Why American Express Is Quietly Reintroducing NFTs—for Memory, Not Money
American Express NFT passport stamps on Base let U.S. cardholders turn international purchases into private, non-tradable digital collectibles.
American Express is giving travelers a new kind of keepsake. With NFT passport stamps, U.S. cardholders can collect digital souvenirs of their trips, minted automatically on Ethereum’s Base network. They’re simple, private, and designed to bring back the feeling of old passport stamps—without the hype that surrounded earlier NFTs.
Key Takeaways
Stamps appear automatically when Amex cardholders spend abroad in 130+ countries.
They’re minted as ERC-721 NFTs on Base, an Ethereum Layer-2.
Only country, date, and description appear on-chain—no personal data.
They can’t be traded or sold, and live only in the Amex mobile app.
Stamps are backdated two years, so collections start with past travel history.
What Are Amex NFT Passport Stamps?
Every international in-person purchase with an Amex consumer card now comes with a digital passport stamp. It shows the country or region, the date, and a short description. Cardholders can personalize each one with notes like “tapas in Madrid” or “surf in Bali,” turning simple transactions into lasting memories.
Behind the scenes, each stamp is an ERC-721 NFT on Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain. The design keeps privacy front and center: none of your personal or account information ever appears on-chain.
Why Amex Introduced Them
Physical passport stamps are vanishing as borders move to digital entry systems. Amex spotted a chance to revive that ritual in a new form—digital souvenirs that feel modern but still carry the nostalgia of flipping through stamped pages. Instead of fading ink, travelers get a permanent, blockchain-backed version of their journeys.
There’s also a bigger play here. By keeping the stamps non-transferable and app-only, Amex sidesteps the hype that sank earlier NFT projects while still leaving the door open to more creative uses. Today they’re collectibles tied to moments, not markets.
This isn’t Amex’s first NFT project. In 2021, it released digital art tied to a SZA performance and issued NFT badges at events like Austin City Limits. Those efforts focused on exclusivity and promotion; the new passport stamps shift toward private, memory-based use—less hype, more personal value.
How Travelers Can Use Their Stamps
The stamps show up automatically. Pay for coffee in Paris? A France stamp appears. Turn the feature on and Amex even adds stamps for the past two years of international travel.
Inside the app, cardholders can:
See trips on an interactive map.
Add personal notes to stamps.
Share collections with friends or on social media.
The effect is closer to a digital travel journal than a wallet of assets—curated memories that are easy to revisit and share.
Bottom Line
The NFT hype of 2021 faded fast—but some brands are quietly trying again, this time with a focus on utility over speculation. With cheaper, faster blockchains like Base and tighter regulations, companies are exploring NFTs as tools for engagement rather than assets to trade. By keeping its stamps private and non-transferable, Amex is testing what NFTs can offer when the focus shifts from hype to experience.
