Question on Amex gold dining credit

[xenon3030]

Is there anyway to use the 10$ amex gold dinning credit without purchasing food from restaurants e.g. buying gift cards or canned foods (if any)?

Due to recent pandemic situtation, I am not sure whether it is a good idea to purchase foods from restaurants or do dining outside.

As the last solution, it might be useful to order soda or beer and use its delivery service to avoid losing the monthly credit. Any idea?

[red259]

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@xenon3030 wrote:

Is there anyway to use the 10$ amex gold dinning credit without purchasing food from restaurants e.g. buying gift cards or canned foods (if any)?

Due to recent pandemic situtation, I am not sure whether it is a good idea to purchase foods from restaurants or do dining outside.

As the last solution, it might be useful to order soda or beer and use its delivery service to avoid losing the monthly credit. Any idea?

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Depending on the restaurant most of them are washing their hands as part of their job and probably are not coming into work sick given everything that is going on. I'm not concerned about the food I get from restaurants. I'm a bit more concerned about interacting with a delivery person who has been going all over the city interacting with other customers. 

[Curious_George2]

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@xenon3030 wrote:

Is there anyway to use the 10$ amex gold dinning credit without purchasing food from restaurants e.g. buying gift cards or canned foods (if any)?

Due to recent pandemic situtation, I am not sure whether it is a good idea to purchase foods from restaurants or do dining outside.

As the last solution, it might be useful to order soda or beer and use its delivery service to avoid losing the monthly credit. Any idea?

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Yes. One of the vendors that earns you the $10 monthly credit is Boxed.com.  They sell a variety of products, including some food and drinks, but obviously the delivery time is measured in days, not minutes, and right now they are experiencing some shortages and delays as a result of current events.

[wasCB14]

My understanding is that the virus can't endure high temperatures, so anything that you can stick in the oven for 30 minutes at 300F should be fine. Easier with takeout or delivery than dine-in, of course. I generally favor roasting vegetables, so avoiding prepared salads is not hard for me.

I did buy a little prepared "cold" food at Costco, but I'm more trusting of their food preparation oversight than I am with most chain restaurants or mom-and-pop places.

[xenon3030]

Via groubhub app, it is feasible to buy giftcards. Did anyone try it to see whether AMEX would potentially count it as dining credit?

[mkhan1093]

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@xenon3030 wrote:

Via groubhub app, it is feasible to buy giftcards. Did anyone try it to see whether AMEX would potentially count it as dining credit?

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I didn't know Grubhub had gift card options on their app, but I know at least for my local Shake Shack you can buy gift cards and that'll code

[wasCB14]

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@mkhan1093 wrote:

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@xenon3030 wrote:

Via groubhub app, it is feasible to buy giftcards. Did anyone try it to see whether AMEX would potentially count it as dining credit?

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I didn't know Grubhub had gift card options on their app, but I know at least for my local Shake Shack you can buy gift cards and that'll code

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...though if you have a local Shake Shack location, it would seem like a gift card doesn't offer much in the way of marginal convenience. You could just as easily buy a burger.

[Anonymous]

Well, unless they're offering gift cards to a dining place that's not covered in the credit criteria. 

Fortunately I can still use GrubHub at KFC locally, after all that food is cooked. 

[mongstradamus]

The problem i have been seeing with grubhub and the dining credit via amex is a lot of restaurants in my area on top of the delivery fee and having to tip driver, the prices of food are drastically different from if you called restuarant to order directly and using grub hub. For example for Five guys in my area the prices is about 1.50-2 dollars more for just using grub hub as opposed to driving there and picking it up. So the price difference can be actually more than dining credit when you count the price difference and delivery fee and tip.

I am still on the fence of what to do with my gold card. Problem is I can't really find any other card for dining that will be give me either mr,ur, or typ without having to pay 500 dollars in AF like Prestige/CSR. I may just settle for 2x , or maybe use a pure cash back card like costco that gives me 3% cashback.

edit: If i were to go for green card i would be losing grocery spend which i also do a lot of, so would have to do something like EDP+Green , and the AF is almost the same as amex gold then and i don't get dining credit or the fairly useless airline credits.

[xenon3030]

For dining, you can use uber card with 3% cashback.

After removing GC option by AMEX to cover the airline fee credit, I am not sure whether it is a good idea to keep the GOLD card with AF of 250$ (no travel). My due is in this month and I am evaluating to possibly cancel the card or PC it to another card without AF. I have some MR balances on this card and not sure the best card, if I want to do PC. Any recommendation?

Also, another question: If I eventually cancel the GOLD card, would it impact the creidt score similar to a credit card (after it gets aged for 10 years and gets droped from the credit report)?