Free £5 for Amex holders when they spend a fiver

Cardholders need to register their card, then spend £5 or more on their Amex at a participating retailer during November.

They'll then get £5 credited back to their Amex account. The offer only gets cashback once at each retailer.

You can use the Shop Small deal alongside discount vouchers or in a sale.

So it's possible to use a 2-for-1 voucher in a restaurant, or a discount in a clothes shop, as well as using the app-based deal, so long as you still spend more than £5.

You also get your usual level of cashback on these spends if you are using an Amex cashback card. See the Cashback Cards Guide for the top deals.

Available with Foursquare

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 Shop Small offer is also available through social media app Foursquare, which will notify you of offers — stores have an orange "offer" box if they're part of the Shop Small deal.

Once you've checked in, the app will give you the details of the offer and the option to load it to your card. Just spend £5+ to get the cashback.

But if you've already got cashback at a particular store using your Shop Small-registered Amex, you can't get it again using the Foursquare offer. Foursquare is available free on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Palm and Ovi Nokia.

How it works

• Register your Amex. Go to the Amex Shop Small website and register your card.

• Start shopping. Find participating retailers and use your Amex for a purchase of £5+.

• Wait for the cash. It should appear as a credit to your card between three and five days after payment. But in the worst cases, it may take up to two billing periods to show.

How it works on Foursquare

• Get Foursquare. Download the free app to your smartphone and set up an account.

• Sync your card. Go to the American Express website and register your card. Then link your Amex to your Foursquare account.

• Search for deals. You can search for participating retailers on the web, or when you're near a place offering the deal. Load up the app and an orange box will appear next to participating venues. Tap the location to check it's the right deal.

• Check in, load the deal and pay. 'Check in' (log your location) to the restaurant or shop on the app, click 'load to card' on your phone and then spend £5 or more on your synced Amex card. You don't need to show the deal/app at the till, it should automatically know you've registered.

• Wait for the cash. It should appear as a credit to your card between three and five days after payment. But in the worst cases, it may take up to two billing periods to show.