PayPal is dangling one of the most sought-after artificial-intelligence tools in front of its customers, offering a 12-month free subscription to Perplexity Pro and an invitation to the start-up’s new Comet browser.

The promotion, announced on Wednesday, is available immediately to US PayPal and Venmo users and will expand to selected international markets later this month.

Perplexity normally charges 200 dollars a year, or 20 dollars a month, for the Pro tier. Comet, launched in July, builds those AI capabilities directly into a Chromium-based browser, letting users quiz an on-screen sidebar, summarise pages or carry out tasks such as booking travel. The offer is one of the first features inside PayPal’s new subscriptions hub, a dashboard designed to let customers view and manage recurring payments in one place. PayPal is sweetening the hub’s debut with a separate 50-dollar cash-back deal for anyone who links and pays for three subscriptions through the service.

Explaining the tie-up, Diego Scotti, general manager of PayPal’s consumer group, said the partnership “gives PayPal and Venmo customers early access to one of the most anticipated AI browsers and dynamic subscriptions… helping them navigate their financial lives with greater simplicity, added convenience, and even more rewards”.

Ryan Foutty, vice president of business at Perplexity, added that Comet “is like a personal shopper and personal assistant all in one, so we’re excited that PayPal users will have early access… we’re arming PayPal and Venmo customers with powerful, accurate AI that’s useful throughout their daily lives”.

For PayPal, which counted more than 430 million active accounts at the end of June, the arrangement could draw users back into its mobile apps and spotlight a hub intended to curb subscription “leakage” by making it easier to cancel or swap payment cards. Perplexity meanwhile gains exposure to a vast audience as it tries to prise attention away from bigger search rivals and a crowded field of AI browsers.

Users can redeem the offer through banners inside the PayPal and Venmo apps or, in selected overseas markets, by choosing PayPal at checkout on Perplexity’s website. Unless cancelled, the subscription will automatically renew at the prevailing rate after the complimentary year ends. A mobile version of Comet is in development, and Perplexity has been in talks with handset makers to pre-install the software.

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