Tip: Earn Bonus Miles With Airline Dining Programs
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Most airlines have dining rewards programs, and joining can be an easy strategy for earning more points and miles. You may already hold a card that gives you bonus points on dining, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x) or Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x), but it's also possible to double-dip by enrolling in an airline's dining program and paying with your registered card.
Enrolling is easy — just create an account with your preferred program, register your card and you'll earn points and miles when you eat at participating restaurants. Sign-up bonuses are also available and vary by program.
Right now, the American Airlines AAdvantage Dining program allows you to earn between one and five miles per dollar spent with a bonus of up to 2,000 AAdvantage miles if you dine three times within the first 30 days of joining. The Delta SkyMiles Dining program also allows you to earn between one and five miles per dollar spent with a bonus of 3,000 SkyMiles if you dine three times within the first 30 days of joining. To round out the three major US carriers, the United MileagePlus Dining program allows you to earn between one and five miles per dollar spent with a bonus of up to 1,000 MileagePlus miles if you spend $25 within the first 30 days of joining.
As you may have noticed, these programs are similarly designed, and each of the memberships offer three tiers. In order to reach the top tier and earn five miles per dollar, you'll have to sign-up to receive emails from the service and have 12 or more qualified transactions within a calendar year. Opting in to emails will get you three miles per dollar and you'll earn one point per dollar if you don't add your email. There's no reason to not earn bonus points and miles when you eat out.
To find participating restaurants, just add in your zip code and click search. Bon appétit!
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.