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Miles-for-dining programs are just what they sound like. Participating restaurants award diners with airline miles for dollars spent. Making the proposition even more compelling is the programs' ease of use. In most cases, you simply register up to three credit cards. After that, miles are automatically tracked and posted to your account when using a registered card at participating restaurants.
Dining miles can be a lucrative source of extra miles for those who eat out regularly. The standard payout is 10 miles per dollar spent at restaurants in the network, including tax and tip. That adds up quickly. If you spend $50 a week, you'd earn 26,000 miles in 12 months--enough for a free domestic roundtrip ticket in most programs. (And don't forget--if the registered card is one that earns miles-for-charges, you're actually earning 11 miles for every dollar spent.)
Miles for dining are offered by most major airline programs, with the exceptions of Southwest and Midwest Express. It so happens that the dining programs for the largest three airlines (American, United, Delta), as well as those for America West, British Airways, Continental, Northwest, TWA and US Airways, are operated by the same company, Transmedia, as branded versions of its iDine program.
iDine Program Summary
The iDine network includes more than 7,000 restaurants, and features a search engine for locating participating restaurants by area or type of cuisine. No matter which of the nine airline-branded versions you participate in, the basic program is the same and works as follows--
To earn miles, pay the bill with a registered Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card, or a Visa or MasterCard debit card.
Most network restaurants award 10 miles per $1 spent, including meals, beverages, tax and tip.
Generally, miles are awarded only for first-time visits each month. So, up to 12 visits per establishment, per year, qualify for miles.
The maximum earning is 6,000 miles per visit. Even if your total check exceeds $600.00, the mileage posted to your account will be 6,000 miles.
Parties are limited to six people.
Miles are not available in conjunction with other special offers such as coupons or discount cards.
Members must have a U.S. mailing address to participate.
DineAir
Alaska Air's program, DineAir, is the odd man out--the single program not operated by iDine. And it suffers by comparison.
To participate, you must present your Mileage Plan card or number when paying your bill. So earning miles is neither seamless nor discrete. And instead of the industry-standard 10 miles per dollar, Alaska's program only awards three, and not on the tax or tip.
In contrast to the 7,000 restaurants offered nationally through iDine, the DineAir network comprises only 275 restaurants, in Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Limits to a Good Thing
There are two practical constraints to dining-for-miles programs, related to the "where" and "which" of your dining patterns.
1) Geographic Limits
The 7,000-plus restaurants in the iDine network are clustered in major metropolitan areas, because those areas have both substantial resident populations and attract business travelers from elsewhere.
Result: If you live in a smaller community, and don't travel to larger cities on business (or vacation, for that matter), you won't have the opportunity to patronize network restaurants.
2) Restaurant Network Limits
Even in large cities, not every restaurant participates in a miles-for-dining program. And for good reasons. The most popular restaurants don't need the extra business. And the value-priced fast-food restaurants can't afford the additional marketing expense associated with mileage programs.
What's left, generally, are the middle-range establishments.
iDine, it should be noted, is attempting to extend its reach by allowing restaurants to participate on non-standard terms.
For example, the Wolfgang Puck and Chart House restaurant chains have recently been added to the iDine network on a "day of the week" basis. I.e., miles are only available on off-peak days, say Sunday through Thursday. While increased options are a plus in theory, the added complexity of keeping current with the Babel of differing participation terms can be burdensome for consumers.
Luckily, the overwhelming majority of restaurants keep it simple: 10 miles per dollar, any day, any time; no reservations or other special notification required.
Tactical Dining
The iDine programs make registering and de-registering cards easy. All that's required is a phone call, and the change takes effect immediately. So you can use your preferred credit card to earn United dining miles today, and re-register the same card to earn Delta dining miles tomorrow. The trick is to leave one card registered with each program you use, thereby keeping your membership file active. Then move your primary card among programs.
Why change from one program to another, when they're essentially identical? For a number of reasons--
To take advantage of special promotions
For example, FlightFund Dining members who eat at any three participating restaurants through August 31, 2001, earn an additional 500 bonus miles. And AAdvantage Dining transactions count toward American's 20th anniversary promotion.
To top off an account
At 10 miles per dollar, dining miles are often the quickest way of overcoming a mileage shortfall and reaching an award threshold.
Prefer Cash to Miles?
While our focus is on earning miles, it should be mentioned that iDine offers a dining-for-discounts option as well, called iDine Prime. Instead of airline miles, restaurants rebate 20% of the check total. Members pay $49 a year to participate in iDine Prime, which means that the enrollment fee is recovered after $245 in spending, and all subsequent rebates can be considered "profit."
For obvious reasons, you can't expect to receive both miles and a rebate for the same meal. But it might make sense to register one or more cards for miles and another for the rebate, and use mile or rebate cards depending on the needs of the moment.
Where to Dine for Miles
If you're not already familiar with the Zagat restaurant guides, you should be. There are Zagat guides for most larger cities, and the online versions (http://zagat.com) feature restaurant databases searchable by neighborhood, type of cuisine and price.
Use Zagat's reviews to choose among restaurants in a dining-for-miles network. (If a restaurant isn't mentioned in Zagat, it's because it hasn't been suggested by enough Zagat readers to rate a listing. That's not necessarily an indictment of the restaurant--my favorite Thai restaurant isn't listed in the Los Angeles Zagat. But the better restaurants do tend eventually to find their way into the guides.)
[1] You can also enroll at the iDine site.
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