EDITORIAL ARTICLE
Checkout.com: Scoped Payment Credentials for AI Commerce
Type: Merchant payment processing and ACP delegated payment API. Audience: AI platforms and enterprise merchants. Sources reviewed: October 28, 2026. API not tested.
After a shopper selects a product in chat, how can an AI platform pass payment capability to a merchant without giving the shopping agent the user’s card number? Checkout.com’s ACP interface addresses that question with a scoped, single-use delegated payment token for enabled merchants to process.
Background and market position
Checkout.com processes online payments for businesses. In November 2025 it announced adoption of the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) to help merchants connect to AI shopping and checkout. Its ACP API is marked Beta and asks AI platforms to contact the company for access. It is a merchant and platform integration, not a standalone agent wallet available to everyone. ACP announcement · API reference
From approval to delegated credential
The documentation says the token-creation request includes a card payment method, allowance, risk signals and metadata; a signature and timestamp protect request integrity. Example allowance fields include maximum amount, currency, merchant ID, checkout session and expiry. The interface can express these constraints; this does not mean every agent may call it or that every downstream system enforces every limit. The docs also describe optional idempotency keys and a possible 403 for merchants not enabled. Test those cases. API reference
| Dimension | What public material says | What remains to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Agent permission | Scoped, single-use token | How user consent is obtained; how amount and expiry are enforced |
| Card data | The platform supplies a payment method to a controlled interface; the merchant processes the token | Which systems see card data and their PCI responsibilities |
| Merchant access | AI platform onboarding and merchant enablement | Supported regions, platforms, merchants and payment methods |
| Transaction protection | Risk signals and request integrity checks | Issuer approval, refund, chargeback and allocation of responsibility |
| Duplicate requests | Optional idempotency key | End-to-end retry and abnormal-order recovery |
Creating a token is not payment completion. An issuer may decline, an order may fail, and the merchant still handles fulfillment and support. Checkout.com’s merchant FAQ says the merchant usually remains merchant of record and bears fraud, chargeback and dispute responsibilities related to the existing model; contracts and network rules govern individual transactions. FAQ
Business model and competition
Checkout.com’s merchant business is based on processing and related services. The cited materials do not provide a universal public ACP-specific price, AI-platform charge or revenue share. Bringing merchant processing into AI channels could help retain transaction volume; that is an inference, not disclosed agent revenue.
Stripe SPT and Checkout.com’s token both scope delegated payment credentials, but lifecycle, supported platforms, merchant eligibility, risk signals, contracts and payment methods may differ. Visa TAP focuses more on trusted agent-merchant communication; Checkout.com’s interface creates a credential for a merchant to process. The two can occupy different parts of a payment chain.
Before integrating, verify beta and merchant eligibility, token limits and revocation, payment failure and idempotency, and responsibility for refunds, disputes, customer support and risk controls.
Who is responsible for an API request?
The example places the selected card payment method and platform-supplied allowance in a protected request. The API describes maximum amount, currency, merchant, checkout session and expiry, with a signature, timestamp and risk signals. Its token is a delegated credential for supported merchants. A spending limit may constrain use, but whether a purchase matches user intent also depends on the platform, merchant and authorization evidence. ACP API
Suppose a user agrees to buy shoes for at most $100 but the final merchant total is $105. The parties must determine whether to adjust, reauthorize or reject. General allowance and validation documentation does not prove that every tax-change scenario is handled automatically. A token can be created and the issuer can still decline; the merchant should not treat token creation as payment success.
Failure handling matters
- Credential creation fails: Check platform authentication, timestamp signature and fields; the docs list responses including 400, 401 and 422.
- Merchant not enabled: The docs list 403; verify merchant-platform enablement instead of blindly retrying.
- Network interruption: Record the idempotency key, check the original operation and retry according to the API contract. The same key with a different request body may yield 409.
- Payment approved but order fails: Reconcile order and payment states; decide whether to void or refund under the contract.
- Dispute: Connect user authorization, agent, order, token constraints and payment result for the merchant, providers and networks to handle under applicable rules.
This checklist combines documented responses with the usual order lifecycle. The API reference does not fully establish interfaces and responsibilities for the final two cases. API reference
Separate buyer price, merchant proceeds and platform fees
The consumer’s order total, merchant settlement proceeds and Checkout.com’s service revenue are three different figures. Payment method, network, FX, refund and contract may change merchant costs. Even for a $100 order with several fees, do not label them all Checkout.com agent-product revenue. No universal ACP-specific rate was confirmed. Request a written quote for actual transaction geography, card type, volume and dispute conditions.
First verify whether the same merchant and agent platform can integrate, then compare retries, risk signals and merchant control. Comparing only “single-use tokens” can miss order integrity and support. Merchant FAQ
Sources
- ACP API reference: Beta, fields and errors.
- Checkout.com ACP announcement.
- Agentic commerce FAQ.