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[2020.9 Update] Remember to spend it before Sept 20; this offer is really easy to use. If you really have nowhere else to use it, try Fluz or eGifter.

[2020.8 Update] Remember to enroll in this promotion by Aug 23; the spending deadline is still Sept 20. Don’t forget to use this nice offer!

[2020.7 Update] I tested a few purchases and they were all reimbursed! Fluz is also among the merchants in AMEX Shop Small, and it sells all kinds of gift cards, including Amazon. This makes it very easy to use, and a half-price Amazon gift card is still a great deal! Also, don’t forget that any purchase routed through AMEX payment processing can activate this sbs offer, giving you $50 for free.

Also, this third-party gift card site, eGifter, also supports Shop Small, except that you can’t use a credit card to buy Amazon gift cards there.

A few notes:

  • It’s best not to buy the same gift card amount on Fluz repeatedly, as that may trigger a review. I recommend buying 1-2 cards a day and taking it slow.
  • Popular gift cards like Amazon and Starbucks can sell out easily. The minimum denomination may go from $10 to $50, or they may be removed altogether. Don’t rush; wait a few days and they usually come back, or try buying early in the morning.
  • Sometimes you’ll get an email, and sometimes you won’t. Don’t worry—based on my experience and that of group members, anything you buy can be reimbursed (Amazon, Starbucks, DoorDash, Walmart, and so on).
  • If you’re not in a hurry to use the gift cards, there’s no need to stockpile a bunch of them, since there is some risk of theft. It’s actually quite convenient to buy them only when you’re about to use them in a physical store.
  • If you do want to stockpile, you can buy Amazon and load it into your account; Walmart gift cards can also be combined into an existing physical card.
  • Fluz will occasionally review accounts. Just reply to the email they send you, and customer service will unlock it quickly.

This promotion

If you log in to your AMEX account, you should be able to see this prominent offer under AMEX Offer. This year it is called Shop Small. In simple terms, before Sept 20, 2020, spend at AMEX-designated Small Business merchants, and for each purchase of more than $10 you can get $5 cash back, up to 10 times in total. You need to enroll by July 26, which means adding the offer to your card.

One important thing to note is that for offers like this AMEX Offer, an account under one SSN can only have it added to one card. In other words, once you add this offer to one card, it will disappear from your other cards. So choose the card you use most often and that will give you the highest cash back.

I read the terms carefully and extracted some of the most important points below:

  • Only cards issued in the U.S. are eligible, including personal cards and business cards, as well as Serve and Blue Bird prepaid cards. AMEX gift cards are not eligible.
  • Each person can add it to only one card. If you have an additional card, that additional card can also enroll in this offer separately, without affecting the main card. Spending on the additional card activates the offer on that additional card.
  • The $5 credit should arrive in your account within 90 days (though based on the nature of AMEX Offers, it usually posts within 2-3 business days).

If you don’t see this offer in your account, or if you are a Blue Bird or Serve cardholder, you can try the link below:

How to add multiple offers

Adding one more offer means getting another $50. So, in addition to AMEX’s own cards linked to your SSN, you should try to add as many as possible. Here are the current methods:

  • AMEX additional cards: if you have an AMEX additional card, and the additional card has an SSN, you can create an online login for it. After creating the login, you can add this offer. If the additional card user does not have an SSN, you can contact online chat support and provide a passport number; customer service may be able to help create an online account for you.
  • Other cards routed through AMEX: for example Wells Fargo Propel AMEX, FNBO, and so on.
  • AMEX prepaid cards: for example Blue Bird and Serve can each add it independently from credit cards.

Both AMEX prepaid cards and non-AMEX cards can register using the link below with the card number:

For more details, please see our dedicated post:

How to use it

AMEX has provided a merchant list, and you can use this offer both online and in physical stores:

After opening the pages, filter the results and you’ll be able to see the merchants.

At a glance, I don’t see any broadly appealing merchants with obvious deal value. If you need restaurants, you can check the map to see whether nearby restaurants participate.

Buying gift cards on Fluz

Fluz is also included among the AMEX Shop Small merchants, and it sells all kinds of gift cards, including Amazon. This makes it very easy to use, and a half-price Amazon gift card is still a great deal! However, I’ve heard that it may depend on the specific code, so if you really want to buy, I suggest placing one order first, checking whether you receive an AMEX email, and then continuing to buy.

