£5 back shopping at local shops with AMEX

debsjc

I managed 82 shops, shame it's over. Hope they bring this back again sometime.

reclusive46

a_female wrote: »

It is a little late now but I started to say amex was the only card I had and sure enough most places took the amex. My o,d Dutch Kensington took mine and it worked and cash back given! :money:


Wish I had stared this earlier in the month. I could have had one seriously healthy months of pod, itsu.....the list goes on. Thanks AMEx for forgetting to notify me. Any chance of a weeks extension?

Haha, yeah its awefully strange when a merchant can magically accept the Card when you don't have anything else.

PeteW

debsjc wrote: »

I managed 82 shops, shame it's over. Hope they bring this back again sometime.

Great work! I was pleased with my 23 shops! Sadly most of the ones in my town were for art galleries or clothes shops where you'd have needed to spend a lot more than £5!

Will definitely miss all the free fish and chips though - cheers Amex!

keiran

What a brilliant offer! I was late on the scene in November, and hadn't organised as well as I could have... watch out though if this offer's repeated next November, Amex!!

I fedback to Amex about each retailer I visited. No doubt many/most customers did and this will provide valuable information to Amex e.g which retailers will accept Amex without quibble, which insist on a minimum spend, which add on a "handling charge", and which state they don't accept Amex, even though they are linked to Amex ( and gaining from the kudos thereof).

No doubt Amex believes it's done beneficial work for small retailers on the High St. Certainly I've visited many places which I would never have ventured to usually.

Perhaps all the feedback may allow Amex to consider their charging structure for retailers. It's clear the retailers feel they are over-charged by Amex. As a customer I , for one, always feel awkward asking a shop if it accepts Amex, as though it's the most socially embarrassing question to ask and as though one intends to fleece the shopkeeper and deprive his baby of food.....

Also noteworthy is, as a poster has mentioned previously, the enormous amount of tatt sold in some shops... even for free, it proved impossible to buy anything worthy... . The other issue is how over-priced items in the small retailers were compared to what the items could be bought for as a "Money Saving Expert". The "gain" on some of my purchases was , say £2 or £3, instead of £5, as I could have bought the items elsewhere at less cost!!

miketaff1408

keiran wrote: »

The other issue is how over-priced items in the small retailers were compared to what the items could be bought for as a "Money Saving Expert". The "gain" on some of my purchases was , say £2 or £3, instead of £5, as I could have bought the items elsewhere at less cost!!

Completely agree with this. I spent £2.20 on roll on deodorants in pharmacies as there was nothing else I wanted/needed and I know for a fact that I normally buy them for a £1 in ASDA!

sfax

Funny how many retailers lie and say that they don't accept Amex. You then lie back and say you have no other means to pay despite other credit and debit cards as well as cash in your wallet, and then miraculously you find that they do actually accept it.

Agree on the tat and the overpriced goods - particularly near my work in Belgravia. My best buys were fish and chips, take away lunches, curries, beers and a few places that we already used regularly anyway. Also loved the doubling up on the wife's card.

If they do this again next year, I'll be better prepared!

Sobewannabe

I managed just over a 100 of these happy days £500 of shopping cost me just over £60. Gonna make my christmas vey happy indeed. Fingers crossed they do it again next year.

enigma368

The other issue is how over-priced items in the small retailers were compared to what the items could be bought for as a "Money Saving Expert". The "gain" on some of my purchases was , say £2 or £3, instead of £5, as I could have bought the items elsewhere at less cost!!

Completely agree. I had many shops where I was buying things like shower gel @ £2.50 a pop, which I normally get in superdrug or boots on offer for £1. So yes I got 2 shower gels for free, but it was not really £5 saved, only £2.

Opened my eyes to how expensive some small shops are, especially pharmacies.

The promotion was quite good for certain things though like wine from wine shops, food in cafes and delis and especially for buying groceries in corner shops, all of which worked out at fairly good value and I felt I was actually saving closer to £5 each time.

However I found it such a MASSIVE headache to try and use amex in corner shops that it put me off trying those a lot of the time as I got fed up with the attitude I got (sighs and eye rolling from shopkeepers, refusal to accept despite numerous amex stickers in window, general rude attitude).

I realise that amex might be more expensive for them but they have made the choice to accept the card so I do not know what makes them think they have a right to have such a sh***y attitude. Either accept amex or don't, but don't accept it and then treat the customer like crap when they want to use it.

sfax

enigma368 wrote: »

Completely agree. I had many shops where I was buying things like shower gel @ £2.50 a pop, which I normally get in superdrug or boots on offer for £1. So yes I got 2 shower gels for free, but it was not really £5 saved, only £2.

Opened my eyes to how expensive some small shops are, especially pharmacies.

The promotion was quite good for certain things though like wine from wine shops, food in cafes and delis and especially for buying groceries in corner shops, all of which worked out at fairly good value and I felt I was actually saving closer to £5 each time.

However I found it such a MASSIVE headache to try and use amex in corner shops that it put me off trying those a lot of the time as I got fed up with the attitude I got (sighs and eye rolling from shopkeepers, refusal to accept despite numerous amex stickers in window, general rude attitude).

I realise that amex might be more expensive for them but they have made the choice to accept the card so I do not know what makes them think they have a right to have such a sh***y attitude. Either accept amex or don't, but don't accept it and then treat the customer like crap when they want to use it.

+1 Agree with all of this. Wine £14 vs £9 supermarket. Beer £2.50 vs £1.25. I had a conversation with one shopkeeper who said that he absolutely did not accept Amex and then I said "why do you have an Amex sticker?" (it was right behind him) and the reply was "that's just a sticker". I was thinking "well, take it off then, you tool".

Bottom line is that if you don't like the charges, then add a transaction fee or a minimum amount and put a sign up. Don't waste people's time with your BS

enigma368

I suspect that shopkeepers decide(or are convinced) to take amex based on the hope of some businessman coming in and putting £100+ on his company amex. And although this means they also have to take it for small amounts, they resent doing so.

I went to one corner shop that had 3 different large amex stickers in the window. I asked what the min card purchase was, and I was told that there was none but there was a £1 card charge(!). I got £4 of stuff and said I was paying with a card. Shopkeeper added a £1 to make it £5 but then when she saw it was an amex, she refused to take it. I knew she was lying and I could have pushed it but I wasn't really that fussed. I said I had no other card and put the items back.

What struck me was that she clearly was happier not making the sale than to make a £4 amex sale with £1 card charge. How expensive must amex be where a £1(25%) payment charge does not cover the costs?