
Does my agent need my approval for every purchase?
Yes. Every purchase requires your explicit approval on your phone before Allowance releases one-time payment credentials.
You can review what the purchase is for and the maximum amount before approving it. Your agent can request permission to spend, but it cannot approve the request for you.
Giving Codex Full access, using Claude Code's Bypass permissions, or always allowing Allowance tools does not change this protection.
I approved a purchase. Can I cancel it?
You can revoke an approval before the one-time card is issued.
Once the purchase has been completed, it cannot be canceled through Allowance. The merchant's normal cancellation and refund policies apply.
Can I see a history of what my agent spent?
Yes. The Allowance app shows a history of your agent's purchase requests, approvals, and completed purchases.
Cards & rewards
Do I still earn rewards on purchases my agent makes?
Yes. Allowance charges your real card as the funding source, so purchases still earn rewards the same way they would if you paid yourself.
What cards are supported by Allowance?
Allowance currently works with eligible personal Mastercard and Visa cards. Personal Mastercards generally have the best compatibility.
Compatibility also depends on whether your card issuer supports one-time cards for AI purchases, so having a Visa or Mastercard logo does not guarantee that a particular card will work.
Chase cards and business cards are not supported yet. Prepaid and gift cards may also be incompatible.
Can I add multiple cards?
Yes. You can add multiple cards to your Allowance account and choose which one should fund agent purchases.
Can Allowance help me earn more rewards?
With Rewards Optimization turned on, Allowance can compare eligible saved cards for a purchase and help you use the one with the best available reward.
How do I turn on Rewards Optimization?
Turn it on in Payment cards settings. Once it is on, Allowance can compare eligible saved cards when there is a purchase to make.
Will Allowance automatically switch my card?
It can, when you turn on Rewards Optimization. For an eligible purchase, Allowance may use a high-confidence recommendation unless you choose a different card yourself. Your manual choice always wins.
What if I don’t see a reward recommendation?
You can still complete your purchase with any saved card. Allowance may need a recognizable merchant and at least two eligible cards to make a confident recommendation, and sometimes research is still in progress.
Shopping with your agent
Where can Allowance shop?
Codex, Claude Code, and other agents with browser access can attempt checkout at many standard online stores. Some websites may still block automated browsers or require a login, CAPTCHA, popup, or additional verification.
ChatGPT with the Allowance plugin, Claude Chat with the Allowance connector, and Allowance Chat can shop through the stores and products supported by Allowance. Store availability may differ depending on which AI experience you are using.
Can I schedule my agent to buy something when it becomes available?
Yes, if your AI supports scheduled tasks. Tell it what to buy, when to try, your maximum price, and any acceptable alternatives.
If the scheduled task runs through an agent on your computer, your computer must be awake when the task runs.
When the agent reaches payment, Allowance sends a purchase request to your phone for approval.
Do I need to keep my computer on?
If Codex, Claude Code, or another agent is using a browser on your computer, your computer must remain awake and connected to the internet while the agent is working. This includes researching products, running scheduled tasks, and completing checkout.
ChatGPT with the Allowance plugin, Claude Chat with the Allowance connector, and Allowance Chat do not depend on your computer to run checkout.
Troubleshooting
Why does my AI keep asking for permission?
For the smoothest checkout, allow all Allowance tool calls so your AI does not stop and ask again at every step.
In ChatGPT, connect the Allowance plugin and use @Allowance when you want ChatGPT to shop or create a one-time card. If ChatGPT asks to run an Allowance action, approve that tool call to continue.
In Codex, open the permissions menu beneath the message box and choose Approve for me. For a smoother end-to-end browser checkout, you can choose Full access in a trusted session.
In Claude, go to Customize, then Connectors, then Allowance, then Tool permissions, and choose Always allow for the Allowance tools. If Claude Code continues asking for permission, enter /permissions and allow the Allowance tools there. Bypass permissions removes prompts for every Claude Code tool, not only Allowance, so it is the broader option.
These settings only control what your AI can do with its tools or on your computer. They do not give it permission to spend. Every purchase still requires approval on your phone before Allowance releases payment credentials.
Why am I stuck after approving a purchase?
If the approval page does not open or Allowance remains on 'generating credentials,' Safari may be blocking the card-authentication window.
On your iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Safari, turn Block Pop-ups off, then return to Allowance and try again. On older versions of iOS, Safari may appear directly in the main Settings list.
If it still does not work, email hello@useallowance.com with the merchant, approximate time of the attempt, and your card issuer. Never send your full card number.
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