Amex Has Made Small Business Saturday Into a Season-Long “Shop Small” Movement

If you’re looking for the best credit cards for Small Business Saturday, you might not find much difference between the major players. A search of credit-card resources Nerdwallet and The Points Guy yields no credit card deals specific to this year’s Small Business Saturday, which falls on Nov. 27, the day after Black Friday.

But American Express, the company that trademarked the annual occasion, is offering “Shop Small” savings throughout this holiday season. “American Express cares deeply about thriving communities and believes small businesses are at the core of every thriving neighborhood,” the company says. “That’s why—in the midst of the recession in 2010—we created Small Business Saturday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses.”

For 2021, American Express is teaming up with retailer Showfields, billed as “the most interesting store in the world,” to showcase products certified by Black business platform ByBlack. “From beauty products to board games, these thoughtfully curated gifts are meant to be shared,” the company explains. “ByBlack offers the only national Black-owned business certification, powered by the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. and presented by American Express.”

In this discount, cardholders who use enrolled and eligible Amex cards to buy $20 or more at shopsmall.showfields.com by Dec. 31, 2021, will get a $15 statement credit. Products on that website include decor items by Johanna Howard Home, candles from The Black Home, jigsaw puzzles from Puzzles of Color, jewelry by MadeByKwest, and apparel from BKLYN League.

In the terms and conditions for the offer, however, Amex does note that enrollment is limited and that only American Express cards issued in the United States are eligible. You also have to add the offer to your card and then use that same card to get the statement credit. Read the rest of the terms here.

In a separate promotion, American Express says that cardholders who use enrolled, eligible cards to make a single purchase of $10 or more directly from any Shop Small business in the United States or a U.S. territory by Dec. 31 will get a $10 statement credit. And you can use get up to five statement credits in that promotion, for up to $50 in savings.

Cardholders can find Shop Small business on the American Express merchant map by using the Shop Small filter to screen search results. Read more about that promotion and its terms here.

As you can see, Small Business Saturday has grown into a larger movement. “Small Business Saturday continues to be an annual holiday shopping tradition—just one part of the larger Shop Small Movement that supports small businesses every day and everywhere,” American Express says. “Because shopping at a family-owned framing spot or buying a handmade ring from your favorite online small business helps to promote more vibrant communities.”