American Express launches AI commerce kit & protection
American Express has launched an AI commerce developer kit and introduced a protection policy for purchases made by registered AI agents, extending its card network safeguards to AI-driven transactions.
The new framework, called the Amex Agentic Commerce Experiences Developer Kit, is designed to let developers connect American Express-issued cards and membership features to AI-based purchasing tools. It targets transactions in which software agents act on customer instructions to search for, select and buy goods or services.
The kit is built to work with existing and emerging protocols and to support what American Express describes as intent-driven transactions. Its closed-loop network, in which it acts as the issuer, network, and acquirer, gives it end-to-end visibility throughout the transaction process.
Five services
The developer kit includes five integrated services: agent registration, account enablement, intent intelligence, payment credentials and cart context.
Agent registration is intended to verify AI agents before they are authorised to transact on the American Express network. Account enablement is designed to let card members register cards for agent-led transactions and link membership features to those interactions.
Intent intelligence is designed to capture a customer's purchase intent to support authentication, authorisation, and dispute resolution. Payment credentials allow verified AI agents to make payments on a card member's behalf through tokenised credentials. Cart context supports sharing basket details before or after a transaction to assist with validation, authorisations, and dispute investigations.
Some of these services remain in development. American Express said it would give select developers access to the kit.
Luke Gebb, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Innovation at American Express, described the announcement as part of a broader shift in how people buy goods and services through software tools.
"AI agents are beginning to reshape how people discover products and services, plan travel and dining, and make purchases," said Luke Gebb, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Innovation, American Express.
He said customer expectations around security would remain unchanged as these systems develop. "As these capabilities evolve, Card Members and Merchants will expect the same level of trust and security that they always relied on from American Express. The ACE Developer Kit enables this in AI-powered commerce," Gebb said.
Purchase protection
The second part of the announcement is a new policy called Amex Agent Purchase Protection. It is intended to protect eligible customers from charges arising from AI agent errors when the customer has authorised the agent to make a purchase, and the agent has transmitted an authenticated purchase intent to American Express.
American Express described the policy as the payments industry's first such commitment for registered agent purchases. It hinges on two conditions: that the AI agent is registered and that the customer's intent is authenticated.
This method reflects a central issue for payment providers as AI agents move from recommendation tools to systems capable of completing transactions. The challenge is not only to verify the account holder, but also to establish what the customer instructed the software to do and whether the completed purchase matched that instruction.
"As commerce becomes more agent-powered, trust becomes the defining factor," said Gebb. "Our goal is to ensure that when an agent acts on a Card Member's behalf, the identities of both the human and the agent are authenticated and intent is clear - so that every Amex-enabled transaction reflects the backing and seamless experience that define our brand. That's why we're introducing Amex Agent Purchase Protection, an industry-first commitment to protect Card Members from registered agent error, as we build the foundation for agentic commerce to scale with transparency, accountability and confidence."
Closed-loop model
American Express is using its network structure as a central part of its pitch to developers, merchants and cardholders. Because it manages direct relationships with card members and merchants, and sees transaction data across the full chain, it argues that it is better positioned to manage disputes, fraud screening and purchase verification when AI agents are involved.
Merchants could benefit from fewer disputes and chargebacks if more transaction context is available through the network. For card members, the system is intended to support detailed spending controls through the Amex app and, over time, integrate rewards, offers and travel-related services into AI-led interactions.
American Express also said it is already processing AI-assisted transactions with AI platform partners and is working with AI companies and industry groups on standards for agent-led payments. That places it among a growing number of payment providers and technology groups trying to define how autonomous or semi-autonomous software can make purchases without weakening consumer protections.
"We are made for this moment," said Gebb. "Our closed-loop network and Membership assets give us a competitive advantage as AI-powered commerce evolves, enabling us to extend the support and seamless experiences Card Members expect from American Express into the agentic era."