The American Express Platinum Card offers a $200 annual dining credit, a benefit that gives you a great restaurant experience completely free every year! However, in our Flytrippers Valuation of ≈ $652 of the card’s welcome bonus, we give it a conservative value of $100 even though the credit is indeed worth $200.
It’s just that not everyone would have spent that $200, and we never want to exaggerate the value of deals, so you can always fully trust our Flytrippers Valuation.
(For example, the Amex Platinum Card’s airport lounge access benefit isn’t even included in our Flytrippers Valuation at all, even though it’s worth a lot as it gives you unlimited access for 2 travelers. Don’t overreact to the card’s fee, by the way; please at least read our explanation before irrationally saying no!)
That said, even as someone who really doesn’t like spending large amounts in restaurants, I personally love this unique dining credit benefit that is unique in Canada!
Here are all the details of the $200 Amex Platinum annual dining credit if you want to take advantage of the Amex Platinum Card‘s welcome bonus (so you can figure out what value you want to put on it in your own personal situation).
Overview of the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Here are the basics on the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit:
- Offered only on the Amex Platinum Card
- Not on the Amex Business Platinum Card
- Not on any other Amex card
- Benefit of the card itself
- Offered every year if you renew
- It has nothing to do with the welcome bonus offer
- Annual credit per calendar year
- But can only be used once per membership year
- If you pay 1 annual fee, you only get 1 dining credit
- Cannot be rolled over to the following year
- Use it or lose it
- Value of $200 and can never be worth more
- Fixed value, so it cannot be maximized
All travelers who are able to reach the minimum spending requirement for the Amex Platinum Card‘s welcome bonus should get it, but it’s especially those who travel often and/or luxuriously who should keep it the following years.
This amazing dining credit benefit is really designed for them; for those who love luxury specifically.
Here are the highlights of how to use the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit:
- Applicable on a single transaction
- You can’t get $100 twice
- Applicable on a reservation of $200 minimum
- So, no need to spend out of pocket at all
- Applicable on the total amount charged to your card
- Taxes and tips included
- As is almost always the case with credit cards
- Applicable at eligible restaurants only
- All located in Canada
- They are all ranked among the “best restaurants”
- The list is on the Amex website
So, unless you want to explore Canada, this benefit isn’t going to help you travel. But it’s a great benefit for those who like to make at least one outing to a nice restaurant during the year — so pretty much everyone.
You might not have spent $200 all at once if you’re frugal like me, but you almost certainly do spend at least $100 all at once in a restaurant throughout a full year. Hence our conservative Flytrippers Valuation of $100 for the dining credit.
Here are some additional logistical details about the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit:
- Mandatory registration to the Amex Offer to activate the credit
- Only necessary the 1st year
- If you renew, for a few years it’s automatic
- It seems to require re-registration after 3 years (to be confirmed)
- Amex Offers discounts and credits are on the Amex website or app
- Credit appears automatically on your account statement
- Like all discounts and credits through the Amex Offers benefit
- Confirm that the restaurant accepts Amex cards before ordering
- Probably not necessary
- But if you want to be 100% sure
- Credit can not be cashed out, as it must be used at the restaurant
- Unlike the Amex Platinum travel credit
Flytrippers recommends that you plan your year of travel carefully and use the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit for a nice romantic evening during a trip in Canada, or closer to home otherwise. Aim for $77.50 per person (appetizers, main meals, desserts, beverages), and with tip and taxes (which vary a little by province, of course), you’ll hit $200.
The 4 eligible restaurants I tried gave me a nice luxurious evening. I’ve shared my experiences with the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit in a separate post.
Finally, here are the logistics of how to actually use the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit in 5 easy steps:
- Apply for the Amex Platinum Card (if you don’t already have it)
- Sign up for the Amex Offer for the dining credit in just a few clicks
- Spend at least $200 in one transaction at an eligible restaurant
- Pay with your Amex Platinum Card
- Receive a $200 credit on your account statement automatically
Below, you can see the step-by-step process with screenshots after all the other details about the Amex Platinum $200 annual dining credit.
