Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy Dining Credit: Suspiciously Easy To Use

Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy Dining Credit: Suspiciously Easy To Use

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Link: Learn more about The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) has recently undergone a major refresh. With this, we’ve seen the card get an $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees), which is shattering records among premium cards. However, for once, I’d say this card refresh is actually legitimately positive, and I’m having a lot easier of a time justifying the card’s annual fee than in the past, despite the $200 increase.

In particular, I very much appreciate the new credits that have been added. In this post, I’d like to focus specifically on the up to $400 annual Resy credit, since I know there are some questions about the logistics of using this, as it’s (almost) confusingly easy to redeem.

Basics of the Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy credit

While the Amex Platinum Card potentially offers thousands of dollars of credits, there are terms and conditions associated with each of them. I’d argue that one of the easiest perks to maximize is the annual $400 Resy credit. For those not familiar, Resy is a restaurant reservation platform, which has well over 10,000 restaurants nationwide in its portfolio. Amex actually acquired the company in 2019, so it belongs to the card issuer.

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $400 in Resy credits annually, in the form of a $100 credit each calendar quarter. To give the simple summary upfront, all you have to do is register, use your card at an eligible Resy restaurant, and then you’ll be reimbursed.

There’s no need to reserve your restaurant through Resy, you don’t have to let the restaurant know you’re using your benefit, and there’s nothing else special you have to do. So as long as a restaurant is one of the 10,000+ that belongs to Resy, you’re good. You can even use it for takeout, as long as you’re paying directly with the restaurant.

Now, to share some more specific terms:

  • Registration is required prior to using the benefit
  • This is only available on the personal version of the card, and not the business version of the card
  • Spending by the primary cardmember or authorized users qualifies toward this credit, but there’s only one credit per primary account
  • You can receive up to $100 in statement credits each quarter, and that can be based on spending in one or multiple transactions, and you can only be reimbursed as much as you spend
  • Eligible Resy purchases include purchases made directly from U.S. restaurants that offer reservations through the Resy website or app
  • It can take up to eight weeks for the credit to post to the eligible account, but typically it’ll post much faster than that

When it comes to registering, just log into your online account for the Amex Platinum Card, click on the “Rewards & Benefits” tab, and find the “$400 Resy Credit” section.

Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy credit benefit details

There you’ll find all the terms, and you’ll also see the enrollment button. You’ll also receive an email confirming enrollment.

Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy credit enrollment

Based on my experiences (and the experience of family members), the credit typically posts in a matter of days.

Amex Platinum Card Resy credit posting

The Resy credit is worth close to face value, in my opinion

We often refer to some premium cards as “coupon books,” given the number of credits they offer, the hoops you have to jump through to redeem them, and the way they’re broken up. With that in mind, I’ve gotta say, the $400 Resy credit on the Amex Platinum Card is a breath of fresh air, and something I consider to be worth close to face value.

Admittedly all consumers are different, so no credit is going to be valuable for everyone. Like, if you don’t dine out or live in a small town without Resy restaurants, then you might have to go out of your way to maximize it. However, if you dine out with some frequency and live in a major city, I’d say this is worth pretty close to face value.

The way I view it, the major catch with this credit is that the Amex Platinum Card isn’t ordinarily one of the best cards for dining spending, given that that’s not a bonus category for that on the card. So for me, it’s about remembering to use the card once per quarter for a dining purchase.

I get frustrated by this kind of stuff if we’re talking about some super small credit, but for $100, I’m happy to remember to do that. Also keep in mind that if you have a more expensive dining experience, you can typically split your purchase between multiple cards.

Personally, I’d basically view the opportunity cost of this perk as being the rewards I’m forgoing by not earning more than one point per dollar on that dining purchase.

I consider the Amex Platinum Resy credit to be valuable

I’m curious about the economics of the $400 Resy credit

Unrelated to the actual value of this perk, I’d be fascinated to know what the economics are of this benefit. A bunch of premium card perks nowadays are merchant funded, which is to say that the merchant covers much of the cost, in exchange for getting access to an affluent consumer base.

