iDine/Rewards Network - New Idine Promo?????

I was on the Idine website early today, and it has under bonus "take the 25K mile challenge", but it is blank. No info, just a "register" button.

WOOHOO...bring on the miles!

They need to do SOMETHING - the 500 bonus miles per $50 (8 max) is over, and the 5+5 points M-T-W is over.

Sorry, I'm confused.

When you say iDine, do you mean idine.com, or, say, aa.rewardsnetwork.com? Or are they the same?

Sorry, I'm new to all this and it's kinda confusing.

This probably should go on another thread: it's my understanding that you can only join one airline iDine program, but can you join, say, AA's dining program and iDine's cashback one?

it's my understanding that you can only join one airline iDine program, but can you join, say, AA's dining program and iDine's cashback one?

You can belong to as many partner programs (airlines, hotels, etc.) as you have credit cards - I'm currently an "elite" diner in four of them.

I was on the Idine website early today, and it has under bonus "take the 25K mile challenge",
You're getting your terminology confused.

Several years ago, iDine changed its name to Rewards Network.

Now, if you read another currently active thread, you'll see they've rresurrected the iDine name, but only for the cashback version of the program, which has no capability to earn miles.

Therefore, it's impossible for iDine (which today means the cashback, not miles-earning, version of the program) to have a "mile challenge".

Presumably you're actually takling about Mileage Plus Dining, (United)? I guess that, since per another thread, there was a link to the United website that talked about a "25k mile challenge" but that United website has also been taken down (or, more specficially, it still exists but does mention any Mileage Plus Dining promo nor any 25k Mile Challenge any more).

This probably should go on another thread: it's my understanding that you can only join one airline iDine program, but can you join, say, AA's dining program and iDine's cashback one?
See my post above about the redefinition (by Rewards Network) of the term "iDine" to now mean only the cashback program.

Anyway, Rewards Network doesn't put airline programs in a separate category. You can belong to as many programs as you wish. But you cannot register the same credit/debit card in more than one program (if you do, it pulls it out of the other pogram, but every program has to have at least one card registered). It makes no difference whether the other program is an airline program, a hotel program (there are now two of those, Priority Club and Hilton HHonors), a store points program (there is now one of those, Best Buy), or the revamped cashback program that now goes by the name of iDine. The restrictions on non-sharing of cards between programs is the same no matter what type of program. (Historically, there was one difference, but it no longer exists: At one time, there was the Restaurant Dining Program from Diners Club where you were automatically registered, and you couldn't register additional cards in that program. At that time, you couldn't thus move your Diners Club card to another program. But that DC Restaurant Dining Program went away several years ago, and AFAIK there is no program inextricably linked to a particular card any more.)

Just a quick note for Rodrigo and other newbies, if a restaurant has a limit/restriction of "one visit per month" (are there any of those left?), it means per partner, not per person - if you're in multiple programs, that'd be one qualifying dine each.

They need to do SOMETHING - the 500 bonus miles per $50 (8 max) is over, and the 5+5 points M-T-W is over.

I agree, and the last 500 mile award I got - the email told me it could take 501 days to post!

One other minor catch to being enrolled in multiple airline programs is that you need to use a different id for each program. I just append the airline code, so I have useridAA, useridDL, useridUS, etc.

One other minor catch to being enrolled in multiple airline programs is that you need to use a different id for each program. I just append the airline code, so I have useridAA, useridDL, useridUS, etc.

Well, I guess I won't be using those! :D

Seriously, you may want to redact those here. Some people are good at passwords, even if the "rewards" are paltry.

Also, seriously, that's the only bother I find with RewardsNetwork -- remembering all those user id's. Alas, one bane of life, nowadays.

And if you move around among programs, you can't use any that you've used before, alive or dead (undead? :p).

Seriously, you may want to redact those here. Some people are good at passwords, even if the "rewards" are paltry.

I also use the same pattern of user names. The first program I signed up for I had no airline suffix, but that was BA and they no longer are a partner, so that ID is gone anyway. So now mine all fall in the same pattern.

