Airline and hotel dining programs will earn you some extra points and miles every time you eat out.
They are connected to individual airline and hotel loyalty programs such as Delta, Hilton, and Marriott.
You just pick the program you want to earn points or miles in.
For example, if you wanted to earn Hilton points, you would go through the Hilton Dining Program.
Most major U.S. hotel and airline loyalty programs have a corresponding dining program.
They may not be most of the points you earn, but it all adds up.
So, with the right strategy, you can be on your next trip.
Basically, this is an easy way to earn some extra miles and points again.
What are dining programs?
Dining programs earn commission when they refer customers to participating restaurants.
They share part of this commission with you in the form of miles and points.
Your spending is tracked by a credit card that is linked to your account.
This means you can register your card and forget about it.
This is an effortless way to earn extra miles and points when you will dine out anyway.
Not every restaurant will participate in your area.
Most are locally owned restaurants so usually no chains.
You will have to do a search to see which restaurants participate in your area.
I find that I use these on the road when traveling because I live in a smaller city where there are only a few restaurants participating.
If you live in a major city, there should be hundreds though.
The program is owned by the same company, so you can not link the same credit card to multiple programs.
You will have to choose one credit card for each program or switch cards.
For example, if you want to earn Hilton points this month, you could link your American Express Gold card to the Hilton dining program.
If next month, you want to earn Marriott points, you would have to unlink your Gold card from the Hilton program to the Marriott program.
You could also just use a different card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred at Marriott.
Make sure to get the sign up bonus for each program
Each program will have a sign up bonus.
Usually you need to spend $30 within 30 days at participating restaurants.
Don’t make the mistake that I made.
I signed up, but did not meet the sign up bonus requirements.
This was years ago when I first started out in miles and points.
You are given a certain amount of time to reach each bonus, so only sign up when you are ready to spend.
Use a credit card with a dining out bonus.
You get to double dip with dining reward programs.
First, you get points for using a dining out reward credit card.
Second, you get points for the dining reward program.
It is important to make sure to use a credit card with a dining out reward bonus or a credit card that earns points.
A credit card with a restaurant bonus will be the bulk of your points and the dining rewards will just be extra points.
Good credit cards for dining out are:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- American Express Gold
- Capital One Savor
- Citi Prestige
How to get Started
- Be a member of the airline or hotel program. You cannot join the dining program if not. For instance, if you want to use Marriott points, you must be a member of the Marriott Bonvoy program.
- Join the dining program
- Enter your information.
- Opt-in to receive email for more points.
- Link a credit or debit card.
- Find a restaurant.
Here is a list of all the major hotel and airline dining programs as well as how many points or miles you will earn per dollar.
Airline Dining Programs
Alaska Airlines
Earn the following at participating restaurants:
- 1x miles per $2 (no e-mail opt-in)
- 3x miles (opt-in to emails)
- 5x miles
(after 11+ qualifying transactions & opt-in to email)
New members earn 1000 Alaska miles after spending $30 at participating restaurants in 30 days.
American Airlines
Earn the following:
- 1x miles per dollar (if you don’t opt-in to receive emails)
- 3x miles (opt-in to emails)
- 5x miles (11+ transactions and opt-in to emails)
New members earn 1000 American Airlines miles for spending $25 at participating restaurants in the first 30 days.
Delta Airlines
Earn the following;
- 1x miles per $2 spent (if you don’t opt-in to emails)
- 3x miles (opt-in to emails)
- 5x miles (11+ transactions and opt-in to emails)
New members earn 3000 miles for spending $30 at three restaurants in 30 days. First, earn 500 miles after the first visit, 1000 after your second visit, and 1500 after your third visit. You must complete a review.
Southwest Airlines
Earn the following:
- 1x miles per $2 spent (if you don’t opt-in to emails)
- 3x miles (opt-in to emails)
New members earn 1000 miles for spending $25+ at participating restaurants in first 30 days.
United Airlines
Earn the following:
- 1x miles per $2 (if you don’t opt-in to email)
- 3x miles (opt-in to emails)
- 5x miles (11+ transactions and opt-in to emails)
New members earn 3000 miles in the first 30 days. You will earn 1000 miles after spending $25+ on your first visit. After that, earn 500 miles on your your next three visits after spending $25 or more on each visit. Get VIP status (5x miles) if you have a United credit card or elite status.
JetBlue
With JetBlue, you just earn 3x points per dollar. They are no tiers.
Spirit Airlines
Earn the following:
- 1x miles per $2 (if you don’t opt-in to email
- 3x miles (opt-in to email)
- 5x miles (11+ transactions and opt-in to email)
New members earn 1000 miles for completing single $30 transaction in 30 days.
Hotel Dining Programs
Hilton Honors
Earn the following:
- 2x points (if you don’t opt-in to emails)
- 5x points (opt-in to emails)
- 8x points (11+ transactions and opt-in to email)
New members earn 1000 points for spending $25 at participating restaurants and completing a review within 30 days.
IHG
Earn the following:
- 1x points (if you don’t opt-in to email)
- 5x points (opt-in to emails)
- 8x points (11+ transactions and opt-in to email)
New members 1000 points and spending $30 in a single transaction in 30 days. You must complete a review.
Marriott Bonvoy
Earn the following:
- 4x points without Marriott Bonvoy status
- 6x points with Marriott Bonvoy status
New members earn 1000 points for spending $30 at participating restaurants. You must complete review.
Other Dining Programs
- OpenTable
- iDine
- Rakuten Dining
- Upromise Dining
- Caesars Rewards Dining
- Orbitz
- Dosh
Tips to Maximize Dining Programs
- Opt-in to email
- If possible, complete 11+ transactions for VIP status
- Complete review if asked
- Complete sign up requirements in 30 days
- Use a credit card with dining out bonus like American ExpressGold or Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Use one credit card per program or switch your card
- Search restaurants first. Most will be local restaurants and not chains.
Summary
Airline and hotel dining programs are an easy, effortless way to earn some extra miles and points at your favorite loyalty programs.
Other ways to earn more points and miles are:
- Online shopping portals
- Airline/hotel promotions
- Surveys
I hope this was helpful.
Do you use a hotel or airline dining program?
This post is super helpful for me as I’m currently looking into getting a credit card specially for earning miles! Thanks!
I am glad it was helpful. I think a great card to start with is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. That is what most people start with. Make sure to understand Chase’s 5/24 rule.