EXCLUSIVE: American Express Shop Small to return in June, tweaked

We understand that American Express is bringing back its ‘Shop Small’ promotion in June.

‘Shop Small’ is an established Amex offer which incentivises you to shop at small independent retailers. In turn, of course, it encourages small independent retailers to accept American Express in order to participate.

It typically runs in November but American Express has been running more restrictive versions in Summer in recent years.

It seems that it will return for Summer 2021, but with a tweak. Look at the logo:

The Winter version of ‘Shop Small’ gives you £5 back for every £10 purchase you make at a participating independent retailer.

There is no limit to how much cashback you can receive, although you are limited to one £5 payment per retailer per American Express card you register.

As you can see above, the Summer 2021 version of ‘Shop Small’ will, under the current plan, give you £5 back on a £15 transaction.

What else do we know about Shop Small Summer 2021?

• The promotion is currently scheduled to run from 5th to 25th June.

• You will be restricted to £25 cashback per American Express card you register.

• The standard rule on one payment per retailer per card will remain.

One thing worth remembering about Shop Small is that you have historically been able to register supplementary cards separately. This allows you to earn cashback at the same store on both your main card and your supplementary cards.

If you had been thinking about adding a supplementary card to your American Express account, you may want to make sure it is in place by 5th June.

For clarity, American Express funds 100% of the cashback. Your local shops are not paying to participate.

We’ll let you have more details on Shop Small Summer 2021 when it is officially confirmed.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review