Privacy.com

KYC bank-linked virtual cards with spend limits and API/MCP controls for AI agents.

privacy.com

KYC: full
US
Evidence and facts →

KYC bank-linked virtual cards with spend limits and API/MCP controls for AI agents.

Common useCapping AI-agent spendVirtual/Physical Card / Developer ToolsOperator dataHosted

Identity checksfull KYCDocument check: full · identity exposure level 4/4

Evidence and riskVerified evidenceCautionMaterial claims checked against current sources.; those sources show trade-offs worth reading.

Last reviewedReviewed 4 Jul 2026KYC checked 4 Jul 2026 · verified jurisdiction · Source → official siteHow to cite this pageEvidence confidence94/100

Evidence and facts

JURISDICTIONUS

CAUTIONStrong spend-control surface, weak identity privacy. Privacy.com, its issuing bank, linked bank account, merchants, API/MCP usage, and transaction logs remain in the payment data path. Use for card-number isolation and hard caps, not for no-KYC financial privacy.

AUDITED BYNo audit listed

OPERATOR DATAHosted operator recorded

EVIDENCE CONFIDENCE

THIRD-PARTY REPORTED1/8

Why evidence is 94/100Formula 3.1

Source coverageMaterial claims checked against current sources: +70
Review ageOldest recorded check is 50 days old: +24

Full scoring method

LAST CHECKED2026-07-04

LAST UPDATED2026-07-04

Specs

DOCUMENT CHECKfull

IDENTITY EXPOSURELevel 4/4

KYC TRIGGERSOfficial FAQ says personal information is required for mandatory KYC before using virtual cards. Developer docs say all end users must pass Customer Identification Program checks before they can transact.

FEEFree domestic personal plan; paid plans from $5/mo; Personal foreign transactions incur fees

NETWORKSVISA, MASTERCARD, ACH, API, MCP

CATEGORIESVirtual/Physical Card, Developer Tools, Private Payments, Agent Money

COMMON USESCapping AI-agent spend, Merchant-locked subscriptions, Reducing merchant card-number exposure

FEATURESVirtual cards, Single-use cards, Merchant-locked cards, Category-locked cards, Spend limits, Pause and close cards, Transaction listing, Developer API, +3 more

TORNot listed

REGIONS1 country: United States

Review analysis, source material, related services, and history

Agent payments

Spend controls and data exposure

Useful for bounding autonomous spend and isolating merchant card numbers, but not anonymous: KYC, US banking, issuer logs, API/MCP activity, and transaction metadata remain linkable.

Payment tools Compare Wallet risks

Current options

API-issued virtual cardvirtual card · cited identity, limits, controls, recovery, and failure path

Protocols

Virtual cardMCPMerchant API

Autonomy3 / scoped spend

CustodyIssuer custody

Approval

API keyMerchant lockCategory lockSession budget

Controls

APICLIMCPDashboard

Limits

Spend limitsYes

Merchant lockYes

Category lockYes

Pause / closeYes

WebhooksYes

Privacy

SettlementBank / Card

FundingBank linked

IdentityFull KYC

Logging riskHigh

RevocationStrong

This is the clearest agent-spend control rail in the set, but it is also the clearest identity-bearing rail: legal identity, linked bank funding, issuer records, card-network records, API/MCP logs, and merchant data all remain in scope.

Where payment data goes

1AI agent
2Privacy API/CLI/MCP
3Privacy.com
4Patriot Bank issuer
5linked US bank account
6card network
7merchant

Sources

About

US bank-linked virtual cards with merchant locks and spend limits, requiring KYC and a US checking account.

Analysis

OVERVIEW

Privacy.com issues merchant-locked and single-use virtual cards with spend limits, pause and close controls, and an API, CLI and MCP server for capping AI-agent payments, with card issuance running through Patriot Bank, N.A.

LIMITS

Mandatory Customer Identification Program checks apply before any card can transact, and the record describes this as a spend-control tool rather than a no-KYC privacy rail: identity, the linked US bank account, issuer records and transaction logs all remain in the payment data path.

USEFUL FOR

US residents wanting card-number isolation and hard spend caps, including for AI-agent purchases, rather than identity-free payment.

Sources · reviewed 2026-07-16

Official site ↗

Corporate identity

Registry-sourced, not audited. The facts below come from cited web research rather than a direct registry query. Each claim links its own source.

LEGAL ENTITY: Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com)source ↗
INCORPORATED IN: Delawaresource ↗
REGISTERED ADDRESS: 228 Park Ave S, PMB 57488, New York, NY 10003-1502, United Statessource ↗

Registry research · reviewed 2026-08-08

We wrote about this

Privacy.com MCP Is Spend Control, Not Anonymity

Frequently Asked Questions

Is identity verification required?

