Existing NFL Extra Points Visa cards stopped working after October 12, when Bread Financial moved the card program onto the American Express network. Account numbers, security codes and expiration dates all changed. Anyone whose recurring bills or digital wallet still held the old Visa details had to switch to the replacement card.
What changed on October 12
Bread Financial announced the move on August 26. Its release says the NFL Extra Points program has launched on the American Express network, with 18 NFL teams carrying cards there so far. It describes that as a majority of the clubs, and says refreshed card designs came with the switch.
Comenity Capital Bank, the card issuer, set the schedule that CardRates reported on August 27 and updated September 2. Full access to the old Visa account center ended August 25. Balances and eligible rewards moved to new Amex-network accounts on August 31, and replacement cards were expected to arrive between September 20 and 28.
The cutoff is what matters to anyone who has not acted. CardRates quotes the issuer saying existing Visa cards will stop working after October 12, and that cardholders must update recurring payments and stored card information by that date. A merchant still sending charges to the old number now reaches a card that no longer works.
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The bank behind the card has not changed
Despite the American Express name, Bread Financial remains the issuer. Its release says the accounts are issued by Comenity Capital Bank under a license from American Express. American Express supplies the network, the system that carries each purchase between the merchant and the bank, along with its card benefits.
Will Stredwick, an American Express executive vice president for global network partnerships, said in the release: “We’re thrilled to welcome NFL Extra Points American Express Credit Cardholders to the American Express Network.” Dennis McCarthy, Bread Financial’s chief revenue officer, said the added network benefits are “another way eligible Cardholders win.”
The release ties the switch to American Express’s new multi-year global partnership as Official Payments Partner of the NFL, which begins with the 2026 season. Allegra Krishnan, an NFL senior vice president, called the card a combination of fandom and benefits. The release did not list steps for existing cardholders.
Card-rewards site Upgraded Points reported the next day that the card has switched from Visa to the American Express network. It listed no timeline for current cardholders, so the issuer’s dates, as CardRates relays them, are the schedule that applied.
What carries over and what does not
CardRates says rewards, interest rates, fees, credit limits and payment due dates stay the same, and the account will not show as closed on credit reports. What changes is everything a merchant uses to bill the card: the account number, the three-digit security code and the expiration date.
Rewards remain at 3 percent on qualifying NFL purchases, 2 percent on food delivery, groceries, gyms, sporting goods and restaurants, and 1 percent on everything else. The card has no annual fee. Points can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, merchandise, experiences or NFL tickets.
CardRates also lists 25 percent off qualifying purchases at NFLShop.com, citing a Bread Financial announcement, and special financing on NFL ticket purchases of $250 or more. A $100 cash-back welcome offer applies after $500 in non-NFL spending within 90 days. CardRates cautions that cardholders converting from Visa should not assume they qualify for it.
The American Express network adds its own perks. CardRates lists network offers, ticket presales, travel perks and purchase protections among them. Bread’s release says the benefits go to eligible cardholders enrolled in the NFL Extra Points program, so the details depend on the account, not just the card design.
There was no way to stay on Visa. CardRates reports that cardholders cannot opt out of the conversion and keep their existing accounts, and that the only way to avoid the American Express version is to close the account. Because balances and eligible rewards moved on August 31, the new card is the same account under a different number.
Where the old card number may still be hiding
Recurring charges are the likeliest source of trouble. Streaming services, utility bills, insurance premiums and pharmacy refills keep a card number on file until someone changes it. CardRates says cardholders had to update each one. The issuer says autopay and scheduled payments to the card itself should transfer, and CardRates advises confirming that they did.
Digital wallets are a second place. Phone wallets store the card number, so CardRates says the new American Express card information has to be added there too. Each replacement card also has to be activated when it arrives before it can be used.
A declined payment after October 12 is the sign something was missed. The account is still run by Comenity Capital Bank, and the rewards terms are on the issuer’s NFL card page on Comenity’s site, the page Bread’s release points to. That is where a cardholder starts if a replacement card never showed up.
Is anything still billing the old Visa number?
A changed card number is the kind of small break that surfaces as a missed payment weeks later, and the household budget feels it first. Several opt-in programs also cover household bills, and each has to be applied for.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
