American Express rolled out a new Platinum Global Dining Credit benefit for European members in June and July. I earlier wrote about an issue getting the credit applied (read more here).
The dining credits in the Euro area are 200 euros for select restaurants in the country the card was issued and 200 euros for participating restaurants “globally.” The benefit should be yearly and reset on January 1.
I had two lunches at participating restaurants in Vienna in mid-July and just had the credit for them applied this week:
It seems that the credit is rounded down or perhaps up. These two charges were 151.45 euros and credit 151.
What We Covered Earlier:
There have been similar benefits with a few merchants in Finland that I or additional cardholders have participated in the past. The credit fully or partially wiping out the charge has usually been posted within a day or two.
Email from Amex:
The email above from Amex arrived on July 6 (Google translate from Finnish). I tried to register for the offer immediately, but it wouldn’t go through. A few hours later, they sent a follow-up email, and the registration worked.
Countries:
Participating Restaurants in Thailand
Two Transactions:
I decided to try out the credits for two lunches in Vienna last month. I had looked at this Camel restaurant from the hotel where I was staying (Park Hyatt Vienna), and it appeared to be very popular. Both were good, and the charges posted to both cards just fine.
It is now three weeks since the lunches, and no credits have been applied.
What the offer terms state:
“The refund should appear on your statement within 5 business days of qualifying, but may take up to 150 days from the end of the offer.”
The terms state that the credit should appear within 5 business days (a week) but can take up to 150 days from the end date of this offer. So theoretically, I could have to wait up to 10 months for the credits to appear.
Conclusion
I am glad that the dining credits were applied. However, it seems that sometimes these are applied almost instantaneously while it may also take a few weeks. as was the case with my credits from dines in Vienna.
It is just unfortunate that the benefits and Membership Rewards program associated with the cards issued in the Nordics are abysmal. It is difficult to justify the yearly fee.