In the case of the Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy credit, Resy is owned by Amex, and the credit is being redeemed at any of 10,000+ independent restaurants. My general assumption is that the intent with this perk is twofold:

  • To increasingly drive people to using the Resy platform for reservations, since it’s owned by Amex
  • To get people to put their dining spending on the Amex Platinum Card more consistently, with the assumption being that if you start using it for dining once per quarter, maybe you’ll start using it more consistently

That being said, $400 per cardmember is a pretty big investment to make on that front. I can’t imagine that individual restaurants are in any way on the hook when these credits are redeemed (or are they?), so I’d be fascinated to know what the accounting on this looks like.

It’s a little different than some sort of a hotel credit, as you see on many cards, where the logic is a little more straightforward — the credit card company gives you a hotel credit, and hopes you’ll book a much more expensive hotel, since they’re acting as an online travel agency, and receive a commission.

Of all of Amex’s credits, the $400 Resy credit is the one that seems most generous and perhaps more costly, in terms of direct funding by Amex and its subsidiaries. I’m curious if others have a different take on that.

I’m curious how the funding for this perk works

Bottom line

The Amex Platinum Card offers thousands of dollars worth of credits, and I’d argue that one of the most valuable is the annual $400 Resy credit. Registration is required, and the credit can be used in increments of $100 quarterly. But beyond that, there really aren’t many hoops to jump through. Just find a participating Resy restaurant, spend money there on your card, and you can receive a statement credit. You don’t even have to book through Resy.

What’s your take on the Amex Platinum Card $400 Resy credit, and what’s your best guess as to the economics?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees).

Conversations (64)
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  1. Tim Kozikowski Guest

    With two Platinum and two Gold cards between me and my co-P1 these Resy credits are a huge win. We have several excellent options nearby where we can easily spend $150+ on dinner, but not something we would normally do. Along with the Lululemon and Uber credits getting value from this card's AF is not hard.

  2. Stephen Guest

    Ha early in the month I'm often at a restaurant dining with my wife pulling out to bonvoy cards at Delta reserve and a Delta Platinum to pay a quarter of the bill on each and collect all my resi and other dining credits

  3. City Lady Guest

    I am a business traveler and mostly eat alone. I tried to use Resy to make a reservation for 1 and deliberately chose quiet days and off times and yet Resy stated that there were no tables available. Pretty useless. Have any other business travelers had the same problem?

  4. Hobbs Guest

    Resy benefit stacked with an Amex dining offer.

    Lululemon benefit stacked with a 20% Capital One Shopping rewards offer.

    NYC MTA tap to pay offer.

    It’s date night with a fresh pair of drawers. Wish me luck.

  5. Jack Guest

    AMEX'S CEO EXPLAINED IT ON A QUARTERLY EARNINGS CALL. It no longer looks at each credit on its own . . . or what an individual cardholder uses . . . it knows the AVERAGE person will use only a percentage of the sum total. Instead, it looks at the total revenue it receives from all statement credit sponsors relative to the total use of statement credit usage. That's what matters to Amex. But, it...

    AMEX'S CEO EXPLAINED IT ON A QUARTERLY EARNINGS CALL. It no longer looks at each credit on its own . . . or what an individual cardholder uses . . . it knows the AVERAGE person will use only a percentage of the sum total. Instead, it looks at the total revenue it receives from all statement credit sponsors relative to the total use of statement credit usage. That's what matters to Amex. But, it should be emphasized that restaurants pay a (software) subscription to be on Resy . . . or Open Table . . . or Seven Rooms.

  6. Jeff Guest

    What is "suspicious" about this? It may be surprisingly easy to use, but suspicious suggests that there is something nefarious that will happen to you because you are baited into using it by its ease of use.

    1. Jack Guest

      "Suspicious" is a convenient word to entice the unsuspecting click.

  7. Ed Guest

    It's a marketing scheme -- with $400 credit more people will step in Resy restaurants, which would attract restaurants to join Resy Platform.

    1. Jack Guest

      Yes. And, I refuse to use my $400 in statement credits in protest. They are not pulling a fast one on me.

  8. JohnnyBoy Guest

    The 'coupon' is only worth close to face value if you live in a big city. There is only one Resy restaurant in the smaller metro area where I live, so it's value is limited. I struggled to use the $50 Resy coupon on the Gold card, having to plan when I travel to eat at one of their restos. Now I will have to scheme much harder to use such a credit 4X per year. Also factor in that there are many cards that offer a higher return than the Plat on restos.

