Use cases

Shopping with Muse: how it finds, buys and returns things

Meta pitches Muse as a shopper that finds deals, checks out, tracks prices and handles returns, with your approval at each purchase. Here’s how the checkout and payments actually work, what protects you if something goes wrong, and which big stores won’t let it in.

By Published Facts checked 2026-10-06

Quick answer

Muse can shop for you, but it never buys without your OK. You first add Link by Stripe or Shop Pay in Settings → Wallet. Muse then browses stores, compares prices and prepares the checkout, then asks you to approve the total before anything is paid. Payment runs through Stripe’s Link: at stores that accept Link it uses your saved method; elsewhere Link creates a one-time card number, so neither the store nor Muse sees your real card. Meta also says Muse tracks prices, buys and sells on Marketplace, and files returns. The catch: Amazon blocks Muse, some named partners blocked it in NBC News tests, and Muse’s terms put the risk of a wrong purchase on you.

How we checked

TestedWe opened Settings → Wallet on our own account (October 6, 2026), tried Amazon (October 1) and checked the connector list (September 30). Not testedWe haven’t made a purchase. The rest comes from Meta’s and Stripe’s own pages, Muse’s terms and news reports, checked October 6, 2026. See how we label evidence.

What Muse can do when shopping

Per MetaMeta’s shopping page lists four jobs:1

Find deals
Uses its browser to research and compare prices across retailers.
Marketplace
Watches Facebook Marketplace, alerts you to matches, “offers and negotiates for you,” and can list and sell your things.
Track prices
Notifies you when an item, ticket or flight drops to the price you set.
Returns and refunds
Works through merchant support, files returns and disputes, and follows up, “all with your approval.”

How checkout works

  1. Add a payment methodSettings → Wallet → Add, next to Link by Stripe or Shop Pay (see below).
  2. You askDescribe what you want and your limits, for example “running shoes under $120, size 10, delivered by Friday.”
  3. Muse searchesIt browses retailers and suggests listings in the Muse app.
  4. Muse prepares the orderIt fills the cart and checkout on the store’s site.
  5. You approveStripe says: “For every purchase, consumers are asked to approve the transaction total directly in the chat interface.”3
  6. PaymentAt more than 1 million stores that accept Link, Muse pays with your saved Link method. Everywhere else, “Link issues Muse a single-use virtual card scoped to the approved purchase.”3

Per Meta“A one-time card number is generated at checkout so your real card is never seen by the merchant or your agent.”8 Meta also announced Shop Pay and PayPal for payments; Stripe says Link for Muse is for US consumers.23

Per MetaMeta’s payments help page lists two ways to pay: “Paying with Link by Stripe (recommended)” or logging into your account on the store’s site and paying with a saved card. Either way, Muse “will always ask for your approval prior to completing a purchase.” Meta adds that “purchasing ability may vary based on your location.”9

What the Wallet offers

TestedOn October 6, 2026, Settings → Wallet said: “Add payment methods to allow [your Muse] to make secure purchases and transactions for you.” It listed two payment methods, Link by Stripe and Shop Pay, each with an Add button. PayPal and Meta Pay weren’t offered on our account. Payments live here, not in the connectors list.

Muse Settings, Wallet: Payment methods, Link by Stripe with an Add button and Shop Pay with an Add button
Settings → Wallet on our account (web app), October 6, 2026. Nothing added; our Muse’s name is cropped out.

For how approvals look in practice, see the real approval prompt from our email test.

Which stores work

Muse and major US retailers (October 2026)
StoreStatus
Walmart, Best Buy, Sephora, Gap, Wayfair, Ulta, American Eagle, DICK’S, Fanatics, Michael KorsPer MetaNamed as shopping partners at Connect 20262
Shopify storesPer Meta“Access to the entire Shopify catalogue”2
Instacart, ExpediaAnnouncedExpedia “coming soon”2
AmazonTestedBlocked (our test, October 1). Details
Walmart and some othersReportedNBC News: “In NBC News tests, some retailers blocked the AI product,” headlined as Amazon and Walmart (September 29)6

Partnership announcements and what works on a given day don’t always match. If a store fails, ask Muse to try another retailer; it offered Walmart, Best Buy and Newegg when Amazon blocked it in our test.

