VGS Is Live with Agentic Tokens and Already Provisioning Millions

What are agentic tokens?

An agentic token is a scoped digital payment credential issued for an AI agent. It represents an underlying card, with embedded rules about how, where, and by which agent it may be used. Agentic tokens are tangible or digital markers of autonomy and empowerment that enable AI agents to execute tasks or transactions within predefined parameters.

Agentic tokens build on the foundation of network tokens. A network token answers the question “which card is this?” An agentic token also answers “what are they allowed to do?”

An agentic token is a network-issued credential that links a tokenized card to:

• A specific AI agent. The token is tied to the agent’s identity, so a transaction can be traced to the agent that initiated it.
• A specific scope. The token can be limited to certain merchants, categories, or spending limits. The token reflects what the cardholder actually authorized, such as “buy this item up to this amount.”
• A specific user. The token also includes user identification and verification requirements, such as passkeys.

That binding is what makes autonomous purchasing workable. Merchants, networks, and issuers can all see that a trusted agent is acting within the limits the cardholder set, not simply that “someone” has the cardholder’s details.

How agentic tokens work

The specifics vary by network, but the flow generally looks like this:

1. The cardholder grants permission. A person connects a card to an AI agent or platform and sets limits on what the agent may do, such as budgets, merchants, or purchase types.
2. The token is provisioned. The card is enrolled with the card network via a token service provider such as VGS, and the network issues an agentic token. The real PAN stays protected.
3. The agent shops and gets its credential. When the agent finds something to buy, it obtains a transaction credential, typically the agentic token plus a single-use cryptogram or dynamic code, after the applicable consent and authentication checks. It then uses that credential at checkout instead of a card number.
4. The merchant processes the payment. The merchant receives the token and the supporting data, never the underlying card number.
5. The network validates and routes; the issuer authorizes. The merchant submits the payment through its processor or acquirer. The card network then performs the applicable token and credential checks, such as confirming that the token is valid, that the agent is recognized, and that the transaction falls within the permitted scope. As part of that processing, it maps the token to the underlying card and routes the authorization request to the issuer, who approves or declines it.
6. Controls stay in force. The cardholder can adjust or revoke permissions, and the token stops working outside its limits.

Because the token carries identity and intent, a stolen token is far less useful to a fraudster. The controls, such as authentication and scope limits, reduce the usefulness of stolen credentials and restrict payments to the cardholder’s approved scope.

Why provisioning is the hardest part

Provisioning agentic tokens takes direct network connectivity, certification, and the operational discipline to manage tokens across their lifecycle. Each network has its own program, formats, and requirements. That’s where VGS comes in.

Why work with VGS to enable agentic tokens

Agentic commerce is already running on VGS. Agentic tokens are in production, processing real transactions for AI platforms, merchants, and fintechs.

You integrate once. VGS gives you a single integration across networks, so you don’t build and maintain a separate connection each time a new agent, wallet, or protocol appears.

Security is built in. Agentic tokens replace sensitive card data with scoped, verifiable credentials. Paired with the PCI-compliant VGS Vault, your teams can collect, protect, and route payment data without carrying that data themselves.

You stay processor-agnostic. VGS isn’t tied to a single payment service provider, so you keep control of your payments strategy as the ecosystem changes.

Why scale matters

Agentic tokens are only as useful as the infrastructure behind them. VGS has spent years building that foundation as a token service provider and vault, which is why about 1/3 of US e-commerce relies on VGS infrastructure and why some of the world’s most recognizable enterprises choose VGS.

Being the largest independent provider of agentic tokens reflects that work, and it’s a head start for every customer who builds on us.

Discover is the next step for agentic token innovation

Discover support is on the way, bringing agentic tokens across all four major U.S. card networks onto a single platform. We’ll share more as we get closer to launch.