The recorded KYC level is "full". Official FAQ says personal information is required for mandatory KYC before using virtual cards. Developer docs say all end users must pass Customer Identification Program checks before they can transact.

Which payment methods are accepted?

Accepted payment methods: VISA, MASTERCARD, ACH, API, MCP.

Where is it available?

Recorded availability: US.

Is the operator based in a Five Eyes country?

Yes. The recorded jurisdiction is US, a Five Eyes country (US, UK, CA, AU, NZ). This is jurisdiction context and does not by itself establish that a service is safer or less safe.

How are identity, operator, and evidence fields reported?

Identity exposure is level 4 of 4. A hosted operator is recorded. Jurisdiction is shown as context, not a safety verdict. Evidence confidence is 94/100 and recorded risk is caution.

Which payment networks are supported?

Accepted networks: VISA, MASTERCARD, ACH, API, MCP.

Related Services

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Gift cards, top-ups and eSIMs bought with crypto.

Evidence94 Light KYC

About Visit ↗

BTCPay Serverbtcpayserver.orgbtcpayserver.org · Merchants · JP

Self-hosted Bitcoin and Lightning payments.

Evidence59 Zero KYC

About Visit ↗

CheapGPTcheapgp.selly.storecheapgp.selly.store · Privacy Tools · ??

Storefront for AI subscriptions and vouchers.

Evidence66 Light KYCCaution

About Visit ↗

Sources and history

Terms and privacy policy

No changes to the documents we watch since we started checking on 8 Aug 2026. Last checked 9 Aug 2026.

Service history

Latest meaningful changes to the facts shown on this provider page.

9 Aug 2026
Corporate registry information updated
Corporate / Entity type
8 Aug 2026
Corporate registry information updated
Corporate
6 Aug 2026
Provider presentation updated
Evidence status, Recorded risk, Trust level

Full service history

9 Aug 2026updated
Corporate registry information updated
Corporate / Entity type
not setcompany
Review source: official site · public history entry
8 Aug 2026updated
Corporate registry information updated
Corporate
not setLegal entity: Lithic, Inc. (d/b/a Privacy.com); Incorporation jurisdiction: Delaware; Registered address: 228 Park Ave S, PMB 57488, New York, NY 10003-1502, United States; Officers: none; Prior entities: none
Review source: official site · public history entry
8 Aug 2026updated
Provider summary rewritten
Description
US bank-linked virtual card platform for merchant-locked and single-use cards, spend limits, and AI-agent payment control through API, CLI, and MCP surfaces. Requires KYC/CIP, US legal residency, and a US checking account, so it is a spend-control tool rather than a no-KYC privacy rail.US bank-linked virtual cards with merchant locks and spend limits, requiring KYC and a US checking account.
Review source: official site · public history entry
7 Aug 2026updated
Provider summary rewritten
Card summary
not setUS virtual cards locked to a single merchant.
Review source: official site · public history entry
6 Aug 2026updated
Provider presentation updated
Evidence status
not setverified
Recorded risk
not setcaution
Trust level
cautionnot set
Review source: official site · public history entry
5 Jul 2026updated
Harden agent money privacy lane
Agent money / Mandate logging risk
not sethigh
Agent money / Revocation quality
not setstrong
Agent money / Source links
not setLabel: Privacy.com homepage; Href: https://www.privacy.com/; Scope: provider, Label: Privacy agent controls; Href: https://agents.privacy.com/; Scope: controls, Label: Privacy MCP announcement; Href: https://www.privacy.com/blog/privacy-mcp-connect-ai-assistant-privacy-account; Scope: protocol
Review source: official site · public history entry
5 Jul 2026updated
Expand agent money privacy surface
Agent money / Authorization model
not setapi-key, merchant-lock, category-lock, session-budget
Agent money / Autonomy level
not set3
Agent money / Custody model
not setissuer-custody
Agent money / Protocol privacy notes
not setThis is the clearest agent-spend control rail in the set, but it is also the clearest identity-bearing rail: legal identity, linked bank funding, issuer records, card-network records, API/MCP logs, and merchant data all remain in scope.
Agent money / Protocols
not setvirtual-card, mcp, merchant-api
Agent money / Settlement rail
not setbank, card
Review source: official site · public history entry
4 Jul 2026created
Add agent money privacy lane
Provider profile
not setcreated
Review source: official site · public history entry

Only fields shown on the provider page are tracked. Private identifiers are never published.

Evidence basis: Claims on this page are linked to published sources for comparison, not certification, audit, endorsement, or recommendation; read the methodology and coverage map before relying on an entry.