This is different from Amex Offers, but check out this intro here for more great ways to get Free Money with your Amex cards.
You may be familiar with the Small Business Saturday promotion American Express runs the Saturday after Thanksgiving every year. It’s meant to boost sales for small businesses the day after the big national chains have their Black Friday. This year, in addition to the November event Amex has selected 5 cities to participate in Shop Small August.
The Offer
American Express Shop Small is offering card members a free $5 statement credit (up to 3 times per card) when you shop at a small business in Houston, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Sacramento from August 1st to August 31, 2014. If you are a suburbanite, have no fear, the whole Metro area is included. But if you want to double check on locations participating in you neighborhood use the Shop Small map.
Enrolling is simple. Gather up every Amex card you’ve got and enroll them at Shop Small August. This includes Authorized User cards, Serve, and Amex cards held by other banks (ex. Wells Fargo Propel). Then just charge $5 or more to your registered card up to 3 times per card. I recommend making a little tally of how many times you’ve used each card so you don’t miss any savings. Â After you make a qualifying purchase, Amex will send you a confirmation email.
In my experience , the list of qualifying locations is pretty inclusive so don’t feel like you need to spend a lot of time finding places that will count for this promotion. I received a confirmation email after ever purchase at a non chain location. This included a doctors office, convince store, and tons of great local restaurants.
Fine Print
- Must make purchase between 8/1-31/14
- Limit of 3 statement credits per card
- Qualifying purchase must be greater than $5.00 in one transaction
- Must make a purchase at location in the small business directory in one of the following metro areas;
- Houston
- Miami
- Ft. Lauderdale
- Philadelphia
- Sacramento
- Minneapolis
- St. Paul
Our Verdict
While each discount is only $5, the ability to use the offer 3 times on all cards means the savings can really add up.The enrollment process is very quick and painless and the list of qualifying locations is very inclusive. My favorite way to use this offer is to let Amex treat me to lunch, but if you were lucky enough to find an independent grocery store or pharmacy with visa gift cards you could turn this deal into a lot of free points. Just use the $5 to cover activation fees and enjoy the free points. Hopefully, this promotion will be as successful as Shop Small Saturday in November and will expand to other cities in the future.
