American Express creates cool on-chain stamps for travelers

American Express launched “Amex Passport,” a program that lets U.S. cardholders collect digital travel stamps on a blockchain to celebrate and remember their trips worldwide.

The company said members automatically earn stamps when they use an Amex Consumer Card to make in-person purchases in more than 130 countries. Each stamp is a digital collectible that travelers can customize with trip highlights, store on a blockchain, and share with friends or social media.

Amex uses blockchain to create digital stamps for travelers

The Amex Passports automatically creates a digital travel stamp every time a member buys something with the American Express Consumer Card in a country they have never visited before. The stamp shows the country or region where the purchase happened, the date, and the special design representing that destination. American Express even adds stamps from trips in the past two years, so new members get part of their travel history in their collection, starting with a U.S. stamp.

Each stamp exists on-chain as an ERC-721 token on Base (a layer 2 blockchain built on Ethereum), so nobody can change, copy, or remove it. While Blockchain also protects traveler records, American Express made sure only to record the country or region visited, the description of the stamp, and the date it was earned. Personal data like names, account numbers, or trip notes remain hidden. 

Travelers cannot transfer the stamps outside the Amex Passport platform. Instead, they collect, enjoy, and share them with friends on social media platforms. The goal is not to create a marketplace, but to allow customers to celebrate their travel memories. 

The program is free for eligible U.S. cardholders, but members must be at least 18 and have an American Express Consumer Card linked to their online account.

Travelers earn stamps and share memories from their trips

Members can add personal details or stories about their trips to every stamp. This includes experiences like a favorite meal they enjoyed most, a landmark that impressed them, or their amazing stay at a hotel/B&B. These stories make each stamp a memory, and American Express even provides an interactive map that shows all the stamps people collected to help them relive the memories in their minds and think about where they might want to go next.

Members can post stamps on social media to show their friends, save them on their phones, or send them directly to family and loved ones.

American Express’s survey showed that 73% of people want more digital tools to protect their travel memories. These results prove that many travelers feel photos or receipts are no longer enough to capture the story behind a trip. The survey also found that 65% of people missed getting travel stamps when entering a new country. In their view, those physical stamps were proof of travel and gave them something to look at years later. 

American Express is bringing back the excitement of collecting digital stamps, but this time, they are blockchain stamps, making them secure, permanent, and easy to share. Travelers also do not have to worry about losing them, damaging them, or forgetting the details of their trips.

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