    1. Jack Guest

      I do not live in a big city and there are a few restaurants on the platform. Including one of our favorites, BUT, if a cardholder is the "target" customer . . . that is , someone who travels . . . then one will likely have a greater opportunity to use the credit. If a cardholder is not the "target" customer . . . that is, someone who doesn't travel . . . then the card is not a fit. And, thus, why complain?

  9. Bart Brewster Guest

    Oh the naivete here. Being in thrall with premium credit cards that charge big money and offer various “benefits” to offset the annual cost is being a lamb to the slaughter. I’m an AMEX “member” since 1974. So I guess I should feel special. At least that’s what AMEX wants. But really I’m a sucker. Less so than most, but still. These cards are marketed to high end consumers. These are not consumers who cut...

    Oh the naivete here. Being in thrall with premium credit cards that charge big money and offer various “benefits” to offset the annual cost is being a lamb to the slaughter. I’m an AMEX “member” since 1974. So I guess I should feel special. At least that’s what AMEX wants. But really I’m a sucker. Less so than most, but still. These cards are marketed to high end consumers. These are not consumers who cut coupons out of the newspaper to save money at the grocery store. They can’t be bothered. So while many who renew may justify the cost based on all these money-back “deals,” I’d guess 10% actually get their money back. As a member of the 10%, I’ve spent all sorts of time figuring out how to do so and ended up buying stuff I don’t even want at, for example, Saks. Then, when I walk miles to the Centurion lounge I find that there’s a line AND I have to pay for my partner to enter. We’re really special to AMEX. No we are not. This is all a big game in which we are the losers. It’s why I am bailing on AMEX after more than 50 years and moving to the Venture X. I’ll still get access to some lounges, free mobile phone insurance, and can negate most of the cost with one airline ticket. One Mile at a Time should be excoriating AMEX. Not implying it’s some great deal. That’s just playing into the AMEX profit machine. I will no longer fall for this.

    1. Jack Guest

      To be fair, each person must assess the value of the card for oneself. It's not anyone's responsibility to ensure it is of value to any other person. Some might not capture a single statement credit but find incredible subjective value in lounge access . . . and that's the only reason they hold the card. Are they a chump? If the card is not a fit for YOU, fine. I capture huge value on existing spending. Let's not impose our outcomes on others.

    2. Bart Brewster Guest

      Agree, but let's expose this to what it is for MOST people: Selling the sizzle, not the steak; a veneer of exclusivity. Let's say a cardholder is someone who regularly flies through airports by themselves with Centurion lounges that are mostly available at the times they go through. Then maybe that alone is worth it to them. What I'm suggesting is that for 90% of AMEX customers, the vast majority of the "deals" are going...

      Agree, but let's expose this to what it is for MOST people: Selling the sizzle, not the steak; a veneer of exclusivity. Let's say a cardholder is someone who regularly flies through airports by themselves with Centurion lounges that are mostly available at the times they go through. Then maybe that alone is worth it to them. What I'm suggesting is that for 90% of AMEX customers, the vast majority of the "deals" are going to go unredeemed, so this is mostly just a way to extract more money from customers.

    3. Srini Rao Guest

      This is exactly the truth. Just the way some people are justifying these so called perks is laughable. If you want to feel special then by so means get it. I get a free one via Morgan Stanley otherwise I wouldn't get it. The capital one venture x is the one I feel that actually provides good value.

  10. Sky Guest

    The goal is to attract more restaurants to use Resy. Restaurant pay for the service. If they think they can some of that $400 pie, they may use that platform over, say, OpenTable.

  11. Anthony Diamond

    Ben - there has been a lot of discussion on the Lululemon credit as well. $75 a quarter credit at a store that sells many useful items at or below that price also seems pretty generous.

    In terms of the economics - Amex must be funding a lot of the Resy discount given most Resy restaurants are independent. For some of the other credits, they seem generous to the point Amex seems to be funding a lot of it

    1. Esquiar Guest

      The Lulu credit is almost certainly funded by Lulu. They took a look at the average Amex Platinum cart size at Lulu and extrapolated from there. I think the Lulu execs are delulu about this. Thanks to adverse selection, the new Lulu cart size will decrease towards $75 :P

    2. Regis Guest

      I entered a Lululemon store for the first time in my life on Sunday to use the Amex credit before it expired. The cheerful staff seemed to sense my unfamiliarity with the store. "First time at Lulu?" the sales lady politely asked me. Long story short: I ended up buying way more than $75 in merchandise. I was impressed with the selection and quality of the clothes as well as the excellent service. I am a fan of Lulu now.

