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.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2025 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend 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 Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa

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British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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