American Express has been a big supporter of small businesses. During the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the company launched its “Small Business Saturday” campaign. Each year, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, AMEX encourages people to shop at small local businesses with various incentives.
However, this year, with the coronavirus pandemic causing havoc to the economy, American Express isn’t waiting until November. AMEX is giving all cardmembers $50 to shop small businesses. Here’s how it’ll work.
Shop Small Overview
Shop Small is a nationwide movement dedicated to supporting the thousands of small businesses in the United States, who are the backbone of our community and economy. The movement brings together support from the business community, governments and consumers encouraging them to support small businesses in their communities.
Amex Shop Small Offer
Ninja Update 8/8/20: Amex has extended the enrollment period through 8/23/20. The offer still expires on 9/20/20.
From June 29 through September 20, all American Express cardmembers will be eligible to receive a total of $50 in statement credits:
- American Express cardmembers will receive $5 in statement credits whenever they spend $10 or more at small businesses
- Customers can earn the $5 statement credit up to 10 times for a total of $50 in statement credits
- Enrollment in offer through Amex Offers must be completed by July 26
Offer Enrollment
There are multiple ways to enroll your Amex card, depending on your card type.
For American Express personal & business cards:
- Sign in to your American Express account on the Amex mobile app or the Amex web site, search for the offer under “Amex Offers”, and click on “Redeem Now”:
For co-branded American Express cards:
- The Shop Small offer is also on the Amex Connect site which means it can be added on co-branded cards like the Wells Fargo Amex Propel card – just hit the “Add to Card” button immediately below the offer decription:
For American Express prepaid cards:
- Sign into your Amex prepaid accounts like Bluebird and Serve and find the Amex Offers box on the main screen:
Frequently Asked Questions
What American Express cards are eligible?
All U.S. American Express consumer and business cards are eligible, including co-branded cards.
Can I activate this offer on more than one American Express card?
You can, but only for different types of cards. For instance, you can’t add this on two different personal cards, but you can activate this offer on one personal card, one co-branded card, and one prepaid card.
What businesses are considered small businesses with this Shop Small offer?
American Express has two sites; one that lists eligible physical stores and the other that displays online stores that are considered small business. However, the lists on those sites aren’t inclusive of all businesses that you can shop at for this offer.
From past experience, this is working for any local non-chain stores. The neighborhood wine store or breakfast joint are eligible while chain stores like Walmart and Whole Foods are not.
When will I receive my statement credits?
Most people usually see the statement credit in a few days after they make a qualifying purchase.
The official statement from Amex states that the “credit may take up to 90 days to be received to your account upon completion of an eligible transaction”, but I’ve never seen it take that long.
Are supplemental cardmembers eligible?
Supplemental cardmembers like authorized users and employee cards are eligible if they have their own separate Amex login credentials. They would need to register for the Shop Small offer individually.
Other American Express Posts:
- Get 30% To 40% Off At Amazon When You Use 1 AMEX Point
- Receive $10 Off $50 At Amazon Prime Pantry (First Order Promo)
- Get $10 Amazon Credit For Trying Amazon Photos
The Bottom Line
If you don’t have anything immediate to spend on, you can buy a gift card from the store and use it later.
I love this deal and have been using this since American Express first came out with this in 2010. It’s nice to see Amex supporting small local businesses throughout the past decade:
- 2010 = $25 statement credit on $25+ in purchases
- 2011 = $25 statement credit on $25+ in purchases
- 2012 = $25 statement credit on $25+ in purchases
- 2013 = $10 statement credit on $10+ in purchases
- 2014 = $10 statement credit on $10+ in purchases up to 3x
- 2015 = Targeted American Express offer:
- $10 statement credit on $10+ in purchases for personal cards
- $20 off $100 in purchases for business cards
- 2020 = $5 statement credit on $10+ in purchases up to 10x
