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Forums Payment cards American Express International £150 dining credit – buy vouchers online?

  • 40 posts

    Hi all. Sorry if this has been asked before.

    I don’t think I’ll be able to use the international dining credit before the end of the year – do you know if there are any restaurants on the dining list where we can buy a voucher online and it’ll count towards the credit?! Surely there must be…?!

    Thought I’d ask – never know!

    If anyone has done this please let me know.

    264 posts

    I have same question. Our only trip left for this year is Dubai that not on the list.

    1,766 posts

    If you are planing to go to Japan, you can book via Pocket Concierge and there are restaurants there that take payment straight away or sometimes after reservation is confirmed

    I also noticed that some restaurants in Amsterdam sell gift cards (Maris Piper, Breda), but it might be a problem as they use different payment processor.

    30 posts

    This is a good question.

    I’m going to Boston in January and just got the Amex Plat last month. I’m guessing I’ve got £300 dining credit (local & international) between now and December. Then again from 1st January?

    I am thinking of buying some gift cards at some restaurants in Boston before the end of December to use when I get there. Only trouble is they need to be delivered somewhere. Also will this count for the dining credit?

    1,050 posts

    I’m guessing I’ve got £300 dining credit (local & international) between now and December. Then again from 1st January?

    Yes

    704 posts

    I am thinking of buying some gift cards at some restaurants in Boston before the end of December to use when I get there. Only trouble is they need to be delivered somewhere. Also will this count for the dining credit?

    The restaurant has to use the same billing terminal that it usually uses to charge customers after dinner. If they process it online or use a different terminal, it won’t work.

    119 posts

    Very interested in this myself, and also for UK restaurants, ideally in London. Looking like I won’t be back in the UK this year

    413 posts

    I did look at buying a gift card for one of the restaurants in Atlanta, but you might find that when you put your Amex card details in, you will also need the address Zip code to match the card address. If in the UK we don’t have anything that will work for this and I’m not aware of a work around, so the payment gets rejected.

    56 posts

    Hi

    Was thinking the same as we have family in Toronto, and Auberge Du Pommier do gift vouchers (on Amex list last time I looked). I spoke to them and they do e-gift cards which go through the same tills as the restaurant so should work.

    642 posts

    I did look at buying a gift card for one of the restaurants in Atlanta, but you might find that when you put your Amex card details in, you will also need the address Zip code to match the card address. If in the UK we don’t have anything that will work for this and I’m not aware of a work around, so the payment gets rejected.

    Used Amex at petrol pumps many times that ask for ZIP. It seems to only validate it’s a valid ZIP, not card matching, so 10010 90210 will work.

    413 posts

    I did look at buying a gift card for one of the restaurants in Atlanta, but you might find that when you put your Amex card details in, you will also need the address Zip code to match the card address. If in the UK we don’t have anything that will work for this and I’m not aware of a work around, so the payment gets rejected.

    Used Amex at petrol pumps many times that ask for ZIP. It seems to only validate it’s a valid ZIP, not card matching, so 10010 90210 will work.

    Please let us know if that works and you get your AMEX credit, but I doubt it.

    HfP Staff
    2,773 posts

    Very easy to work around the zip code – you take the numbers from your post code and add trailing zeros, so EC2R 8EJ for the HfP office becomes 28000. Payment will then validate.

    5 posts

    Anyone with any experience purchasing this gift card online and triggering the dining credit?

    https://order.lawrys.com.sg/product/lawrys-gift-voucher/

    162 posts

    I paid 40 Euros online in advance at a restaurant in the Netherlands which was not credited back – read the T&Cs.

    1,766 posts

    I complained to Amex about a online deposit for a booking in Amsterdam. I also sent the copy of reservation. The important thing for Amex was that the merchant address matched and that I have a reservation. 50 euros was credited back a few days later. Speak to Brighton team.

    413 posts

    Hi

    Was thinking the same as we have family in Toronto, and Auberge Du Pommier do gift vouchers (on Amex list last time I looked). I spoke to them and they do e-gift cards which go through the same tills as the restaurant so should work.

    Be very interested to know if this worked? Or are online transactions not allowed under T&Cs?

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