American Express cardholders with a smartphone can get discounts at restaurants such as Pizza Express and major retailers including Tesco via the Foursquare app.

They can net some decent bargains such as £10 off a £10+ spend at Nando's, but only on one-off spends.

Offers can also be used with discount vouchers or in a sale. So it's possible to use a 2-for-1 voucher in a restaurant and the app-based deal, as long as you meet the full criteria.

Anyone with an Amex card where the logo is on a blue background qualifies, which is any personal credit card (including Lloyds TSB, MBNA and Virgin-issued cards), but not corporate or prepaid cards.

The Foursquare app is available free on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Palm and Ovi Nokia.

You can redeem each of the following deals once.

Restaurants:

  • Nando's. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit
  • Bella Italia. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit
  • Café Rouge. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit
  • Strada. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit
  • Pizza Express. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit
  • Eat. Spend over £5 and get a £5 credit

Shops:

  • House of Fraser. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit
  • Tesco. Spend over £5 and get a £5 credit
  • Primark. Spend over £10 and get a £10 credit (excludes concession stores)

These are the first nine deals under the scheme, though more are planned.

How it works:

  • Get the app. Download it for free to your smart phone and set up an account.
  • Sync your card. Go to the American Express website and link your Amex to your Foursquare account. This can also be done via the app if you're near one of the retailers offering the deal.
  • Search for deals. When you're near a place offering the deal, load up the app and an orange 'special' box will appear next to participating venues. Tap the location to check it's the right deal.
  • Check in, load the deal & pay. 'Check in' (logging your location) to the restaurant or shop on the app, click 'load to card' on your phone and then spend the required amount on your synced Amex card. You don't need to show the deal/app, it should automatically know you've registered.
  • Wait for the cash. It should appear as a credit to your card between 3-5 days after payment. But in the worst cases, it may take up to two billing periods to show.

See below for what the Amex offers look like on the app.

Amex Checkin