Crossmint launches Visa powered card payments API for AI agents

Crossmint launched a public agentic card payments API using Visa Intelligent Commerce and Basis Theory, giving developers a way to enable eligible US issued Visa credit and debit cardholders to use their cards inside AI agent systems.

The launch addresses a key gap in agentic commerce. As AI agents become more common in consumer and business products, developers have lacked widely adopted payment methods that work with existing card networks while maintaining proper security controls.

Crossmint said that without those rails, some builders have relied on improvised payment flows that can expose credentials or increase misuse risk.

The API allows end users to access Visa Intelligent Commerce Connect to create tokenized credentials linked to existing Visa cards. These credentials can be used by agents without exposing the underlying card number or CVC, while spending limits help restrict what agents can do.

Crossmint said the system protects card details through tokenization and vaulting mechanisms, while payment data is handled under applicable PCI compliance requirements.

Basis Theory serves as the credential layer, vaulting real card numbers, CVCs, and tokenized credentials outside the agent environment so agents only receive scoped permissions needed for a transaction.

The product is also live inside lobster.cash, Crossmint’s payment solution for AI agents. Lobster.cash can be installed as a tool in agent platforms including Claude Code, OpenClaw, Hermes, and Zo Computer, giving agents the ability to pay for goods and services through controlled payment access.

Crossmint co founder Alfonso Gómez Jordana Mañas said agentic commerce has been missing a secure, open payment layer that can work across platforms. Visa Growth Products and Partnerships VP Tanner Riche said secure authorization and user control will be critical as consumers begin delegating tasks to AI agents.

The launch adds to the growing push to build payment infrastructure for AI agents as developers prepare for software that can transact globally and at scale.

Crossmint, Visa, and Basis Theory are positioning the API as a way to bring card based payments into agentic commerce without handing raw payment details to autonomous systems.