Synchrony and OpenAI plan in-chat credit card payments

The collaboration marks a significant push by a major U.S. consumer lender to embed financing and payment capabilities into generative AI. Currently, users exploring products through AI agents are typically redirected to retailer websites to finalize purchases. By partnering with payment processors like Visa and Stripe, OpenAI intends to keep the shopping journey contained within the chat environment.

Synchrony’s chief strategy officer, Maran Nalluswami, noted that integrating general-purpose cards into the ecosystem will likely require six to 12 months. Private label store cards, which are tied to specific retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Lowe’s, present more complex coordination hurdles and may take longer to implement. Beyond technical challenges, consumer trust remains a hurdle, as many remain wary of entrusting credit card data to AI systems. Furthermore, the financial structure of these transactions—specifically how costs are split between retailers, payment issuers, and OpenAI—remains under negotiation. Synchrony is simultaneously exploring similar integrations with other platforms, including Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude.