Credit: Shutterstock
How PayPal’s Honey is stepping into the AI shopping era with smarter deals and real-time recommendations?
Shopping online is about to feel a whole lot easier—and smarter. PayPal announced that its Honey browser extension is getting a major upgrade, bringing its deal-finding superpowers into the world of AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
Here’s what that means in plain English: if you’re chatting with your favorite AI assistant about what to buy—say, a new pair of headphones or a kitchen gadget—Honey will now step in to show you real-time pricing, product links, and even extra deals you might otherwise miss.
So instead of juggling multiple tabs and comparing stores yourself, you’ll see AI-driven recommendations alongside Honey’s signature discounts and offers. And if the AI leaves out a big retailer, Honey can flag those extra options so you don’t miss out.
PayPal says this is all part of its bigger push into what it calls “agentic commerce”—essentially letting smart software do the shopping grunt work for you. Earlier this month, PayPal also teamed up with Google on similar efforts, and the company has more experiments in the pipeline, including partnerships with newer players like Perplexity and the launch of its Comet browser.
The move comes at a pivotal moment. AI assistants are quickly evolving from chat companions into full-on shopping advisors. Just this week, OpenAI revealed plans for its own shopping system, complete with instant checkout and merchant integrations. That could make AI a serious competitor to services like Honey, which until now thrived in the web-browsing world.
Still, Honey’s new integration positions it to stay relevant in this AI-driven shopping era, giving consumers the tools to compare prices and unlock personalized offers without leaving their AI chats.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing, though. Honey has recently faced criticism after a popular YouTuber accused it of cutting influencers out of commissions, sparking lawsuits and some negative headlines. But with these new AI features, PayPal seems determined to remind shoppers why Honey became popular in the first place—helping people save money while making online shopping less of a hassle.
Bottom line? Whether you’re bargain hunting or just trying to shop smarter, the next time you ask ChatGPT (or another AI assistant) for advice on what to buy, don’t be surprised if Honey shows up with a deal in hand.
