---
title: "Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), defined | Agent Ready Checkout"
description: "Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M): Mastercard's service for machine-to-machine purchases of digital services, built on x402 and settling across cards."
canonical: https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/agent-pay-for-machines-ap4m
site: "Agent Ready Checkout"
last_updated: 2026-11-04
section: "Glossary"
---

# Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), defined | Agent Ready Checkout

> Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M): Mastercard's service for machine-to-machine purchases of digital services, built on x402 and settling across cards.

Source: https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/agent-pay-for-machines-ap4m
Site: Agent Ready Checkout
Last reviewed: 2026-11-04

Glossary

# Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M)

In short

Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M): Mastercard's service for machine-to-machine purchases of digital services, built on x402 and settling across cards, accounts and stablecoins. Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M) appears in 14 sourced facts on this site, the first in Mastercard Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M). Example: Early Access opened on 20 Oct 2026 with a sandbox and toolkit.

## Definition

Mastercard's service for machine-to-machine purchases of digital services, built on x402 and settling across cards, accounts and stablecoins.

## Example

Early Access opened on 20 Oct 2026 with a sandbox and toolkit. [mastercard.com](https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/october/Mastercard-Agent-Pay-for-Machines-in-action.html), read 4 Nov 2026.

## Where it appears in the sourced facts

-   Mastercard launched Agent Pay for Machines on 10 Jun 2026 for permissioned, orchestrated machine payments settled across cards, accounts and stablecoins. [mastercard.com](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/june/mastercard-launches-agent-pay-for-machines.html), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Mastercard Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/agent-pay-for-machines).
-   AP4M names four capabilities: credentialing (with Verifiable Intent), permissioning (programmatic rules and spend limits), transacting and settling. [mastercard.com](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/june/mastercard-launches-agent-pay-for-machines.html), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Mastercard Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/agent-pay-for-machines).
-   On 20 Oct 2026 at Cloudflare Connect, Mastercard said AP4M builds on x402 and opened Early Access with buyer- and seller-side APIs, a toolkit, sandbox and documentation. [mastercard.com](https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/october/Mastercard-Agent-Pay-for-Machines-in-action.html), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Mastercard Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/agent-pay-for-machines).
-   Mastercard Agent Pay for Machines builds on x402 (20 Oct 2026). [mastercard.com](https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/october/Mastercard-Agent-Pay-for-Machines-in-action.html), read 4 Nov 2026. In [x402](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/x402).
-   AP4M credentials agents "with Verifiable Intent" (10 Jun 2026). [mastercard.com](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/june/mastercard-launches-agent-pay-for-machines.html), read 4 Nov 2026. In [Verifiable Intent (VI)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/verifiable-intent).

## Nearby terms

-   [Know Your Agent (KYA)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/know-your-agent-kya)
-   [Amex ACE](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/amex-ace)
-   [Probability score (agent)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary/probability-score-agent)
-   [All terms](https://agentreadycheckout.com/glossary)

## Sources

1.  [Watch Mastercard Agent Pay for Machines in action](https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/october/Mastercard-Agent-Pay-for-Machines-in-action.html), read 4 Nov 2026
2.  [Mastercard launches Agent Pay for Machines](https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/june/mastercard-launches-agent-pay-for-machines.html), read 4 Nov 2026

Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026

## Edition

Matrix edition of 4 Nov 2026.

Reviewed 4 Nov 2026, [2 sources](#sources-h).

## Method

[How cells, sources and read dates are defined](https://agentreadycheckout.com/method)