Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
When a rewards credit card offers you a spending bonus for travel or dining expenses, it might not mean what you think it does. Each card issuer applies different criteria to charges that will qualify for these bonuses, and you might not receive the bonus rewards you expected.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at which travel rewards credit cards offer bonuses for travel and dining purchases and, more importantly, which expenses will qualify for those extra points and miles. Then, we’ll offer some tips and tricks to help you maximize your rewards.
American Express
Many popular Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points offer bonuses on different kinds of travel purchases.
Among the most popular is The Platinum Card® from American Express, which offers:
5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (up to $500,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
The American Express® Gold Card offers:
3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel
The American Express® Green Card offers the broadest perk here, as it earns 3 points per dollar on the following travel purchases (including transit):
Airfare
Hotels
Cruise reservations
Tours
Car rentals
Campgrounds
Vacation rentals
Third-party travel websites (i.e., Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline)
Trains
Taxis
Ride-hailing services
Ferries
Tolls
Parking
Buses
Subways
The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
When it comes to restaurants, several American Express cards do offer bonuses, but some of the cards only offer the bonus at eligible restaurants. In these cases, the following are excluded:
Purchases at a restaurant located within another establishment (e.g., a restaurant inside a hotel, casino or event venue).
Purchases at bars, nightclubs and convenience stores
Purchases made through a third-party food delivery service outside the U.S.
In addition, a purchase may not qualify for additional points if the merchant submits the purchase using a mobile or wireless card reader or if you use a mobile or digital wallet.
THE POINTS GUY
Amex cards that offer bonuses for each dollar of eligible purchases at restaurants include:
Amex Gold: 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: 6 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
Related: Why the Amex Gold is the perfect ‘in-between’ card
Barclays
Thankfully, Barclays defines dining expenses simply as charges from restaurants and fast food establishments, with no apparent exclusions.
THE POINTS GUY
These Barclays-issued cards offer bonuses on dining:
JetBlue Plus Card — 2 TrueBlue points per dollar at restaurants
Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® — 3 miles per dollar at restaurants
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® — 2 miles per dollar on dining
The information for the Frontier, JetBlue Plus and Hawaiian Airlines cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bank of America
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card offers 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases, and points can be redeemed for statement credits toward travel expenses. Fortunately, Bank of America goes to great lengths to define travel, even disclosing the actual merchant codes that qualify.
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card offers you 2 points per dollar on travel and dining and 1.5 points per dollar on all other purchases.
Dining includes:
Restaurants, including fast food
Drinking establishments, such as bars or taverns
JLCO-JULIA AMARAL/GETTY IMAGES
Travel includes:
Airlines
Hotels
Motels
Timeshares
Trailer parks
Motor homes
Recreational vehicle rentals
Campgrounds
Car rental agencies
Truck and trailer rental
Cruise lines
Travel agencies
Tour operators
Real estate agents
Operators of passenger trains
Buses
Taxis
Limousines
Ferries
Boat rentals
Parking lots and garages
Tolls and bridge fees
Tourist attractions and exhibits like art galleries, amusement parks, carnivals, circuses, aquariums, zoos and the like.
Capital One
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers 2 miles per dollar on purchases, and the no-annual-fee Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers 1.25 miles per dollar spent. These miles are worth one cent apiece as statement credits toward travel expenses.
Capital One defines travel expenses as purchases made from:
Airlines
Hotels
Rail lines
Car rental agencies
Limousine services
Bus lines
Cruise lines
Taxi cabs
Travel agents
Timeshares
THE POINTS GUY
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers you 4% cash back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services, and the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target).
Capital One defines qualifying dining purchases as those from:
Restaurants
Cafes
Bars
Lounges
Fast-food chains
Bakeries
The information for the Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Best ways to maximize Capital One miles
Chase
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 2 points per dollar on all travel and 3 points per dollar on dining expenses, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 3 points per dollar for travel and dining.
