Interesting American Express Platinum offer – £50 of free steak!

In one of the odder American Express promotions of recent times, all Platinum charge card holders are being offered £50 of free steak!

More precisely, they are being offered a £50 statement credit for eating at MASH in Soho – intriguingly described as “the modern American steakhouse with a Danish twist”.

Don’t ask me what the Danish twist actually is.  I haven’t eaten here myself, although the reviews are excellent.

The offer runs until June 15th.

Here is the small print:

American Express Platinum Cardmembers are eligible to receive a £50 statement credit when they spend £50 or more in one transaction at MASH London, 77 Brewer Street between 15 April – 15 June 2014.  To redeem the offer make a reservation by calling our Platinum Concierge Service on 0845 608 0845.  Offer can only be redeemed once per Platinum Cardmember.  Spend must be billed to your Card account before 15 June 2014 to be eligible for this offer.  Any additional amount over £50 must be settled with your American Express Platinum Card.  Statement credit will be applied after 2-3 days but can take up to 8 weeks.  This offer is not available to supplementary Cardmembers.

The small print is a bit of a nonsense:

Firstly, if you have to book via the Concierge Service, why does the email have ‘book online now’ in two places which links to the MASH website?

Secondly, how would Amex know whether you have charged the full meal to your Amex Platinum card or not?  They will trigger the statement credit when they see MASH appear on your statement.

The terms and conditions above do not suggest that this offer is targeted.  Based on the comments below, however, it seems that it may be.  It also seems from the comments below, however, that Amex can add it to your account if you ring and ask.

I intend to give this a go with a couple of Platinum-holding friends.  We will ask to split the bill (which we will ensure just nudges above £150!) three ways – I can’t see how the restaurant can refuse, as they would do this for anyone else.

It is also worth noting that MASH has a standalone bar.  I wouldn’t want to put money on it, but I am pretty sure that if you spent £50 in the bar then it would also trigger the £50 statement credit.

It is interesting to note that this is the third year running that American Express has run a ‘free steak’ promotion!  For the last two years it was in conjunction with the ‘Palm’ in Belgravia, where they ran the same offer.  We went along in 2012 and it was  …. ok.  Nothing wrong with the food, but knocking off the £50 credit simply brought the price down to what I would have considered reasonable in the first place.

If you were thinking of getting a Platinum card in the next couple of months, think of this offer as an additional £50 off your annual fee.  The offer appears to be open to any personal Platinum cardholder, with no registration required.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – September 2024 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

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You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

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