topic Re: How much do you spend on dining? in Credit Cards

How much do you spend on dining?

redpat — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:49:43 GMT

Well since Amex Gold is now capping dining at $50k and the new SUB is 100,000 MR points I wanted to see how much I have spent YTD for business and personal dining to see if it's worth getting the card again. So I went back to 2023 and 2022 it was $31,468.73 and $30,941.67. I really never looked and I was shocked because it's way more than I thought.

YTD is $16,151.22 so I'll probally hit between $38k - $40k this year because December is pretty big w/ holiday parties and company xmas party, closer to $50k than I thought. Also, I think inflation will be a big part of the 2024 amount.

Now I see why Amex put a cap on dining.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:08:04 GMT

@redpat wrote:
Well since Amex Gold is now capping dining at $50k and the new SUB is 100,000 MR points I wanted to see how much I have spent YTD for business and personal dining to see if it's worth getting the card again. So I went back to 2023 and 2022 it was $31,468.73 and $30,941.67. I really never looked and I was shocked because it's way more than I thought.

YTD is $16,151.22 so I'll probally hit between $38k - $40k this year because December is pretty big w/ holiday parties and company xmas party, closer to $50k than I thought. Also, I think inflation will be a big part of the 2024 amount.

Now I see why Amex put a cap on dining.

I would guess that's more than most here, especially for those without business dining. My guess is not too many people spent over $50K but a few spent LOTS, and Amex chose the cap to curb those losses while minimizing the impact on the majority of their customers. Rather than say doing a BCP style $6K cap.

But maybe I am giving Amex too much credit recently!

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

keekers — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:26:00 GMT

I don't really track my dining spend but I know it's definitely nowhere near $50k/year. Assuming you spend $40/day every weekday dining out and spend $125/day on weekends, that only gets you to $23,400 annual spend ($450/week x 52 weeks). Put another way, in order to hit the $50k cap you would have to spend $137 every single day for a year on dining.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

Kforce — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:43:01 GMT

Approx 1%

Grocery is 17%

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

redpat — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:47:11 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@redpat wrote:
Well since Amex Gold is now capping dining at $50k and the new SUB is 100,000 MR points I wanted to see how much I have spent YTD for business and personal dining to see if it's worth getting the card again. So I went back to 2023 and 2022 it was $31,468.73 and $30,941.67. I really never looked and I was shocked because it's way more than I thought.

YTD is $16,151.22 so I'll probally hit between $38k - $40k this year because December is pretty big w/ holiday parties and company xmas party, closer to $50k than I thought. Also, I think inflation will be a big part of the 2024 amount.

Now I see why Amex put a cap on dining.
I would guess that's more than most here, especially for those without business dining. My guess is not too many people spent over $50K but a few spent LOTS, and Amex chose the cap to curb those losses while minimizing the impact on the majority of their customers. Rather than say doing a BCP style $6K cap.

But maybe I am giving Amex too much credit recently!

I think they are well aware that individuals use their personal cards for business use and it's okay by them. My personal amount will be about $12k - $15K.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

CreditCuriosity — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 19:15:49 GMT

Single and probably around 20-25k a year on eating out / drinks. Love my steaks and wine . Also for a single person many times it isn't pratical to cook for ones self especially if one doesn't like leftovers.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

ptatohed — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 08:18:20 GMT

Wow! I am pretty sure my family of 5 always fits under the 5% cap of $1500/quarter / $500/mo. This quarter citi CC.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

swankytiger — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:12:08 GMT

based on last year $6k dining and $6k grocery but tbh the grocery number is inflated because the only place near my office that I choose to eat at is a grocery store. Now if chickfila had their own card

@CreditCuriosity also just trying to scale down a recipe to one person without having tons of ingredients left over.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

CreditCuriosity — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:28:52 GMT

@swankytiger wrote:
based on last year $6k dining and $6k grocery but tbh the grocery number is inflated because the only place near my office that I choose to eat at is a grocery store. Now if chickfila had their own card

@CreditCuriosity also just trying to scale down a recipe to one person without having tons of ingredients left over.

Understood but still issues with meats such as chicken lets say as don't really like to freeze stuff personally. I do understand what you are saying though. Just for me personally at this time in my life it is easier eating out most of the time. Hopefully when a lucky lady and I find each other maybe things will change with eating out .

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

unsungivy — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 15:15:01 GMT

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
@swankytiger wrote:
based on last year $6k dining and $6k grocery but tbh the grocery number is inflated because the only place near my office that I choose to eat at is a grocery store. Now if chickfila had their own card

@CreditCuriosity also just trying to scale down a recipe to one person without having tons of ingredients left over.
Understood but still issues with meats such as chicken lets say as don't really like to freeze stuff personally. I do understand what you are saying though. Just for me personally at this time in my life it is easier eating out most of the time. Hopefully when a lucky lady and I find each other maybe things will change with eating out .