Reminder! It’s best not to buy gift cards on Fluz repeatedly, as that may trigger a review. I recommend buying one per day and taking it slow.

We’ll also speed up testing and share firsthand DP with everyone. A few test results are below, and please feel free to share your own results too!

  • Buying a DoorDash gift card triggered the email
  • On Fluz, I bought two $10 Starbucks gift cards in a row, and both triggered the AMEX OFFER email. But it looks like the charge on the card is still Fluz, not fluzpay. I’ll update again once the credit posts~
  • $15 Amazon, no activation email. Let’s wait a few days and see. If it posts as Fluz, then it may have been quietly reimbursed. Welcome to share DP for other gift cards too
  • $10 Starbucks, no email received, but got an app notification saying AMEX OFFER was used
  • Bought Amazon and Starbucks, still no email, quietly -$5 (when it posts, there are two versions, one Fluz and one Fluz pay; reimbursement seems inconsistent)
Actually, Fluz also appears on the Shop Small map

Useful merchants

Online:

  • Fluz App gift card purchases (see the DP summary below; friendly reminder: when making repeated purchases, try to avoid using the exact same amount. You can do something like $10.01 and $10.02 to reduce the chance of triggering Fluz’s risk controls, HT: Mask Brother)
  • eGifter gift card purchases (does not support using a credit card to buy Amazon gift cards)
  • Asian food delivery platform Chowbus (HT: WeChat reader Nate, first order code: YUMMY7, can take $7 off, not a referral)
  • Yami (HT: focusing)
  • Mobile bills from MVNOs: Tello, H2O (HT: WeChat reader).
  • Small VoIP providers (virtual phone numbers): Callcentric, etc.
  • China Telecom Americas card (CTExcel, HT: WeChat reader Wangbo)
  • Riot Games top-ups (the operator for League of Legends, LOL)
  • AfterPay (HT: WeChat reader Elliot)
  • Hospital bills (HT: WeChat reader Elliot)
  • Subscription services for some blogs
  • Some Chinese shipping companies (such as 4PX)

In-person:

  • Most Chinese supermarkets and Asian grocery stores in many areas (some can also be ordered online for delivery): 大华, H-Mart, 大中华, 百佳, Uwajimaya, 惠康, etc. (some smaller Chinese supermarkets may not let you use an AMEX credit card; “most” does not mean all, so it’s best to check the AMEX Shop Small map below to confirm the stores near you qualify, YMMV)

Online and in-person:

  • Domino's pizza (HT: az, we recommend checking the AMEX Shop Small map below to confirm the stores near you qualify, YMMV)

Accidental trigger (use with caution)

  • Buying gift cards inside Samsung Pay. This probably shouldn’t qualify, but it did trigger, so I don’t recommend using it. Non-qualifying gift card purchases are very risky. HT: WeChat reader Yuli

Which card to add it to

Since this offer can only be added to one of AMEX’s own cards, I suggest first figuring out which merchants you plan to use it with and in which categories.

In the end, it mostly comes down to personal habits anyway. For spending this small, it probably isn’t worth making a big deal out of it.

Other notes

About the Shop Small promotion

AMEX has always paid a lot of attention to Small Business and once ran the Small Business Saturday promotion for several consecutive years. AMEX Small Business Saturday (SBS) is an event that started in 2010 and is held on the fourth Saturday of November each year. It is organized by AMEX together with Small Business merchants that accept AMEX cards. AMEX provides these merchants with some decorations and subsidies, and also adds extra promotions for AMEX credit cards. See the historical events at the end.

Later, AMEX suspended the public-wide promotion and switched to targeted offers, so the excitement gradually faded.

  • 2016: All AMEX credit cards (including business cards) earned an extra 1x cash back or points when used at Small Business merchants.
  • 2015: Some users received a targeted AMEX Offer: spend more than $10 at Small Business merchants from 11/1-11/28 and get a $10 credit
  • 2014: All AMEX cards could register for SBS. On SBS day, spend more than $10 at participating merchants and get a $10 credit, up to 3 times per card. AMEX authorized users could also get it independently.
  • 2013: All AMEX cards could register for SBS. On SBS day, spend more than $10 at participating merchants and get a $10 credit, limited to once. AMEX authorized users could also get it independently.
  • 2012: All AMEX cards could register for SBS. On SBS day, spend more than $25 at participating merchants and get a $25 credit, limited to once. AMEX authorized users could also get it independently.