Merchants in the travel category (by Chase’s definition) include and exclude the following:
Qualifying merchants
Ineligible merchants
Airlines
Buses
Campgrounds
Car rental agencies
Cruise lines
Discount travel sites
Ferries
Hotels
Limousines
Motels
Parking lots and garages
Passenger trains
Taxis
Timeshares
Toll bridges and highways
Travel agencies
Educational merchants arranging travel
Inflight goods and services
Onboard cruise line goods and services
Sightseeing activities
Excursions
Tourist attractions
Merchants within hotels and airports
Merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling
Gift card merchants
THE POINTS GUY
For Chase, the dining category includes “merchants whose primary business is sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast food restaurants as well as fine-dining establishments.” Chase adds that “some merchants that sell food and drinks located within larger merchants such as sports stadiums, hotels and casinos, theme parks, and department stores may not be included in this category.”
Below are some of the other Chase credit cards that offer bonuses for dining or travel:
United℠ Explorer Card — 2 miles per dollar at restaurants (including eligible delivery services) and hotels (purchased directly with the hotel)
United℠ Business Card — 2 miles per dollar at restaurants (including eligible delivery services) and local transit and commuting (including taxicabs, mass transit, tolls, and ride-hailing services)
World of Hyatt Credit Card — 4 points per dollar on Hyatt purchases and 2 points per dollar on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, taxi, mass transit, tolls, parking and ride-hailing services and at restaurants
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card — 2% cash back (2 points per dollar) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year on restaurants and gas
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card — 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 of combined purchases made annually for travel, shipping, telecommunications and advertising with social media and search engines
Related: Sweet spots: The best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Citi
Cards in the Citi ThankYou Rewards program offer some bonuses for travel and dining. The Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) offers 3 points per dollar on airfare, hotels, gas stations, restaurants and supermarkets, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
THE POINTS GUY
Dining qualifying purchases and exclusions include:
Qualifying purchases
Exclusions
Cafes
Bars
Lounges
Fast food restaurants
Bakeries
Caterers
Restaurants/cafes inside another business
Third-party dining delivery services
Other Citi credit cards that offer dining bonuses include:
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® — 2 miles per dollar at restaurants
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (see rates and fees) and Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi (see rates and fees) — 3% cash back on restaurant and eligible travel purchases
The information for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Discover
The Discover it Miles card earns 1.5 miles per dollar on all purchases and allows you to redeem rewards for travel purchases. Discover includes airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, travel agents, online travel sites, commuter transportation, restaurants and gas stations as travel purchases. Nevertheless, any restrictions are moot, as you can redeem your miles for cash anyway.
The information for the Discover it Miles credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Tips and Tricks
Watch out for warehouse stores
Many banks will exclude purchases from warehouse stores from eligibility for bonus rewards. These stores negotiate steep discounts on the fees that card issuers charge, and the banks really don’t want to offer additional rewards when they’re already making less money from these transactions.
Be careful with travel agents
In some cases, purchases from travel agents are considered travel, while in others, they’re not. For example, most card issuers will classify charges from travel agents as travel; however, some cards only award bonus points on travel that’s specifically categorized as flights purchased from the airline or the issuer travel portal. Be sure to know your card’s stated policy before purchasing from an online travel agency.
Call to appeal
If you have what you considered an eligible expense that didn’t earn a bonus or wasn’t eligible for rewards redemption, consider contacting the card issuer and asking for an exception. This won’t work every time, but the credit card industry is intensely competitive, and banks have good reason to resolve these issues in your favor.
Be careful outside of the United States
American Express excludes foreign transactions from many bonus categories it offers. While other card issuers are less explicit about it, foreign transactions are also more likely to be incorrectly categorized. As a result, if you have major travel or dining expenses during a trip abroad, be sure to double-check that they have been properly credited when you return. And, of course, be sure to swipe a card with no foreign transaction fees to avoid being hit with the one-two punch of lower rewards and added fees for the purchase.
Bottom line
It’s good practice to review a credit card’s bonus-earning categories and see which purchases are eligible to earn bonus points versus which purchases are not included. Based on your spending habits, some credit cards and their strict definition of travel and dining purchases may not allow you to maximize your point-earning potential. Keeping a diverse mix of credit cards in your wallet is a good idea to overcome any restrictive purchase classifications.
