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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Expert stacking: How I earned $80 in cash back and rewards from one dinner
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
April 15, 2021 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
A steakhouse dinner in New York City cost $281.60, but strategic use of multiple dining and rewards programs reduced the effective cost by nearly $80.
The author combined a reservation app, a cash-back app, an airline dining program and a rewards-earning payment card to maximize value.
Stacking offers from different platforms provided a mix of cash back, gift cards and airline miles, each with distinct redemption options.
The article details the step-by-step process for leveraging these programs to offset dining expenses.
What to consider
Some offers mentioned are no longer available, so current availability may differ.
Rewards rates and eligible restaurants can change frequently, so always check participating merchants before booking.
Airline miles earned through dining programs are valued at 1.8 cents each as of June 2024 per TPG's valuations.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how to combine reservation apps, cash-back platforms and loyalty programs to maximize rewards on restaurant spending.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
My girlfriend's birthday was in early March — shortly after indoor dining reopened in New York City.
After months of eating outside or in our apartment, we were vaccinated and comfortable enough to go back inside a restaurant and have our first meal out in NYC since indoor dining closed again in December.
She decided on a steakhouse, so I started researching some of the best (reasonably priced) in New York City. I landed on Empire Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan after asking around for recommendations online. We had a great time; the food was excellent and the drinks were great. I can't wait to go back for another special occasion.
The damage, however, was $281.60 after tip. Not terrible for a steak dinner, sides and drinks for two, but it's a steep bill nonetheless. Thankfully, I was able to get my effective cost down to roughly $200 by creatively stacking a handful of offers and using the right credit card to pay for our meal.
In this article, I'll show you how dining out one evening earned me roughly $80 in value. I'll break down the services I stacked and discuss the card I used to pay for the meal. In the process, I'll show you how you can maximize your own dining expenses.
How I earned $80 on a single restaurant charge
My girlfriend's birthday dinner at Empire Steakhouse. (Photo by Andrew Kunesh/The Points Guy)
The key to earning more rewards on your dining is stacking multiple promotions like dining programs, cash-back apps and booking reservations with a lucrative booking service. Here's a breakdown of how I stacked rewards on my girlfriend's birthday dinner and how much I earned per service. Again, the total tab was $281.60 after tax and tip.
Booking a reservation with Seated: $18 in gift cards
(Screenshot courtesy of Seated)
Seated is an app that rewards you on restaurant reservations, pickup and delivery. You'll earn a certain percentage of your total bill back in the form of rewards dollars. These can be redeemed for gift cards at merchants like Apple, Amazon, Delta Air Lines, Uber and others. I personally redeem my rewards for Delta and Uber gift cards.
Different restaurants give a different amount of cash back, and it varies daily. I booked our reservation at Empire Steakhouse through Seated when the restaurant offered 8% back before tip. I simply booked my reservation and uploaded a photo of the receipt to the platform after I paid the bill. The $18 reward was credited to my Seated account shortly thereafter.
(Screenshot courtesy of Seated)
This was a simply-earned $18 and sure beat the 100 points I would've earned with OpenTable. I highly recommend downloading Seated and checking if your restaurant of choice participates before you book a restaurant reservation. The app also has walk-in rewards you can earn if you're already sitting down for a meal.
Dosh awards cash back when you swipe your credit card at participating merchants. Simply link your desired card to the Dosh app and you'll start earning cash back automatically. The amount you'll earn depends on the merchant you're shopping with and you can cash out your rewards through PayPal or Venmo when you have at least $25 in your account. Cash back is earned in addition to your credit card rewards.
(Screenshot courtesy of Dosh)
Empire Steakhouse offers 5% cash back through Dosh, and the award is calculated post-tip. In the end, I scored $14.08 cash back from this purchase alone. This is as good as a $14.08 discount since I cashed out the reward and applied it to my American Express bill at the end of the month.
I'm a VIP member with Alaska Dining, so I earned 5x points per dollar spent on our post-tip tab through the program. I ended up earning 1,408 points through the program, equal to $25.34 under TPG's most recent valuation. Again, these points are earned in addition to the points earned with my credit card, Dosh and Seated.
(Screenshot courtesy of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Dining Rewards)
Most major airlines have their own dining rewards programs. Sign up with the program whose miles you value the most and link your credit cards. Then, you'll earn bonus miles whenever you dine out at a participating restaurant. This can lead to a nice haul of miles when paying for expensive dinners for work or on special occasions.
Since the bill was $281.60, I earned roughly 1,126 Amex points. This is equal to $22.53 per out valuations, bringing me to a grand total of $79.95 in value from our dinner at Empire Steakhouse.
(Screenshot courtesy of American Express)
Interested in opening an Amex Gold card? Here's the current welcome offer:
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of account opening. However, some readers have been targeted for up to 75,000-point bonus by using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
A night out at a fancy restaurant can be expensive, but you can stack your rewards to offset some of the cost. In this case, I was able to get $79.95 — or 28% of the bill — back in various rewards currencies. Some points, some cash back and some gift cards. Bookmark this article and refer to it the next time you're planning a night out — you may end up earning a ton of rewards in the process.
Feature photo by arturasker/Shutterstock
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
