How AI Allowance works

Step 1: How do I connect my card?

You save your own Visa or Mastercard once in a secure card form run by our payment partner. Your full card number goes straight to them, not to us and not to your AI. We only keep a label like “Visa ending 4242” so you can tell your cards apart.

Before connecting a card, you verify your identity once. This protects you if someone else tries to use your account.

Step 2: How do I set an allowance?

An allowance is a spending limit for one AI. You choose how much it can spend, how often the limit resets, which kinds of stores it can use, and when it ends. You can also ask to approve anything over a certain amount. We show a plain-English summary before you confirm.

• How much: for example $50.
• How often: one time, every week, or every month.
• Where: store types like groceries, books or travel — or one single store.
• Ask me first over: an optional amount that needs your OK.
• Ends on: the date the allowance stops working.

Step 3: How does my AI shop within it?

When your AI is ready to pay, it asks AI Allowance for a card number. If the purchase fits your allowance, it receives a one-time card number good only for that payment. If it doesn't fit, the request is declined. Either way, you get an alert about it.

What is a one-time card number?

A one-time card number is a temporary Visa or Mastercard number created for a single payment. It is linked to your real card but is not your real card number. Once it has been used, or once it expires, it stops working, so it cannot be reused by your AI or anyone else.

What happens if my AI tries to spend more than I allowed?

The purchase is declined. Your limit is enforced by Visa and Mastercard, not by the AI, so the AI cannot talk its way past it. You'll see the attempt in your activity feed marked “Declined — over limit”, and you can raise the allowance yourself if you want to.

How does “ask me first” work?

If you set an “ask me first” amount, any purchase above it waits for you. We send you an alert, and the purchase shows as “Waiting for your OK” in your dashboard. You tap Approve or Decline. Nothing is charged until you approve. Text alerts for this are part of the Personal plan.

How does the off switch work?

Every AI has a large on/off switch on your dashboard. Turning it off stops that AI from getting new card numbers straight away. In Alerts & settings there is also a “Pause all AIs” button that stops every AI at once. You can turn them back on whenever you like.