Foursquare and Amex Check In to a Partnership

Hoping to separate itself from the Facebook option of “checking in”, Foursquare’s new deal with American Express could not come at a better time for summer discount fun. The deal gives exclusive discounts to Amex cardholders at specific venues if they have already linked their cards to Foursquare.

The discounts will begin at H&M, Sports Authority, and restaurants in the Union Square Hospitality Group. H&M will offer $10 back when you spend $75, and Sports Authority will offer $20 back when you spend $50, according to a pcworld.com article. There are four New York City restaurants also participating in the cashback program: Blue Smoke, Union Square Cafe, Untitled, and The Modern.

American Express and Foursquare tested the partnership concept at the SxSW conference in Austin, Texas in March, according to the pcworld article. Anytime cardholders spent at least $5 at a local Austin merchant, the company credited $5 back to their accounts. The response to the offer was "overwhelmingly positive," according to a Foursquare blog.

Amex also told The New York Times that they felt these offers would give consumers more incentive to spend.

What do you do to make this offer a reality?

Users simply have to link together their Foursquare and credit card accounts. Then, simply click on the 'load-to-card' option when checking in to a participating location. Once the purchase is made, a discount will appear on your monthly American Express card statement. "The savings are automatically credited to your account within a few days," Tristan Walker, Foursquare's director of business development told PCworld.

The rollout of the partnership is now going national andmore deals are coming soon.

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown, an external business consultant working with a Fortune 500 company, has years of experience to her credit. Despite having a busy schedule through the day, she takes time out to write articles dealing with credit cards, payday loans and other financial aspects. She has completed her Bachelor degree in Financial Services from Columbia University and has been actively involved in various activities for the betterment of society.