You can snag that lucky lady by learning to cook

I'm doing CookUnity these days myself. And since I'm also dieting, each meal is 2-3 meals worth for me, so it's justifiable (comes in at around $3-$5 a meal, all told. Just found on the forums that the CFF will count CookUnity for groceries, so time to switch to that card for that and hit up that welcome bonus. Maybe later the SYW will overlap some online purchasing deals for me... but it has to arrive in my mail first!

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

FicoMike0 — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 15:38:42 GMT

So far this week, $54.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

iced — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:04:00 GMT

@redpat wrote:
Well since Amex Gold is now capping dining at $50k and the new SUB is 100,000 MR points I wanted to see how much I have spent YTD for business and personal dining to see if it's worth getting the card again. So I went back to 2023 and 2022 it was $31,468.73 and $30,941.67. I really never looked and I was shocked because it's way more than I thought.

YTD is $16,151.22 so I'll probally hit between $38k - $40k this year because December is pretty big w/ holiday parties and company xmas party, closer to $50k than I thought. Also, I think inflation will be a big part of the 2024 amount.

Now I see why Amex put a cap on dining.

I'm definitely in the minority and I'm probably around your spend. Dining is my heaviest category by frequency and is right behind airfare and hotels (travel) for amount. I average out to about $100-120/day on restaurants, which will put me around the $40k/year mark as well. No big parties or anything, though -- that's just me and the family with the occasional picking up the tab for extended family or friends.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

Gregory1776 — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 21:35:06 GMT

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
Single and probably around 20-25k a year on eating out / drinks. Love my steaks and wine . Also for a single person many times it isn't pratical to cook for ones self especially if one doesn't like leftovers.

You sound like me! I'm costing myself a lot of money eating out. But the convenience and ease and not having to clean up is worth it rn. "As well as I am living on the road;" I like finding small bars and restaurants with a decent menu. Town I'm working in in northNJ at the moment has a great place not too far. I'm going to end up a regular there. I absolutely love wine, but typically drink beer out, I don't like not knowing about the wine I may order.

and WineText is great providing information on wine they sell.

The 3%-4% negates any rewards for you, so I grab cash when I can.

probably 6,000-12,000 this year at restaurants.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

markbeiser — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 23:17:39 GMT

Anymore, $0.
Not that I can't afford it, but since I decided to try an elimination diet, I've felt so much better that I keep extending the original time frame I'd planned!🤣

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

IsambardPrince — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 00:09:00 GMT

@redpat wrote:
Well since Amex Gold is now capping dining at $50k and the new SUB is 100,000 MR points I wanted to see how much I have spent YTD for business and personal dining to see if it's worth getting the card again. So I went back to 2023 and 2022 it was $31,468.73 and $30,941.67. I really never looked and I was shocked because it's way more than I thought.

YTD is $16,151.22 so I'll probally hit between $38k - $40k this year because December is pretty big w/ holiday parties and company xmas party, closer to $50k than I thought. Also, I think inflation will be a big part of the 2024 amount.

Now I see why Amex put a cap on dining.

Enough that a devoted dining card is not really front and center but enough that "Wouldn't it be nice to have another couple bucks at the end of the month if it's on a category on one of my cards anyway?"

I mean, "dining" to me is just McDonald's or Wendy's or Panda Express or something because it's generally affordable and on the way home and I don't have a specific plan for that night's dinner. It happens maybe once a week and I want to go somewhere where I can stack multiple coupons then hit them with a card.

Maybe on our anniversary or something we'll dip in and go to something through Capital One Dining.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

Zoostation1 — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 00:19:25 GMT

I spend too much for my own good, but nowhere near the OPs level.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

MissLiz — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 22:55:55 GMT

@Zoostation1 wrote:
I spend too much for my own good, but nowhere near the OPs level.

LOL, same! 😂

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

redpat — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 12:51:41 GMT

@CreditCuriosity wrote:
Single and probably around 20-25k a year on eating out / drinks. Love my steaks and wine . Also for a single person many times it isn't pratical to cook for ones self especially if one doesn't like leftovers.

For years I will only order drinks out on Friday or Saturday, early on I thought to myself, this could be dangerous.....Clients can order anything they want, some have drank a whole bottle of wine or two. That is why I prefer business lunches instead.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

swankytiger — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:42 GMT

I will say im not gonna look because i dont want to know how much i spend there, but if Chick-Fil-A had its own credit card, I would consider it.

Re: How much do you spend on dining?

bilwilvegas — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 22:56:02 GMT

We exceed the cap on groceries each year so my wife got a rose gold card that we can use after we hit the grocery cap on my card. We did not have a cap on restaurants before, but now I am glad to have her rose gold card for this category also as we will exceed the limit on my card. I may need to get a business Gold card to cover anything above the two personal cards. Love getting 4X on groceries and restaurants. Seriously hoping they do not lower the caps anymore than they already have.