Complete guide to the Amex Gold dining credit

The American Express® Gold Card comes with plenty of perks, including bonus points on dining and purchases at U.S. supermarkets and monthly Uber Cash for rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S.

But in addition to other great perks on the card, one may not be on your radar: the monthly dining credits. American Express recently refreshed the Amex Gold, adding two new statement credits for foodies.

The Amex Gold gives cardmembers up to $120 per calendar year in statement credits — up to $10 per month — for dining purchases from select merchants.

In addition, cardmembers can get up to $100 every calendar year in statement credits for purchases at Resy-affiliated restaurants (given in biannual increments of $50). Finally, cardmembers can receive up to $84 per calendar year in statement credits for Dunkin’ Donuts (up to $7 per month). Terms apply.

While you need to enroll your card for these benefits, it’s a great way to save money every month. In fact, maximizing these three perks almost entirely covers the card’s $325 annual fee (see rates and fees). Read on to find out how to use the Amex Gold dining credit.

You can use your Amex Gold monthly dining credits at the following merchants:

• The Cheesecake Factory
• Goldbelly
• Grubhub
• Wine.com
• Five Guys

After you enroll and use your Amex Gold card at any of these merchants, you’ll automatically receive a statement credit of up to $10 each month.

Because you’re purchasing directly from the merchant, you can also stack this benefit with applicable Amex Offers or bonuses through online shopping portals.

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Related: Why I love my Amex Gold card — and will keep it for years to come

The Resy and Dunkin’ Donuts credits are easy to use. To receive a statement credit for Resy, you just need to make a purchase at a Resy-affiliated restaurant. No reservation is required.

Keep in mind that this credit is given biannually in increments of $50. It’s important to time your purchases to take full advantage of this benefit.

For the Dunkin’ Donuts credit, making any purchase at a Dunkin’ Donuts location will net you up to $7 in statement credits each month. If you’re a frequent coffee drinker, getting the full value from this credit should be easy. That said, you may be out of luck if you find yourself in a situation similar to mine.

Dunkin’ Donuts does not have locations in my home state, so I can’t take advantage of this statement credit. Make sure to double-check whether Dunkin’ Donuts is in your area before factoring those statement credits into the effective cost of the Amex Gold for you.

You can’t receive monthly dining credits on the Amex Gold without enrolling in the benefits first. So, how do you enroll? Let’s use the up to $120 dining credit as an example.

If you’re using the American Express mobile app, choose the “Membership” icon at the bottom of your homepage and then tap “Explore All Card Benefits” to see a full list of perks — some of which require enrollment.

From there, find the “$120 Dining Credit” and check whether you’re already enrolled.

If not, tap on it, and you’ll be taken to a page that allows you to complete enrollment.

If you’re using a computer, log in to your American Express account and navigate to your Amex Gold card. Click on “Rewards and Benefits,” then click on “Benefits” on the right side of the page (inside of the blue menu bar at the top).

From there, you should see the option to enroll in the $120 dining credit (or an indication that you’ve enrolled already). Rinse and repeat these steps for the other two dining benefits.

A benefits tracker also shows how much of your credit you’ve used so far this month and through the year, resetting on Jan. 1 each year.

Note that you only need to complete enrollment once; you don’t need to do it every month. Once your card is registered, you can use the benefits every month.

Related: Amex Gold checklist: 5 things to do when you get the card

Aside from the requirement to enroll your card to receive the monthly statement credits, there are a few additional caveats for the Amex Gold dining credits.

First, the dining credit is different from the Uber benefit on the card. When you add your Amex Gold to your Uber account, you’ll receive $10 in Uber Cash every month. This Uber Cash is valid for Uber Eats orders and Uber rides in the U.S. You must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App, and your eligible Amex Gold must be a payment method in your Uber account.

While you can use your Uber Cash at any restaurant available through the Uber Eats app, you can use the dining credit only at the merchants mentioned above. However, Grubhub has a wide variety of dining spots — and you might even find a new favorite in the process.

As long as you enroll in advance and use your card at an approved merchant, you should receive a statement credit within a few days.

There are two other things you should know, as well.

First, purchases by authorized users will trigger these perks. Authorized users don’t get their own separate credits each month, so make sure to coordinate with your authorized users when using these benefits. Second, the up to $120 dining credit cannot be used to purchase gift cards or merchandise.

Related: When you should (or shouldn’t) use the Amex Gold Card

To learn more, read our full review of the Amex Gold.

Apply here: American Express Gold Card

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Gold

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.