Details of the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Here’s more information about each aspect of the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit.
Card that offers the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
The Amex Platinum Card is the only Amex card to offer a $200 dining credit.
It’s by far the best premium card in Canada, all banks considered.
Don’t miss out on it if you like to travel in luxury! Its points of the more lucrative type have unlimited value, its airport lounge access benefit gives you unlimited visits to the world’s largest lounge network, its automatic hotel elite status benefit gives you VIP treatment at 15,000+ hotels, its NEXUS credit lets you avoid airport queues, etc.
Eligibility for the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
The Amex Platinum Card‘s $200 dining credit is really a benefit offered by the card itself.
You’re entitled to it from Day 1, whether you’ve unlocked the welcome bonus or not. It has nothing to do with the bonus, like all benefits on all cards.
Timeline for the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Like some other annual card benefits, the Amex Platinum Card‘s $200 dining credit is offered per calendar year — not per card membership year.
However, in practice it works exactly like the benefits that are per card membership year: you can’t use it more than once per annual fee paid.
If you pay the annual fee for 1 year, you get 1 dining credit. If you pay for 2 years, you get 2 dining credits. And so on. You can’t use it twice in a membership year: Amex will force you to pay it back if you don’t renew your card and you’ve used 1 extra credit.
You absolutely must use it within the calendar year; it can’t be rolled over to the following year.
Value of the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Rewards in the form of points, including the Amex Platinum Card‘s American Express Membership Rewards points, always have a different value depending on the redemption option chosen.
This isn’t the case with the dining credit. It’s worth $200, and there’s no way to get more value out of it. The value is fixed, unlike the points.
The only way to maximize it is to use it as soon as possible, because $200 today is worth more than $200 in 6 months, considering all the government spending that has generated inflation.
In fact, the $200 dining credit is worth a little more than $200: your Amex Platinum Card earns 2 points per $ (≈ 3%) at restaurants, so you’ll earn 400 points (≈ $6) on your free meal.
Restrictions on the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
The main restriction in terms of use is that you must use the Amex Platinum dining credit in a single transaction, so you can’t split it.
Personally, I would have preferred to have a $100 credit twice so as not to have to spend an incredibly large amount at once, but hey.
I’m much thriftier than everyone else when it comes to spending at restaurants (I’d infinitely rather save my cash to travel 10 times a year as I do), so I understand why the credit was designed the way it was.
With current prices, it’s not very difficult to reach $200 as a couple. Alone, it’s also possible by drinking more alcohol, I suppose!
Minimum spend to use the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
You don’t have to spend more than the value of the dining credit to use it. So you can get away with spending $0 out of pocket if you want to. That’s what I personally aim for every year.
You have to spend a minimum of $200 to get the $200 dining credit, but it’s the total amount of the transaction that counts, so that includes tip and tax. It’s almost always like that when it comes to credit cards (they don’t give a damn about the portion that goes to the government, unlike retailers for example).
So if you use your Amex Platinum dining credit in most provinces, all you have to do is spend $155 on food and beverages, and with the 15% tip and 15% taxes, you’ll reach a total of $200. If you come up a little short, just tip more because you’re not the one paying anyway and you must reach the $200 minimum.
If you use the dining credit in the short term, while what the government’s ex-Finance Minister called an “electoral gimmick” is still in effect: the GST is currently not applied in restaurants, so you’ve got a few extra bucks to spend for free!
Eligible restaurants for the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
The only other restriction on the dining credit is that you must stick to one restaurant on the list. Eligible restaurants are all rated among the “Best Restaurants in Canada.”
While they’re all clearly great, some have much more reasonably priced menus than others, so it varies greatly. You have to take the time to explore their websites if you want to find what’s perfect for you.
I enjoyed my experience at the 4 restaurants I tried, in both Montreal and Halifax.
If you’re traveling within Canada, this perk is perfect to treat yourself for one of your meals during your trip. Otherwise, you can easily use it in your province; you have a full year.
Registration for the Amex Offer for the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Amex Offers discounts and credits are one of the benefits of American Express credit cards.
