Swipe your AMEX in Austin to unlock specials, donate to a good cause and earn a badge

Foursquare’s partnership with American Express — portions of which were reported by the Wall Street Journal last Friday — includes more than just specials at Austin-area merchants. Through their “Swipe to Support” program, American Express will donate $1 to Grounded in Music the first time foursquare users swipe their linked cards in Austin — and users will unlock a special foursquare badge in the process.

Users can link their American Express cards to their foursquare accounts on a dedicated site. Linking your card also makes you eligible for the spend $5, save $5 promotions offered at more than 60 participating merchants around Austin.

You’ll see the regular orange” special” notification to let you know the venue is offering a special. To use it, you’ll need to click the “Load to Card” button that appears on the special unlock screen. When you pay, you’ll get a push notification from foursquare confirming your reward. Once American Express verifies that you’ve both paid and checked in, you’ll get a statement credit of $5 within 3-5 days.  It’s limited to one credit per merchant and will only work for personal cards, not corporate ones.

Grounded in Music aims to fill the gap left by the closure of music programs in public schools by bringing professional musicians together with at-risk youth in Austin-area Boys and Girls Clubs.

This is a pretty amazing promotion for foursquare. They’re able to get in with one of the biggest brands in credit cards and American Express is able to get more data about their customers and where they’re spending money. It also means that the rewards are handled automatically, without any training or manual entry necessary on the part of merchants.