  12. Randy Diamond

    I have to assume that Resy restaurants are paying a fee to be listed in Resy. It is a form of advertising. You can make a reservation on Resy (like Open Table), so maybe the restaurant pays a fee for reservations. AmEx is offering a quarterly incentive to get people to eat there. AmEx also gets is fee for the CC charge.

    1. Jack Guest

      Yes. Like Open Table and other reservation platforms, there is a software subscription that each restaurant pays. One can find these fees by going to these platforms' websites and looking for "For Restaurant Owners" or a similar link. As opposed to the consumer side of its website.

  13. Randy Diamond

    I have to assume that Resy restaurants are paying a fee to be listed in Resy. It is a form of advertising. You can make a reservation on Resy (like Open Table), so maybe the restaurant pays a fee for reservations. AmEx is offering a quarterly incentive to get people to eat there. AmEx also gets is fee for the CC charge.

    1. Ken Guest

      Resy is a reservation management system. Like any other system a company might use you pay a monthly/yearly subscription to use it.

  14. Danny Guest

    “Easy to use”. Lolz. First dinning, 10 days later and no credit has posted still. 2nd dinning, on 9/28, I bought a gift card but it did not process (got an error), so I left without buying. Later I see charge as pending and credit for same amount pending as well….i didn’t even get the gift card!

    I will be canceling this overpriced coupon book. Can’t even bring a guest into centurion for free on a $900 year/ $75 a month membership card!

    1. Bill J Guest

      My wife and I just used the Resy credit on my American Express Platinum. I am the primary cardholder. We did make a reservation in Resy (I don't believe that is required), we ate at the restaurant and paid our bill on 09/27, the charge posted for $148.50 on 09/28 and the "Platinum Resy Credit" posted for $100.00 on the same date. All went well and it was easy.

  15. AdamH Guest

    It's nice that it is easy but looking at the listing of restaurants near me in the SF Bay Area it's still pretty sparse. I would have to very specifically go out of my way to check the box to eat at any of them and many are would push you well over $100/meal for 2.

  16. Steve Guest

    I get the sense that individual restaurants are not on the hook for anything, or that anything they lose is trivial. One of our local restaurants blasted their email lists saying they've been slammed with everyone using the credits, so they are instead offering $110 value gift cards for $100. I doubt they would do that if they weren't getting close to $100 from it.

  17. Jason Guest

    It is a credit if you live in/near Washington DC. Tons of ny favorite restaurants are on Resy. Easy to use

  18. Vani Guest

    I imagine the play must be to get more restaurants to switch from OpenTable to Resy and to get more dinners to make reservations on Resy. They increased the cost of the card by $200/year so it’s only an incremental cost of $200/year (before breakage). Many smaller cities don’t have any Resy restaurants so I suspect there will be more breakage than one may suspect living in a big city.

  19. SubwayNut Guest

    I definately overspent recently because of it!

    I live in a small city, South Bend, that has one resturant on Resy that I've only been to once and it was terrible.

    I travel once a month-ish and was out of town when the credit was announced in Providence, RI - already had a reservation with friends at a resturant that night on Resy (they insisted on paying), next night I was alone in Providence,...

    I definately overspent recently because of it!

    I live in a small city, South Bend, that has one resturant on Resy that I've only been to once and it was terrible.

    I travel once a month-ish and was out of town when the credit was announced in Providence, RI - already had a reservation with friends at a resturant that night on Resy (they insisted on paying), next night I was alone in Providence, and ate dinner at a tapas bar on Resy, something I wouldn't have done other than the Resy Credit (credit posted for that $60 meal), next stop was visiting family in Rural Vermont, and much to my suprise the only real resturant in a small nearby town was on Resy and I took one of them out there for dinner, the over $100 bill way blew over my remaining Resy credit but it was a fun thing to do.

    This is similar to the fact I like trying to book my now bi-yearly FHR reservation in a place where I need a hotel and am visiting friends, and then using the dinner credit and free breakfast for 2 to have a meal with others. Did this in Denver at the Thompson in August, treated one friend to a basically free dinner, and a different friend for free breakfast.

