Definitely. Paying such a small amount, especially in credit that can only be redeemed in a company store, is patronizing and gets you mentioned in a negative light on Hacker News. If you don't pay, you're just like one of the many companies that doesn't have a bounty program.
Edit: this reminds me of the "eBay goodies" offered to researcher Neal Poole in return for delaying disclosure of a vulnerability [https://nealpoole.com/blog/2013/03/bad-changes-to-ebays-resp...]. I would probably not have remembered that story if not for that "eBay goodies" line, just as I probably won't forget this story thanks to the screenshot of Yahoo-branded socks in the company store.
I agree with you. This reminds me of a 4-hour delay I had while flying with Delta, where they gave me a food voucher for two and a half dollars as an apology (only redeemable at the airport cafeteria, where the smallest sandwich cost $5). Now I will hate them for ever.
I believe that not paying is better than paying little, because if you don't pay I can at least consider that you owe me one. Giving me a pittance removes the obligation from you for almost nothing. Even though this isn't very applicable to companies, I think that's the reason why we consider it insulting.
Edit: this reminds me of the "eBay goodies" offered to researcher Neal Poole in return for delaying disclosure of a vulnerability [https://nealpoole.com/blog/2013/03/bad-changes-to-ebays-resp...]. I would probably not have remembered that story if not for that "eBay goodies" line, just as I probably won't forget this story thanks to the screenshot of Yahoo-branded socks in the company store.