However, my passwords are all over the place, so I don't see how anyone could guess those. Every site has a different password, but somehow related to something that I associate with my experience or expectations with that program (but that no one else would likely ever think of). In any case, it's more like a phrase or whatever, rather than a single word, always.

Seriously, you may want to redact those here. Some people are good at passwords, even if the "rewards" are paltry.



What could you do if you did access someone's account? Nothing is stored there. It's just a summary of points that have been accumulated. Even credit cards are only listed by the last 4 digits.

I ask because 3 people (2 friends and 1 stranger) have given me their user ID and password so I could register my credit card and earn miles for them. Helped my 2 friends get VIP status, and stranger from Australia needed an i-dine credit for PC promo.

Thanks for the warning, but it's not actually "userid" (or "alanh" either) -- that's just an example. I use the same prefix (which I haven't given out here) along with the airline abbreviation.

Also, seriously, that's the only bother I find with RewardsNetwork -- remembering all those user id's. Alas, one bane of life, nowadays.



One word. Roboform. Best $40 you'll ever spend.

We're now more than half way through the month and no dining bonus what so ever to speak of. I did of course get a reminder today in my inbox that "Ghouls and goblins are welcome to dine" simply reminding me of the participating restaurants in my area. I hope this isn't yet another devaluation to the program...

I did of course get a reminder today in my inbox that "Ghouls and goblins are welcome to dine" simply reminding me of the participating restaurants in my area.

When I received the Halloween Message, I was excited at first, thinking they would offer a special bonus for dines on Halloween, considering the lack of bonus offers thus far for October. Alas.... :(

I hope this isn't yet another devaluation to the program...

+1

Any more "enhancements" to the program and Rewards Network/Idine will be shooting themselves in the foot, and alienating members.

Max --

I liked that it was your 666th post and Halloween referenced!

Points

(As for promos, sadly April Fool's would be more appropriate!)

We're now more than half way through the month and no dining bonus what so ever to speak of. I did of course get a reminder today in my inbox that "Ghouls and goblins are welcome to dine" simply reminding me of the participating restaurants in my area. I hope this isn't yet another devaluation to the program...

Meanwhile, OpenTable.com is ramping up its 1,000 bonus points offer as its new list of restaurants that earn them during primetime expands. And 2,000 points = a $20 certificate for use at any OpenTable member restaurant. (I'm not an OpenTable shill; it seems like the best dining deal going.) MUCH better ROI than a "double points" RN promo.

I think I'm with Firewind on this - my RN dining has dropped 'way down, my OpenTable dining has increased. In fact, I've had one RN dine at all this month, and may pass October no more (the dine was not because of RN, but because it is nearby and has the best carnitas in town.) 50% devaluation (10 to 5 miles,) no more M-T-W 10 miles, no bonuses, no joy.

"Bonuses" page for AA reveals - some hurting restos offering ten miles per dollar. Six such in all of California? Two in Texas, both in Houston? You've got to be kidding! Pitiful. :p

They seem to be targeting low usage more nowaways. Which hurts you if you only use one or two airline programs and use them all the time.

I have program in AA, UA, DL, NW (soon to merge into DL), PC (haven't done a PC dine in years), and AS (had only done one dine a year, to keep my miles there from expiring, until last month). PC and AS have sent me bonuses (the AS one is better for me as it's higher value with lower threshold, but both are good bonuses for their respective programs), while the other programs where I had been dining in recent months didn't send me anything.

So in my case, I don't see RN winding down promos, just changing who they give them to. And since they the people who write promos don't seem to expect one person to belong to lots of different airline programs, they give "low usage" promos to the same person who has "high usage" in another airline! So for me it still works...

But at any rate, I clearly remember that I had to bounce between airlines to keep promos going for years. The only difference I see is that you can't get to 10 miles/$ without a promo now, whereas you could years ago. But factoring that out, I don't see less promos now than back when everything was 10 miles/$. (But which airlines give more promos has always changed from year to year.)