  20. Jeff S Guest

    It’s not quite so easy. I’ve eaten at 3 Resy restaurants, on Resy site, and no credit. The issue at restaurants in hotels is they often charge it to an account with the hotel so doesn’t post as restaurant and Resy. This is fraud I think, the restaurant getting Amex Resy exposure but not paying so much for it. I’ve many times spoken to Amex about this and even with supervisors and just get a...

    It’s not quite so easy. I’ve eaten at 3 Resy restaurants, on Resy site, and no credit. The issue at restaurants in hotels is they often charge it to an account with the hotel so doesn’t post as restaurant and Resy. This is fraud I think, the restaurant getting Amex Resy exposure but not paying so much for it. I’ve many times spoken to Amex about this and even with supervisors and just get a shrug basically. That’s BS and Amex should reimburse me per the credit rules and should go after the restaurants. They do neither. Amex is accelerated the demise of Resy, I give them 2 years max.

  21. Greg Guest

    Went to one Sunday night, and it was slammed by Amex credit users. Server said they were doing 5x their number of usual covers for several days and got to the point of running out of menu items. Said Amex didn't warn them.

    This was an upscale resturant.

    Most of the patrons weren't ordering any alcohol - in a place that's pretty well known for its wine list - so they were basically trying to...

    Went to one Sunday night, and it was slammed by Amex credit users. Server said they were doing 5x their number of usual covers for several days and got to the point of running out of menu items. Said Amex didn't warn them.

    This was an upscale resturant.

    Most of the patrons weren't ordering any alcohol - in a place that's pretty well known for its wine list - so they were basically trying to hit as close to $100 as they could.

    We ordered up, and the server appreciated that. Ended up with a great pour of a special wine.

    1. Regis Guest

      Your restaurant order is controlled by what pleases the server? Is that why you eat out? To please the wait staff? Yeah, this was the last weekend of the quarter to get a $100 free meal so of course a lot of card members will be out. Most of the Resy restaurants are upscale so no surprise there either.

    2. Greg Guest

      Ordering well like we normally do and getting a comp pour has zero to do with wanting to please the server.

      The fact that so many people were not ordering drinks (alcoholic or not), which is out of norm for that restaurant, while we ordered drinks like we normally would stood out to him and we benefited.

  22. schrap Guest

    Live in a decent sized California city, was somewhat surprised there were around a dozen restaurants in my local area in the list - -a few more in the 'burbs.
    of the dozen or so, we actually go 1-2x per year to maybe a handful -- thus for us, a rather nice perk to make a point to going to those places 1x per quarter.
    Charge posted and credit issued really quickly -- happy to have capitalized on this before the quarter closed.

  23. Keith Murray Guest

    Yes, I enrolled the day the new Plat card benefits were announced September 18, realized the quarter was quickly ending, so took a couple friends out for dinner last Thursday the 25th.

    Tab came to just over $100, and the credit was already in my account Monday the 29th. Wow!

    I used to have an AX Delta platinum card that has a smaller Resy benefit, so I knew one didn’t have to use the...

    Yes, I enrolled the day the new Plat card benefits were announced September 18, realized the quarter was quickly ending, so took a couple friends out for dinner last Thursday the 25th.

    Tab came to just over $100, and the credit was already in my account Monday the 29th. Wow!

    I used to have an AX Delta platinum card that has a smaller Resy benefit, so I knew one didn’t have to use the reservation feature to get the credit. However, taking those two out to dinner last week on my Plat card, I actually did use the reservation feature, which asked about any food allergies. One of my guests has a shrimp allergy.

    I was quite impressed when the waiter greeted us after giving us his name, the very next question was “OK, who has the allergy I’m told about?”. Impressed.

    And like your discussion in this review, one of our topics at dinner last week was: “what is the economics of this benefit for American Express Co. and the restaurant?” We didn’t fully resolve it either!

    Overall, I really, really like this new benefit on my card, plan to use it quarterly, but like you, probably not shifting all my restaurant purchases to the Plat card.

  24. 305 Guest

    Picking up $90 in tacos right now to burn through that credit. Thanks for the reminder, would have forgotten to use this quarter

  25. InternationalTraveler Diamond

    I was excited initially. However, there are not too many restaurants on Resy in Northern California. Yes, there are some, but none of my regulars or the ones I have been keen on trying.

    Maybe it is a move by Amex to get more restaurants on the Resy platform by promoting demand from all their Platinum card members?