What protects you

  • Per MetaApproval every time. Purchases need your OK, and Muse keeps “a complete audit trail of everything your agent has done.”8
  • Per MetaLink purchase protection. Meta says eligible purchases are covered by Link’s purchase protections, “a first for AI agents.”8 Link lists up to $500 per claim for damage, loss and theft, $250 for no-fee returns and $500 for price protection, US only, handled by XCover.5
  • Per MetaThe risk is still yours. Muse’s terms say you “bear all risks of financial loss,” must set limits and dispute errors with your bank or payment provider, and that Meta isn’t liable for “unintentional transactions.” Meta’s liability is capped at $250 or what you paid Meta in the previous 12 months, whichever is greater, with exceptions for gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud.4

Who pays for it

ReportedAt Connect 2026, Mark Zuckerberg said Muse would be “free for a huge number of tokens with the expectation that over time we will profit by taking a small fee from transactions.” Reports say the fee is paid by merchants, not shoppers; Meta hasn’t published the rate.7 Shopping tasks still use your weekly Muse allowance. Usage limits.

Tips before you let Muse buy

  • Give limits up front: a maximum price, brand, size and delivery date.
  • Read the approval request line by line: item, quantity, shipping and total.
  • Start small with a low-cost order before anything expensive.
  • Check the audit trail afterwards, and keep the order email.
  • Watch for bot checks: Muse won’t solve CAPTCHAs, so you may need to finish a step yourself. Fixes.

Sources

  1. Muse for Shopping Meta · checked Oct 6, 2026
  2. The biggest news from Connect 2026 Meta Newsroom · Sept 2026 · checked Oct 6, 2026
  3. Stripe helps Muse shop across the internet with Link Stripe · Sept 8, 2026
  4. Muse Supplemental Terms of Service Meta · updated Sept 8, 2026 · checked Oct 6, 2026
  5. What’s covered with protections? Link Support · checked Oct 6, 2026
  6. Big Tech’s AI agents are fighting over your shopping cart NBC News · Sept 29, 2026
  7. Zuckerberg reveals Muse will take a “fee from transactions” First For Money via Yahoo Finance · Sept 24, 2026
  8. Muse product page Meta · checked Oct 6, 2026
  9. How Muse works with payments Meta Help Center · checked Oct 6, 2026

Last checked: 2026-10-06. Store support changes quickly; tell us what worked or failed for you.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a payment method to Muse?

Open Settings → Wallet. When we checked on October 6, 2026, it offered two payment methods to add: Link by Stripe and Shop Pay. PayPal wasn’t listed yet.

Can Meta Muse buy things for me?

Yes, with your approval. Meta says Muse finds items, prepares the checkout and asks you to approve each purchase. Payment goes through Stripe’s Link, which gives Muse a one-time card number so the store and the agent never see your real card.13

Which stores does Muse shop at?

Meta names Walmart, Best Buy, Sephora, Gap, Wayfair, Ulta and others as partners, plus the Shopify catalog. But Amazon blocks Muse, and NBC News found that some partner retailers, including Walmart, also blocked it in its tests.26

Does Muse charge a fee for shopping?

Not to shoppers, according to reports. Mark Zuckerberg said Meta will profit “by taking a small fee from transactions,” and reports say merchants pay it.7

What if Muse buys the wrong thing?

Check the details before you approve. Muse’s terms say you bear the risk of financial loss and must dispute errors with your bank or payment provider; Meta’s liability is capped at $250 or what you paid Meta in the past year, whichever is greater. Eligible Link purchases also have Link’s purchase protections in the US.45