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Find out how TPG Content Manager Ryan Gaines earned nearly 1,000 bonus Delta SkyMiles for taking the summer interns out for lunch on New York City’s Stone Street.

Dining rewards programs allow you to double-dip on earning miles and points by linking a points-earning credit card to your airline or hotel program of choice, using that card to pay for meals, then earning multiple points or miles per dollar on top of your usual earnings. It’s what The Points Guy likes to call a no-brainer.

A few weeks ago, some of the TPG editorial team decided to try out a BBQ restaurant on Stone Street called Route 66 Smokehouse BBQ. Having never been there before, I didn’t realize that this restaurant was part of the SkyMiles Dining program — to which I’m linked with my Delta Platinum American Express card — so unexpectedly, I found I’d be having a nice outing from the office and earning SkyMiles in the process.

I haven’t dined at any SkyMiles Dining program restaurants in a while, so not only did I earn 744 SkyMiles for my lunch, but I also earned a 250 SkyMiles re-activation bonus—score! I’m trying to spend $25,000 for the Medallion Qualifying Dollar waiver and to earn 10,000 bonus MQMs, so while I could have earned a big Q2 category bonus with the Chase Freedom Card or Discover It, I’m focused on hitting that $25k mark for the time being. 

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If you’re not already a member of Delta SkyMiles Dining, you can sign-up here to participate in the current offer: 500 bonus miles SkyMiles after your first dine (plus an extra 500 if you’re a Medallion member), 1,000 bonus miles SkyMiles after your second dine, and 1,500 bonus miles SkyMiles after your third dine for a total of 3,500 bonus SkyMiles.

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If you’re looking to earn points or miles with other airlines — and hotels — consider enrolling in one of these other dining programs, instead:

As a reminder, remember to use your Chase Sapphire Preferred to earn double points on dining, or up to triple points if you dine on the first Friday of the month.

Ryan is a contributing writer for The Points Guy

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