NEW YORK, March 31, 2026, 17:58 EDT
American Express is set to take over from Visa as the NFL’s official payments partner starting with the 2026 season, following a multi-year global agreement revealed Monday. The deal hands AmEx cardholders perks including ticket presales, exclusive on-site experiences, and offers tied to certain NFL events both in the U.S. and internationally.
Timing is key here. Visa’s deal with the NFL wrapped up this month, just as AmEx steps in with its debut rollout—set for Tuesday, 6 p.m. ET—offering presale access to the Sept. 10 Rams-49ers matchup in Melbourne. The league keeps pressing its international strategy.
That “official payments partner” label covers a straightforward set of perks: think presale tickets, some exclusive promos, lounges, and the usual branded setups at league-run events. AmEx is linking these benefits to headline NFL draws—the Super Bowl, Draft, and overseas matchups. Nasdaq
Renie Anderson, chief revenue officer for the NFL, said the partnership should “expand access to unforgettable moments” at both international matches and the league’s marquee events. Elizabeth Rutledge, AmEx’s chief marketing officer, described the agreement as a “natural extension” of a sports lineup that already covers over 50 leagues, teams, venues and major events. Nasdaq
AmEx says the perks will stretch from preseason straight through postseason. For the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh this year, the company is rolling out a fan activation that’s open to the public. Card members who qualify can expect priority lanes at select league events, access to lounge reservations, plus certain retail deals on location.
The agreement marks a bigger push into football for AmEx, which already works with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. Looking ahead, the company expects to roll out the NFL Extra Points American Express credit card in the U.S. later this year, a product issued by Comenity Capital Bank that links rewards to NFL-related spending and experiences.
The move wraps up nearly 30 years of Visa’s run as the NFL’s exclusive payments partner. Last year, Chief Marketing Officer Frank Cooper told Reuters the company saw “a better way for Visa” than league-wide sponsorships, pointing to a pivot toward partnerships with teams, players, creators, and major global events like the 2026 men’s World Cup and the LA28 Olympics. Reuters
Still, commercial gains remain tough to gauge. AmEx hasn’t outlined the terms, and some of the new launch perks only apply at certain events or until they run out. That puts pressure on ticket sales, lounge demand and the co-branded card to prove the initiative actually drives spending.
The announcement put to rest speculation swirling in certain crypto forums about a new AmEx partnership featuring XRP on March 30. According to CryptoNews, which referenced posts from X and YouTube, some XRP advocates had hyped up the date. Instead, both the AmEx statement and Reuters coverage laid out a straightforward sponsorship and card offering—no references to Ripple, blockchain, or crypto at all.
The NFL’s new payments sponsorship arrives as overseas markets become a bigger deal. AmEx, meanwhile, doesn’t get much of a warm-up: presales for Melbourne tickets kick off Tuesday night in the U.S., and then the brand goes straight into activations at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
