Shop Small is a promotion that American Express runs regularly (usually once in year) in some countries to encourage small merchants to accept their cards. There is a special edition going on until September 13th as a welcome back offer now that shops are opening again.
Apart from doing the usual shopping and dining, there are some “innovative” ways to use this offer. Historically, I (as well as many other people) used to visit loads of convenience stores in London with loads of Amex cards, to buy oyster cards – this way you are essentially getting 50% off your TFL travel, although many shop owners will charge you a small fee.
Given the current circumstances though, I obviously do not want to make this effort anymore. Moreover, this trick only works for people who live in London.
There appears to be another opportunity, as many of these convenience stores also do Amazon top up. Yes, you can top up your Amazon credit balance physically in shops, and the how-to is written on this page. Here are the steps to take:
- Use Amazon’s store locator to find participating venues
- Find the ones that overlap with Amex Shop Small Map
- Ask for a top-up in the store
There are two ways to top up: you can either ask for a claim code and redeem it afterwards, or scan your personal barcode on the spot.
However, beware that not all shops are happy to accept credit cards for this kind of transactions. One way to boost your luck is to buy some cheap items (e.g. chewing gum or a bottle of drink) along with your purchase.
Also, you can only redeem the £5 offer once per shop per card, and for each card it’s capped at £50.
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