In terms of logistics, the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit works just like any other of the Amex Offers. You’ll see it listed if you have the Amex Platinum Card.
That means all you have to do is click to sign up in a total of 10 seconds. And like all Amex Offers, you have to do it before you make the required purchase!
The section on how to use dining credit has all the details, step by step.
Receiving the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Like all Amex Offers, you don’t have to do anything else.
As soon as you spend more than $200 at an eligible restaurant, the $200 credit will appear directly on your statement (it may take a few days).
Confirmation of eligibility for the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
Personally, I’m so frugal that when I arrive at a restaurant to use the dining credit, I always confirm that they accept payments with American Express cards.
This shouldn’t be an issue, because of course the restaurants on the list are supposed to accept American Express.
But it costs nothing to ask before you order, because I really don’t want to pay $200 for a restaurant meal if for some reason I can’t pay with my Amex Platinum Card to get the dining credit.
Cashing out the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit
It’s really quite simple, and there’s not much more to add than what was in the overview section above.
As the expense must be made in a restaurant, it’s not possible to cash out the Amex Platinum dining credit (unlike the American Express travel credit, which can be easily monetized thanks to the refundable hotel trick).
The only thing that might be possible (but also might not work) is to buy a gift card directly from one of the eligible restaurants. This would allow you to either resell the gift card to cash out the credit, or even use it for 2 more reasonable $100 restaurant meals instead of 1 meal that costs $200.
I haven’t tried it. In Canada, card issuers don’t have access to precise data on what you buy — which is why you can easily earn 5 pts/$ almost anywhere with the gift card tip.
But does the restaurant have a special payment terminal for gift card sales, so it’s coded differently? Do they send more information than usual to Amex to get on the list of eligible restaurants? Probably not, but it’s not certain.
How to use the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit (step-by-step)
Here are the 5 steps to follow to use your $200 Amex Platinum dining credit.
Step 1: Apply for the Amex Platinum Card (if you don’t already have it)
If you’re reading this guide, you’re probably one of the many travelers who took advantage of the deal.
But if not, it’s not too late yet.
Create an online Amex account. This step is implied — because you have to do it for every card you get during the year.
Step 2: Register for the Amex Offer for the dining credit in just a few clicks
Everything is done via your online bank account, as is almost always the case with travel rewards.
As is often the case, you can use either the website or the app.
On the website, log in to your Amex account by clicking on the blue “Log In” button at the top right-hand corner.
Enter your username and password.
Flytrippers highly recommend the 1Password tool for security and simplicity. It protects your information and identity and you won’t ever have to remember a password or account number. We use it ourselves and it has changed our lives.
I have several American Express cards, like all travel rewards pros should almost always have, so first I have to select the Amex Platinum Card since it’s the only one that offers the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit.
You can see the Amex Offers at the bottom of your account.
Just click on “Register” to sign up for the offer.
If you prefer to use the app, that’s easy too. Just log in and click on the “Amex Offers” tab at the bottom.
Step 3: Spend at least $200 in one transaction at an eligible restaurant
Check out the list of eligible restaurants and choose one.
Spend at least $200 (tax and tip included) in a single transaction.
Step 4: Pay with your Amex Platinum Card
What you need to understand is that the $200 Amex Platinum dining credit is an amount that will be credited to the account statement on your Amex Platinum Card.
So you have to pay for your restaurant purchase with your Amex Platinum Card.
Step 5: Receive a $200 credit on your account automatically
Unlike the American Express travel credit, you don’t have to do anything manually other than the Amex Offer registration above.
The $200 Amex Platinum dining credit will automatically appear on your account as soon as you make your first eligible expense of $200 or more in the calendar year.
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Summary
The American Express Platinum Card has a great welcome bonus and a simple travel credit that can be easily cashed out. The final component of our Flytrippers Valuation of ≈ $652 for the offer is this $200 Amex Platinum dining credit that gives you a really good free meal every year (and that we therefore value conservatively at a minimum of $100).
What would you like to know about the American Express Platinum annual $200 dining credit? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: My Amex Platinum Card in a restaurant eligible for the dining credit (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
