Spend £10 and get £5 back – that’s effectively what’s on offer from a promotion encouraging people to tick items off their Christmas shopping list while supporting small businesses. American Express has been running its Shop Small offers in the UK since 2012, and the latest one starts on Saturday, which is also Small Business Saturday. Amex cardholders receive £5 back as a statement credit when they spend £10 or more in up to 10 participating shops. They can receive one statement credit per retailer, so the maximum credit they can receive is £50. The offer runs from 5-20 December. Thousands of businesses have enrolled, from toy shops and bookshops to pharmacies, florists and cafes. Cardholders have to register to take part and can do this via the Amex mobile app. Participating businesses can be found by visiting the Shop Small map. This has been a tough year for the high street, and the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential role that small businesses and independent retailers play in our local communities. American Express, which does not disclose how many UK cardholders it has, says small shops are “the heroes of the high street”. In 2019, more than 17 million people turned out to support small businesses on what was the UK’s seventh Small Business Saturday. Various terms and conditions apply to Shop Small. Purchases must be made in store; online transactions are excluded. Purchases using prepaid cards will not qualify, nor will anything bought on a buy now, pay later basis. And a statement credit may be reversed if a purchase is refunded or cancelled.