  26. Peter Guest

    It’s real value especially when compared to the $300 CSR credit which has literally tens of restaurants that it is good at. 10,000+ restaurants, $100 a quarter, easy as pie.

    Chase increased the fee by more than Amex did and made the CSR credits illusory and impossible, and also changed the fundamentals of the card by taking away 3x travel. Three months later Amex comes in with a clear message to disillusioned Chase customers...

    It’s real value especially when compared to the $300 CSR credit which has literally tens of restaurants that it is good at. 10,000+ restaurants, $100 a quarter, easy as pie.

    Chase increased the fee by more than Amex did and made the CSR credits illusory and impossible, and also changed the fundamentals of the card by taking away 3x travel. Three months later Amex comes in with a clear message to disillusioned Chase customers - we’ve been here all along, we’re taking nothing away, in fact we’re adding tons of value, and nothing else is like the Platinum card.

    Hard to argue given the value being offered! Heads should be rolling at Chase.

    1. PENILE Guest

      Chase had the first mover disadvantage here. Amex saw it and seized the competitive opportunity. I bet Amex didn't have $400 Resy on the roadmap initially, but after the Chase launch, Amex execs regrouped with the product team and agreed to take a riskier bet on funding this lucrative credit.

      Maybe in 1-2 years we will see Amex increase the fee to $1,495 with no additional credits.

    2. Zymm Guest

      The Gold card has had a $100 ($50/half) Resy credit for a while now, so the Platinum getting a larger version isn't that surprising. Certainly not something they added as a whim in response to the CSR change

    3. Peter Guest

      Agree completely. Amex owns Resy. Was always going to be a credit because it's something that they can comprehensively deliver well.

      Chase instead intentionally handpicked obscure select restaurants that no one will go to. People will be getting this credit randomly if they ever happen to go to one of the tens of restaurants on Chase's list.

      Chase knows it screwed up. The last minute one time only $250 IHG credit (2 night stay...

      Agree completely. Amex owns Resy. Was always going to be a credit because it's something that they can comprehensively deliver well.

      Chase instead intentionally handpicked obscure select restaurants that no one will go to. People will be getting this credit randomly if they ever happen to go to one of the tens of restaurants on Chase's list.

      Chase knows it screwed up. The last minute one time only $250 IHG credit (2 night stay still required!) reeked of desperation. Giving you the ability to use The Edit credits all at once - no one wants to use the Edit anyway, it's simply not as good as FHR. Giving away ice in winter.

      When you are the largest bank by market cap in the world, you do not have a "first mover disadvantage". Give me a break. They knew exactly what they were doing - they always hated that this card provided outsized value from day one and it was never limited to the HNWIs it was really targeting. What they failed to take into account is that the CSR became a loss leader promotion for their other banking services. Made people feel good about Chase because there was a perception of value. "Hey, maybe that largest bank in the world isn't such a bad company after all!" marketing is really really really hard to get. Why on earth they would decide to shoot themselves in the public perception foot is beyond me, but kudos to Amex for rubbing salt in their self inflicted wound.

    4. Regis Guest

      I applied to the CSR when they revamped the card and got rejected because of the 5/24 rule. Was very upset then. Then the new Amex Plat came out and I was approved. I am actually very happy now for Chase to have rejected my application as I couldn’t justify having both cards.

  27. Chris D Guest

    Of course Resy (and consequently the restaurants, since they fund Resy) is partially funding this. Why would Amex have chosen Resy if this weren't the case - they'd have just offered a $400 general dining credit.

    I agree the restaurants may not be out of pocket when you specifically use it but they are derail finding Resy's share as part of their fees for the overall proposition.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Chris D -- To be clear, Amex owns Resy. So if Resy is funding it, Amex is funding it.

  28. Jason Guest

    Resy is only in some major metros, so if you arent in a major city, it's very hard to use.

    I dined at a local Resy restaurant but was annoyed at the end when they added an undisclosed 3% credit card surcharge.

    1. PENILE Guest

      Resy is only in some major metros

      Not true. I just searched my backwater hometown in middle America. There is one Resy restaurant. Incredibly, the entrees go up to $78. So you can definitely make full use of the credit if you just eat there once a quarter.

      I actually wonder if that's where you ate. The PDF menu online says that a 3% surcharge is added, avoidable by paying cash or debit.

