Checkout.com Launches Visa Payment Passkey for Merchants
The integration replaces manual one-time passcodes with biometric authentication to secure human and AI agent transactions.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Checkout.com has launched Visa Payment Passkey for merchants, replacing traditional one-time passcodes with biometric device authentication. This service is currently rolling out to selected merchants across the UK and Europe.
Why it matters
The deployment aims to reduce friction in online transactions while providing a necessary security layer to verify both human users and emerging AI shopping agents.
The system requires zero additional checkout flows, integrating directly into existing infrastructure to replace manual codes with local device biometrics. It further supports the Visa Trusted Agent Protocol to distinguish human users from automated AI agents.
The players
Checkout.com
A global payment processing platform that provides merchants with modular infrastructure for online transactions and authentication.
Visa
A global payments technology company that develops authentication protocols and secure digital transaction standards.
The details
Visa Payment Passkey functions by linking the cardholder’s device unlock method, such as a fingerprint scan or facial recognition, directly to the authentication process. By utilizing FIDO-based standards, the system confirms identity locally on the user's hardware rather than transmitting sensitive codes. This infrastructure is also designed to accommodate the Visa Trusted Agent Protocol, which provides a framework for verifying the identity of autonomous shopping agents interacting with merchant systems.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: Checkout.com announced the launch of Visa Payment Passkey.
The Tech Race
This rollout aligns with the industry-wide move toward passwordless authentication frameworks defined by the FIDO Alliance. It marks a critical step in enabling secure AI-driven commerce by establishing verifiable identity protocols for autonomous shopping agents.
Users shopping at participating merchants in the UK and Europe will soon be able to authenticate purchases using their standard face or fingerprint unlock methods. This change removes the need for manual one-time passcodes, provided the merchant has enabled the integration.
The takeaway
The transition to biometric-based transaction verification is now moving from concept to merchant-facing deployment. Watch for the adoption rates of the Visa Trusted Agent Protocol among major retailers as a primary indicator of how quickly AI-based shopping agents will gain mainstream merchant support.
Further reading
For more on how identity verification is evolving for automated systems, see Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Financial IT.
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