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Small business owners are the backbone of the economy and provide almost 50% of the private-sector jobs in the U.S. When times are hard, like right now, these small businesses need our support more than ever to survive.
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Although we’re sheltering in place, you can still order take out and delivery from your favorite local restaurants. Here’s how to maximize earning miles, points and cash back on those orders.
Local Restaurants vs. Chain Restaurants
When we think of supporting small businesses in our local community, we tend to focus on mom-and-pop restaurants or regional chains. But don’t forget that many of the big chain restaurants in your community are owned by franchisees that also need your support.
For example, more than 90% of McDonald’s locations are owned by franchisees. So, don’t feel guilty if you’re in the mood for fast food or a meal from a nationwide chain.
Credit Card Bonuses on Dining
For any meal that you order, it pays to use a credit card that offers additional rewards on dining purchases. These credit cards may offer miles, points or cash back and are a simple way to earn extra rewards every time you order food. Some cards even offer food delivery benefits with DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber, and others.
The best ways to earn rewards are the ways you don’t have to think about. Once you have the credit card, the bonus rewards are automatic when used at a restaurant, fast food location or food truck, including on takeout and delivery.
Examples of rewards credit cards that earn additional miles, points or cash back on food purchases are:
The information for the Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card and the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Forbes. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
To view rates and fees of The American Express® Gold Card, please visit this page.
Register Your Credit Card for Extra Rewards
Whether you’re using a rewards credit card, a standard credit card or a debit card, you can still earn valuable rewards on your dining purchases. These free programs pay you to use your registered credit cards at participating restaurants.
Receive Cash Back with Dosh
The Dosh app gives users cash back based on the total cost of their meal at participating restaurants. Once you’ve registered your credit card, you’ll receive cash back automatically when you use that card at the restaurant. Cash back amounts vary by restaurant but are usually in the range of 3% to 10% of your total purchase amount. If you don’t know which local restaurants are participating, open the Dosh app to search for a specific type of food or any eateries in a local area.
Earn Airline Miles or Cash Back from Rewards Network
The Rewards Network partners with seven airlines and allows you to earn miles on your restaurant tab. These airlines include Southwest, United, American and Delta. You’ll earn 1 mile for every dollar that you spend at participating restaurants.
Alternatively, Rewards Network offers iDine, which offers cash back on your purchases. iDine users earn 5% cash back on the first $750 you spend each year. If you spend $750 or more at participating restaurants and opt in to email notifications, you’ll earn 10% cash back on your meals.
The rewards from Dosh and Rewards Network “stack,” which means that you’ll earn benefits from each one if a restaurant participates in both programs.
Be sure to complete the follow-up surveys that you receive after dining. You’ll only receive a few bonus miles for completing the survey, but those add up over time. Plus, they’re a great way to keep your account active so your miles and points don’t expire.
Sign Up for Restaurant Loyalty Programs
Many restaurants offer their own loyalty programs to reward frequent diners. These programs are usually free to register for and offer discounts and other promotions that you can use. Sign up, even if it is your first time eating that restaurant’s food. You never know, it may become one of your new favorites.
Buy Gift Cards From the Restaurant
Many people buy gift cards at grocery stores, office supply stores and gas stations. However, that money usually doesn’t get to your local restaurant until you use it to buy your food.
When you buy a gift card directly from a local restaurant, that money is theirs to use right away. In effect, you’re giving them an interest-free loan in exchange for a food order at some later date. When a restaurant is operating on a fraction of its normal business, those gift cards can mean the difference between making this week’s payroll or not.
Gift cards purchased at the restaurant should code just like a normal meal. This means that you’re also receiving bonus rewards today for meals in the future.
Use a Shopping Portal When Ordering Online
If you’re ordering food online, try using a shopping portal. Website portals offer miles, points and cash back for your purchases. Many local stores won’t participate directly, but you can use portals for services like Uber Eats, Grubhub and Postmates. One of the best options to compare shopping portal rates is Cashback Monitor.
Purchase Vouchers for Future Meals and Experiences
Websites such as Groupon and Restaurant.com sell vouchers for meals and experiences at local restaurants and small businesses. Most of these vouchers don’t expire for several months from the date of purchase, so you can buy them today to use them at a future date. This helps support local businesses by getting money to them now even if you aren’t ready to redeem the vouchers right away.
Food and Drink Promotions
To encourage consumers to order takeout and delivery, restaurants and other businesses are ramping up the promotions. This is a great opportunity to get delicious food for your family at a discounted price or with a fun experience. Here are a few of the restaurant and beverage promotions available:
- Olive Garden: Buy one, take one to go. You’ll receive one complete meal that is hot and ready with breadsticks and your choice of soup or salad. Plus, you’ll get another meal that is freshly prepared, packaged and chilled so you already have tomorrow’s food ready to go.
- Wine delivery by cute dog. In today’s age of social distancing, Soda Pup takes his job seriously. Stone House Urban Winery employees load up Soda Pup’s saddle bag with your wines. Then he’ll deliver your wine for curbside service while wagging his tail endlessly.
- Budweiser: Pay It Forward. Although this is sponsored by the beer company, you don’t have to actually buy an adult beverage to participate. You can receive up to a $20 gift card when you order takeout or delivery from a local restaurant. You’ll receive $5 per meal of $5 or more, with a maximum of four rebates per household.
- Uber Eats: Some customers are receiving a targeted offer providing a complimentary one month trial of the Uber Eats pass. Benefits include waived delivery fees and 5% off orders. Open your app to see if you were targeted. Beware that accepting this offer enrolls you in a monthly $9.99 subscription. Set a calendar reminder for 30 days to cancel if you don’t want to continue with the service.
Food Delivery Services
Many of us have turned to food delivery services like Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash so we don’t have to leave our homes. And the incentives to use them are huge for premium credit cardholders. The American Express Platinum Card gives cardholders $15 in Uber credits each month, which can be used on Uber Eats orders. And the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred just added DoorDash benefits.
But should we be using them?
A Los Angeles Times article found that the cost of a Grubhub promotion offering a $10 discount was actually charged to the restaurants, not to the company. To make matters worse, Grubhub was charging commision on the full price of the meals. While we think we’re helping local restaurants with these orders, promotions like this could actually be hurting them. By comparison, Uber Eats is waiving delivery fees to more than 100,000 independent restaurants across the U.S. and Canada.
Instead of using these delivery services, call your local restaurant and ask if they offer delivery services for free or a small fee. It will ensure that 100% of your money goes to the small business and it will keep their employees active and necessary.
You can also pick up the food yourself and request a “no contact” takeout order, which means that there’s no direct contact between you and any employees. When you arrive to pick up your food, a restaurant employee will bring the food out to your car and set it in your trunk or back seat.
Bottom Line
Even though we’re at home and can’t dine inside restaurants like we used to, you can still earn miles, points and cash back on your dining purchases. Certain credit cards offer bonus rewards for orders at restaurants. Free apps and loyalty programs provide additional opportunities for rewards and discounts.
And when you’ve had a positive experience, be sure to give a good review and share your experience on social media. Websites and apps like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, NextDoor and Yelp are all great places to share your pictures and opinions of the food and service. The more that these local restaurants and businesses receive free advertising that they’re open and offering good values, the more that others in your community will also support them.
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