The premium American Express credit cards come with high annual membership fees. These fees can be offset by the long list of benefits these cards provide, however, it can be difficult to find value in all of them. One of the best benefits that provide value relates to a life necessity – eating! We all do dining out occasionally, even when being budget-conscious, so it makes sense to find tricks to squeeze out extra value for an activity you are already spending on.
I use the American Express Gold card dining credit exclusively on Grubhub. This opens up dining options in my neighborhood which means I do not have to travel far or go out of the way to find a Cheesecake Factory or Shake Shack.
Did you know the monthly American Express Platinum and American Express Gold Uber cash credits can be used with Uber Eats?! Uber also acquired Postmates so the credit can also be used on Postmates if it is in your town or city. If you do not find yourself using the rideshare service monthly I highly recommend using it for dining instead. I only use rideshare services like Uber and Lyft sparingly, so I am always searching for dining deals when trying to use this credit card benefit.
I have been using both of these monthly dining credits for years and want to share the tips I have learned along the way to get full value out of these credits.
Price Compare
It is well-known that restaurants often raise their menu prices on third-party dining and delivery apps. This is because companies like Uber and Grubhub charge the restaurant a fee to be on their respective platforms. Restaurants have to find a way to offset this cost so it is not uncommon to see elevated menu prices on a third-party app compared to the restaurant’s website.
Not all restaurants raise their menu prices though! When you first start using these dining credits, take the time to price-compare one or two places each month. I keep a running list of restaurants that do not raise prices. This allows me to quickly narrow down the endless list of options, and focus on the restaurants that keep their menu prices the same.
Pick-up Instead of Delivery
Ordering pick-up instead of delivery is one of the obvious ways to save money when using Grubhub or Uber Eats. I walk to pick up my order or drive myself to the restaurant whenever possible. Delivery is nice on busy days or if you are feeling sick, but the delivery fees and tips can add up! And yes, I do think it is important to tip your driver.
Promo Codes
All those annoying push notifications that you ignore? And the advertisements in your bottomless pit email inbox? Start reading them! This is how I save tons of money each month when using delivery apps.
Uber Eats is especially good with running deals. The most common deals are getting a percentage off your order when you meet a minimum spend requirement. An example is something like “Get 40% off on orders over $30.”
Make sure to read the terms of the promo. It isn’t uncommon for a promo to apply to delivery only. If that is the case you need to run the numbers as sometimes the deal is not worth it when factoring in delivery and tip.
Uber Eats have more promotions than Grubhub. Throughout the years I would estimate using an Uber Eats promo code 70% of the time compared to 20% for Grubhub. My routine is typically doing pick-up orders for both, however, whenever I am targeted for an Uber Eats promotion that uses delivery I get my food delivered instead.
Tip: Do not forget to check for Postmates promotions. Postmates run separate promotions from Uber Eats.
Stackable Deals
Individual restaurants may take part in special promotions or coupons even if you are not targeted for a promotion code. I have found this to be common across the board. Deals could be something like “$5 off an order of $25 or more” or even “buy one get one” on select menu items. All of these types of deals are viewable when browsing the app.
I love taking advantage of buy-one-get-one deals and combining them with a promotion code. I often browse for large menu items that I can eat for several days or share with friends. Pizza or family combos are two items I often look for to take full advantage of at my disposal. There have been multiple times I have gotten two extra large pizzas which might cost $60 depending on the restaurant. If there is a BOGO deal and an applicable promotion code my order will get down to $15-20. Not bad for a party meal, or lunch for an entire week!
Free Trial Periods
Both Uber and Grubhub have premium membership tiers, Uber One and Grubhub+. I don’t particularly find either useful on a permanent basis, but both often run free trial periods that I take advantage of whenever available. If signing up for a free trial remember to set a calendar reminder to cancel your subscription. There is little that is more annoying than getting hit with an unwanted monthly charge on your credit card bill!
Uber One costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. This gets you free delivery, some additional discounts on orders, and potential cash back on any late deliveries. If you’re a heavy user of Uber Eats already this could be worth it, especially if you order delivery often.
Grubhub+ (link) is also $9.99/month with similar benefits. Joining gets you free delivery, reduced fees, and other offers. It is a nice way to save a few dollars when there is a free trial, but unless you are a heavy user it is not worth it.
American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Platinum Card comes with a $695 annual membership fee. This hefty fee can be offset by using numerous of the card benefits. One is the $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue (link) credit. And if you still are not getting value from the card you can always ask for a retention offer and earn more Membership Rewards points.
One of the best benefits is the $200 annual Uber credit. This is a $15 monthly credit with an extra $20 in December. The credit does have to be used before month-end and does not carry over to the next month. Since this can be used with Uber Eats and Postmates it is an easy way to put a dent into the annual membership fee.
American Express Gold Card
The American Express Gold Card comes with a smaller $250 annual membership fee. This card is focused on dining and groceries earning 4x on restaurants and 4x on U.S. supermarkets. I swipe this card frequently whenever I’m not working towards a sign-up bonus on another card. Groceries and restaurants are a large monthly expense for many so this is a great card to keep in your wallet for the 4x Membership Rewards.
What makes this card even better is the ability to nearly offset the annual membership fee through credit benefits from the card. There is a $10 monthly Uber credit that functions the same as the Platinum card. The two combined can be used on Uber, Uber Eats, or Postmates. This comes to $25 each month if you have both cards with an extra $20 in December.
Additionally, there is a $10 monthly dining credit on this card. This credit can be used at select establishments in addition to Grubhub. The other dining options are: The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, wine.com, Gold Belly, and milk. Since Grubhub is the most flexible I have always utilized this option.
The Uber credit and dining credit total $240 in monthly credits nearly offsetting the $250 annual membership fee! This is why the Gold card is one of my favorites which I will probably keep forever. Everyone needs to eat so it feels like no effort to recoup the $250 each year.
Final Thoughts
Dining credits are my favorite way to offset annual membership fees on any credit card. While travel credits and other benefits are nice, dining is the one constant activity in life we all participate in. Hopefully, I have shown you how to maximize the dining options and minimize costs when it comes to the American Express Uber and dining credits. If you have any other tips that have helped you save money on dining apps please share them with the community in the comments section!