Small Business Saturday was first introduced by American Express in 2010, the aim of the program was to increase the acceptance rates of smaller merchants and to build goodwill with American Express cardholders. Every year Small Business Saturday has fallen on the Saturday after thanksgiving, this year is no different and it will return on November 26th.
In previous years, American Express has offered discounts for cardholders that use their cards at small businesses that accept American Express cards. You can find the history of these offers below:
- 2010: $25 back on $25+ in purchases
- 2011: $25 back on $25+ in purchases
- 2012: $25 back on $25+ in purchases
- 2013: $10 back on $10+ in purchases
- 2014: $10 back on $10+ in purchases (usable three times)
- 2015: No public offer, was instead replaced by a targeted American Express offer
I doubt we’ll see a public bonus again, but if we do I imagine it won’t be a ‘free money’ offer and instead something along the lines of: Spend $25 and get $5 back (usable multiple times). More likely is that they will follow the targeted route again in my opinion. Acceptance rates are already much higher for American Express, so I doubt they see this as a big problem anymore.
Hat tip to Dans Deals
