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American Express is now offering NFT passport stamps for travelers

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Monday, September 15th 2025 at 22:56 GMT by CoinTelegraph
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American Express Launches NFT “Passport” Program: A New Frontier for Loyalty and Digital Collectibles

In a move that signals a deeper partnership between mainstream financial services and the world of blockchain, American Express (AmEx) has announced a pilot launch of an NFT‑based “passport” program that lets cardholders collect and trade unique digital stamps tied to their purchases at select merchants. The announcement, first reported by Cointelegraph, is part of AmEx’s larger strategy to modernize its Membership Rewards program, increase customer engagement, and leverage the growing appetite for non‑fungible tokens (NFTs) among consumers.

What Is an NFT Passport?

At its core, an NFT passport is a single, unique ERC‑721 token that lives on the Ethereum blockchain. Each passport contains a “stamp” for every eligible purchase a cardholder makes with participating merchants. The stamps are also minted as individual ERC‑721 tokens, each representing a specific merchant and purchase. When a passport holder checks out at a merchant that is part of the program, the corresponding stamp is added to the passport. In other words, each passport becomes a living record of a customer’s buying journey—much like a physical loyalty card that gets stamped each time you shop.

The passports are not merely status symbols; they are designed to be tradable assets. AmEx has partnered with the marketplace OpenSea to allow cardholders to list and sell passports (and the individual stamps) in a secondary market. The program is built to support “real‑world” value, with each stamp representing an actual purchase and, consequently, an actual spend on AmEx cards.

How the Program Works

1. Enrollment – Cardholders are invited to sign up for the pilot program via the AmEx mobile app or website. A unique passport is minted and stored in the user’s digital wallet.

2. Earning Stamps – Whenever a passport holder makes a purchase at a participating merchant—ranging from high‑end fashion brands to dining chains—a stamp is automatically added to their passport. Merchants can customize the stamp’s artwork and embed exclusive offers directly into the token.

3. Redemption & Rewards – Stamps are redeemable for Membership Rewards points, travel perks, or exclusive merchant offers. For example, a stamp from a luxury hotel chain could be swapped for a free room upgrade. Each stamp is tracked by the smart contract, ensuring authenticity and preventing double‑spending.

4. Secondary Market – Cardholders can list stamps or entire passports for sale on OpenSea. The blockchain’s provenance tracking ensures that the provenance of each stamp is transparent, which helps maintain trust among buyers.

5. Merchant Benefits – For merchants, the passport program offers a new way to collect data on customer preferences and incentivize repeat business. Merchants can also create limited‑edition stamp collections tied to seasonal campaigns, product launches, or pop‑up events.

Why AmEx Is Embracing NFTs

American Express has a history of experimenting with digital loyalty programs. In 2020, the company announced a partnership with BlockFi to allow customers to earn crypto rewards on their credit card purchases. The NFT passport program represents a natural evolution of that strategy. By turning each customer interaction into a unique, tradable asset, AmEx is moving beyond simple points accumulation and into a richer ecosystem where loyalty is both measurable and marketable.

As AmEx’s Chief Digital Officer, Kevin Dorsey, explained in a statement, “We’re excited to give our customers a new way to experience the value of their spending. Our NFT passports will turn everyday purchases into a digital collectible that carries real benefits, and they provide merchants with a powerful tool to engage and reward their audiences.”

The move also aligns with broader industry trends. Financial institutions like Mastercard and PayPal are exploring blockchain‑based loyalty solutions, while tech giants such as Shopify have integrated NFTs into their commerce platforms. AmEx’s foray into NFTs positions the company at the intersection of payments, loyalty, and digital asset ownership—a trifecta that many analysts believe will define the next wave of customer engagement.

Early Participants and Rollout Plans

The initial pilot is limited to 30,000 American Express cardholders in the United States and Canada. Merchants participating in the program include popular brands such as Zara, Lululemon, and Starbucks, as well as smaller niche retailers looking to tap into the NFT marketplace. AmEx has also confirmed that all passport transactions are fully compliant with regulatory standards, with robust KYC and AML controls embedded into the smart contract workflow.

AmEx plans to expand the program to additional regions and merchants over the next 12 months. The company is also exploring the integration of its AmEx Rewards points system with the passports, allowing users to convert stamps into points that can be used for flight upgrades, hotel stays, or other travel perks. In a demonstration on the AmEx website, users can view a mock passport that shows how stamps accumulate over time and how they unlock various rewards.

Potential Challenges and Consumer Concerns

While the NFT passport program offers exciting possibilities, it also faces challenges typical of blockchain adoption. Chief among them are concerns over environmental impact, given that Ethereum’s current proof‑of‑work protocol is energy‑intensive. AmEx has addressed this by stating that passports will be minted on Ethereum’s Layer‑2 solutions, such as Optimism, which significantly reduce gas usage and carbon footprint.

Privacy is another concern. Each passport is a public record on the blockchain, but AmEx assures customers that personal data is encrypted and that the passport contains only transaction metadata—no sensitive information is stored on the chain. Additionally, the company plans to give users the ability to “burn” a passport if they wish to permanently remove it from the public ledger.

Looking Ahead

If the pilot succeeds, AmEx could be the first major payment network to mainstream NFTs as a core component of its loyalty architecture. By enabling customers to own, trade, and redeem digital stamps, the company not only opens up a new revenue stream but also cements its reputation as an innovator in the digital economy. For merchants, the program offers an unprecedented way to engage with customers and capture their attention in a crowded marketplace.

Beyond the immediate benefits of loyalty and engagement, AmEx’s NFT passport initiative could spark a broader conversation about the role of digital assets in everyday commerce. As the world of fintech continues to blur the lines between physical and digital ownership, American Express’s bold experiment serves as a litmus test for how traditional institutions can adopt and adapt to the evolving blockchain ecosystem.