    2. Keith Murray Guest

      In some areas, they are few, but do exist. Here in Venice, Florida, there is only one, which we usually avoid because it is known for high prices. But with $100 credit last week for our party of three, ended up being pretty nice. And good food too.

      In fairness to American Express, there are several participating restaurants in the town about 20 miles north of us.

    3. Tex Guest

      San Antonio - one restaurant.
      Bought a gift card - no reimbursement. Will try the actual restaurant next time I am up there.

    4. Wahoowa Guest

      It varies widely. I'm in a city of 45,000 people and there are at least two dozen restaurants on Resy, including several of my favorites. There's also a very popular winery so if all else fails, I can grab a couple of bottles at the end of a quarter.

  29. PENILE Guest

    in terms of direct funding by Amex and its subsidiaries. I’m curious if others have a different take on that.

    NYC tourism department probably chips in because an overwhelming number of restaurants here are on Resy, and an overwhelming number of Resy restaurants are here, so having this credit draws people to NYC to spend money and pay taxes either as a visitor or even as a resident

  30. Samar Member

    Just went out to dinner last night to use my Platinum Resy credit. Meal cost $148. Was disappointed in myself that I didn't bring my Gold card with me (still need to use the Jul-Dec $50 credit), but I decided I might as well get some extra points, so I had the waitress charge $100 to the Platinum and the rest to my Alaska Summit card. Small extra hoop but worth it to spend on a card that provides more value.

    1. PENILE Guest

      Just went out to dinner last night to use my Platinum Resy credit.

      That's how Amex gotcha - you're not organically spending that much money on dinner

    2. DENDAVE Gold

      I agree you have to watch out for inflated spending (vs. replacing spending), but I suspect going out last night was in part because it was the end of the quarter and the credit is use it or lose it. I also went out last night to use it (arguably that replaced eating out somewhere else).

      Since they introduced this so close to the end of Q3, I suspect it created a small rush of...

      I agree you have to watch out for inflated spending (vs. replacing spending), but I suspect going out last night was in part because it was the end of the quarter and the credit is use it or lose it. I also went out last night to use it (arguably that replaced eating out somewhere else).

      Since they introduced this so close to the end of Q3, I suspect it created a small rush of people trying to use it immediately. I'm a little surprised they didn't say that it starts in September.

    3. Samar Member

      This time around yes. In the future there are places I’d normally go to where I’ll be able to use the credit organically, though to be fair I’d have to remember to carry my Platinum with me, so maybe not so organic.

  31. Rb Guest

    I though my you had to add your Amex to your Resy app profile. No?

    1. PENILE Guest

      You do not have to

  32. Sam Guest

    Out of interest if I go to a resy resturant tonight (30 Sep) but the charge is in pending for the next few days, does anyone know if I can use the credit due to expire at the end of this quarter?

    1. PENILE Guest

      Yes just make sure the date of the transaction is today

      In other words don't get wasted and drink past midnight

    2. Andy Guest

      think it kinda depends on the date it actually posts. i've had purchases on the last day of something but they end up posting on the following day instead.

  33. Dan Nainan Guest

    Thank you so much, I had no idea it was so easy to use the Resy credit! I mistakenly assumed one would have to make the reservation on Resident in order to get the credit so this is extraordinarily helpful.

    By the way, “fresh of breath air"... as that a mistake or did you do that on purpose? :-)

    1. Dan Nainan Guest

      *Sorry Resy, not resident.

    2. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Dan Nainan -- Bleh, fixed, thank you!

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Randy Diamond

I have to assume that Resy restaurants are paying a fee to be listed in Resy. It is a form of advertising. You can make a reservation on Resy (like Open Table), so maybe the restaurant pays a fee for reservations. AmEx is offering a quarterly incentive to get people to eat there. AmEx also gets is fee for the CC charge.

1
Steve Guest

I get the sense that individual restaurants are not on the hook for anything, or that anything they lose is trivial. One of our local restaurants blasted their email lists saying they've been slammed with everyone using the credits, so they are instead offering $110 value gift cards for $100. I doubt they would do that if they weren't getting close to $100 from it.

1
Vani Guest

I imagine the play must be to get more restaurants to switch from OpenTable to Resy and to get more dinners to make reservations on Resy. They increased the cost of the card by $200/year so it’s only an incremental cost of $200/year (before breakage). Many smaller cities don’t have any Resy restaurants so I suspect there will be more breakage than one may suspect living in a big city.

1
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