American Express - Shop Small

[Lily]

I've been reading up about this initiative and am very impressed. Does anyone have an Amex card and if so has Shop Small been a success for you and the stores you choose to visit? I know you have to pay for it, so I wouldn't get one at the moment, but the Shop Small thing has really inspired me to look into one (which is obviously the reason they're doing it!).

[Ella77]

This has been going for years. Every now and then I get a fiver back when I'm not expecting it, but it comes to about £10 a year if that, so it wouldn't induce me to change credit cards if I wasn't already going to. (I don't pay for my card though.)

[wendy james]

I have one (which I don’t pay for) but can’t say the scheme has changed my shopping habits.

[nineseven]

I don't have to pay for my card either. Like Ella, it's good for the occasional surprise fiver but the scheme only runs for a few weeks a year so it hasn't changed my shopping habits.

[Kenickie]

I don't pay for my card either. I think I often miss out on the shop small bit as I get sick of asking if small places take it and being refused so I often just use my MasterCard unless I know amex is ok.

The other day I used it in a coffee shop and got told off by the member of staff (despite having a big amex sign up) as they didn't actually want to accept it.

[H1ppychick]

Yeah, I don't pay for my card either. It seems a bit counterintuitive as a scheme - the smaller operations are the ones least likely to actually offer AMEX as a payment option due to its relatively expensive merchant fees (unless there are incentives for the vendors to take part like reduced fees etc - some sort of bait and switch initial reduction for a limited period of time to get them signed up that then reverts to standard terms).

[Rosa]

The other day I used it in a coffee shop and got told off by the member of staff (despite having a big amex sign up) as they didn't actually want to accept it.

Oh!

Another one who doesn't pay for my card. I always opt into the Shop Small scheme, and do get the odd fiver I wasn't expecting, but I don't actively seek out the shops that have signed up. As nine said, it only runs for a few weeks a year anyway, and if you have to pay for a card I can't see it being worth it. You could end up spending more in an attempt to make up the fee!

[Lily]

Bugger, it sounded like a really good idea! Ah well.