American Express recently made some major changes to its flagship *amex platinum*, adding a handful of new use-them-or-lose-them statement credits and upping the annual fee to annual_fees per year (see rates & fees).
One of the biggest (and best) new credits is the up to $400 per year dining credit at U.S. Resy participating restaurants that gets doled out in $100 increments every quarter. With September quickly coming to a close, you've got just one week left to make use of the current quarter's $100 credit before it's too late. Of course, the most straightforward way to use this up would be to plan a nice night out at any one of the 10,000-plus Resy restaurants eligible for this credit.
But what if you don't live in a city with a Resy restaurant … or your schedule is already too packed to dine out before the end of the month? A nice workaround to ensure your credit doesn't go to waste is to use your Platinum Card to buy a gift card to one of these Resy restaurants to use at a future date.
While the benefit terms suggest that non-dining purchases such as gift cards may not be eligible for the new credit, that would require the restaurant to process those transactions differently than a regular dining purchase – and that's typically not the case. We've tested this ourselves with the monthly Resy dining credit on the Delta SkyMiles cards, as well as the *amex gold card*, and haven't had any issues in the past.
Even better, many restaurants sell gift cards online — and those purchases should still trigger the credit. There's even a handy new website called Use Your Credits that will help you find eligible Resy restaurants on an interactive map and link you to their website to make a gift card purchase.
With just a few days remaining to use this new credit, it's time to start spending – here's how to make sure you don't miss out.
Resy Dining Credit Basics
Let's back up a bit and cover the basics first, because I'm sure many Amex Platinum cardholders had a similar reaction when this new benefit was added: “What's Resy?”
Resy is a restaurant reservation platform available through its website and mobile app. American Express acquired Resy back in 2019, and the bank has slowly been integrating the platform into its cards and services over the past couple of years.
Restaurants partner with Resy to power their reservations system and other parts of their operation, but critically: Not all restaurants will be available through the platform. And perhaps more importantly, Resy is generally only available in larger metropolitan areas.
To use this credit, you'll need to find a Resy partner restaurant and spend money directly with that restaurant. You're not required to make a reservation through Resy or pay through the app for the credit to work.
If you spend money at any U.S. Resy partner restaurant, American Express should recognize the charge and issue you an up to $100 statement credit each quarter.
Enroll for the Benefit in Your Amex Account
Just know, you must log in to your American Express account and enroll in this new benefit before putting it to use. Critically, you won't receive any credits until you complete this step.
You can enroll in the benefit by clicking the “Rewards & Benefits” tab once you are in your account. Once you are there, click the “Benefits” tab. Scroll down until you find this new Resy credit, and click “Enroll.”
It's a simple (but essential) step to take advantage of this statement credit. You just need to do it once – not every time you go to use the benefit.
How to Find Restaurants Where You Can Use the Credit
Once you've enrolled, you can find participating restaurants on Resy's website or mobile app.
Both the website and mobile app are location-based, so you'll be able to see partner restaurants in your area quickly. Using the Minneapolis—St. Paul area as an example, I can quickly see all of the eligible restaurants near me.
Again, you don't actually have to pay or make a reservation directly through Resy. Just dine at one of the partner restaurants and pay with your eligible Amex card; the credit should kick in automatically.
If you are in a large metropolitan area, you should have plenty of options available. At the top of Resy's website, you can see a list of popular cities in the U.S. and abroad. But remember: This new Resy credit can only be used at U.S. restaurants.
You can search for a city to see what options are available. Fair warning: If you live in a smaller city, you either won't have any Resy partner restaurants available or the selection will be minimal. But don't worry, we'll show you how to make sure these credits don't go to waste next.
If you enroll in the benefit through your Amex account and dine at an eligible Resy restaurant, using your Amex Platinum Card to pay the bill, you should receive the credit within a few days of making the transaction.
American Express officially says that the statement credits could take six to eight weeks to post to your account, but if it works similarly to the Resy credits on other Amex cards, the credit should kick in within a few business days. That's been our experience at least.
Thrifty Tip: Some Resy participating restaurants are also available through the InKind dining app. By linking your Amex Platinum Card and paying through the app, you can trigger your Resy credit and get 20% back in InKind dining credit.
How to Purchase Gift Cards Online
If you're one of the many Amex Platinum cardholders without a Resy restaurant in your city – or you simply can't fit a night out into your schedule before the end of the month – buying a gift card at one of these restaurants will make sure your credit doesn't go to waste.
You could, of course, stop into one of these restaurants to purchase a gift card in person, but that isn't the most convenient option – especially if you don't have one nearby. Instead, you can purchase gift cards online at some (but not all) Resy participating restaurants, and it should trigger your $100 credit all the same.
I recommend using the website Use Your Credits to find a Resy restaurant that sells gift cards online. This site helps you use the monthly, quarterly, and annual credits on various travel cards, but its interactive map and direct links to restaurant gift card purchases are especially useful for this new Resy credit.
Using Minneapolis as an example, I can quickly see that there are 92 Resy participating restaurants in the area where I can use this new credit – 45 of which offer online gift card purchases.
After scrolling through the list, I found a handful of spots that I'd have no trouble using a $100 gift card at. In this case, I decided on Rosalia Pizza and used the “Gift Card” link, which took me directly to the restaurant's website to buy a $100 gift card.
Now, I've bought myself more time to plan a night out without fear of my credit going to waste. I should have no problem using this up on one or two meals over the coming months, and I can even use next quarter's $100 credit if the bill ends up being more than that.
While my statement credit hasn't posted yet (it's only been a couple of days), I'm confident it will. Rosalia's gift card platform is powered by Toast, and in my experience, this is the most surefire way to know that it will work as intended.
One final word of caution: Whether you're dining out or purchasing a gift card online, I wouldn't wait until the last minute to use this credit. Be sure to give yourself a day or two of buffer in case it doesn't post to your account right away. If you cut it too close, you could risk inadvertently using next quarter's credit instead.
Bottom Line
The Amex Platinum now includes up to $400 per year in Resy dining credits (up to $100 per quarter), and with September ending soon, you’ve only got about a week left to use this quarter’s credit before it's too late.
If you can’t dine out or don’t have a nearby Resy spot, buy a gift card from a participating restaurant – often available online – to trigger the credit instead. Just be sure to enroll in this new benefit first – and don’t wait until the last day to do it.
