American Express has just launched a new round of their Shop Small promotion. While Shop Small has run for a number of years, this time around it comes with a few twists on previous offers.
Firstly, it will be running for a full year, between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. Secondly, it is offering bonus points, instead of a cashback.
Rather generously, you will be able to earn 3 extra points per dollar when you spend at small businesses. Over the year, you will be able to earn a maximum of 40,000 points.
Enrolling in Shop Small
In order to participate in the promotion, you will need to save the offer to your card. There are just a few easy steps to follow.
Firstly, log into your American Express account to check your eligibility for the offer.
Once you have logged in, scroll down to the Amex Offers section. If you are eligible, you can then save the offer to your card.
After enrolling, you simply need to spend at any participating Shop Small business by 31 March 2022. You will then be awarded an extra 3 Points per dollar spent on your card. Overall, you will be able to earn a maximum of 40,000 bonus points.
American Express are not capping the number of primary cardholders who can participate. Having said that, it is only the primary cardholders that can register.
The full offer T&Cs are available on the Shop Small website here.
What is Shop Small?
Shop Small is an American Express program to encourage members to shop at small businesses. Normally, American Express runs the program in the lead-up to Christmas to help boost small business sales.
In most cases, they have offered a cash-back on spend. For example, they may have offered $5 or $10 cashback when spending $20. However, the promotion has tended to run for a limited time, and you could only collect the cashback a small number of times.
This year, American Express has decided to run the program for a full year. By encouraging their members to spend at small businesses, they are helping small businesses recover from the pandemic.
While some may be disappointed in the change, it may be a boon to others. Indeed, the ability to earn 40,000 points over a year could be better than being able to get $100 or so in cash-backs.
It’s a bit different, but let’s hope it succeeds in helping to get some businesses back on their feet.
