U.K. and Ireland - Massive devaluation of TopTable program

(Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to move if appropriate)

I started using TopTable to secure bookings for certain restaurants last year as a result of being able to collect double Amex points via http://www.amextoptreats.co.uk which signs you up to TopTable the first time you place a booking.

I would then also receive 200 TopTable points every time I attended a booking and reviewed the restaurant.

There were lists of restaurants you could redeem your TopTable points to get a free meal at. These ranged from 1,000 points per meal upto 4,000 points for the best restaurants.

I had earned about 4,000 TopTable points and was hoping to use them to get dinner for 2 (2 x 2,000 points) at one of the 2,000 point restaurants which would have been worth in the region of £100.

I made a booking on the site last week and noticed the site had changed considerably. At first I thought it was just an aesthetic change, however on careful inspection it seems they have changed the program entirely.

Now instead of being able to redeem your points for free meals, you are issued with "Dining Cheques". My 4,000 points are now only worth a paltry £27 in dining cheques which is a massive devaluation. Additionally my last booking only earned 100 TopTable points instead of the usual 200, although it was no longer compulsary to provide a review to claim the points.

Searching through my email, I can find no warning that this was going to happen, or even an announcement that it did happen.

I'm really not happy with this as I had been collecting points for quite some time and was really looking forward to claiming my reward.

:mad: :td:

Searching through my email, I can find no warning that this was going to happen, or even an announcement that it did happen.
Is this legal? You may wish to ask Trading Standards if it is.

p.s. Bye-bye Toptable. Good to know you.

I did receive an email about it, but deleted it, since I was relatively new to TopTable so it didn't make a lot of difference. I'll check my trash folder and repost if I still have it.

Is this legal? You may wish to ask Trading Standards if it is.

p.s. Bye-bye Toptable. Good to know you.

Honestly, I have a lot better things to do than waste my time over a free £100 meal.

Can anyone suggest a good alternative dining program to switch to?


I did receive an email about it, but deleted it, since I was relatively new to TopTable so it didn't make a lot of difference. I'll check my trash folder and repost if I still have it.

Thanks Jenbel, I'm sure it will be a good laugh reading whatever kind of positive spin they tried to put on this "enhancement".

Honestly, I have a lot better things to do than waste my time over a free £100 meal.
Like whinge about it on an internet bulletin board? ;)

Like whinge about it on an internet bulletin board? ;)

Exactly, that's far more satisfying :)

Whilst I have used it, it was only ever for convenience as a lot of restaurants have it as their only online booking option. Amusingly, when we went to Syon Park last time, we booked the hotel restaurant in advance via TopTable because it was on there!

However, I have never actually collected enough points to redeem for anything before they got deleted!

I believe I received an email from OpenTable (since deleted) that they had merged with TopTable. From the OP, it sounds as if the earnings scheme adopted may have been OpenTable's.

Whilst I have used it, it was only ever for convenience as a lot of restaurants have it as their only online booking option. Amusingly, when we went to Syon Park last time, we booked the hotel restaurant in advance via TopTable because it was on there!

However, I have never actually collected enough points to redeem for anything before they got deleted!

Deleted???

Luckily my points weren't deleted.

I used it to book Plateau, Manhattan Grill and Gauchos in Canary Wharf as well as Gilgamesh in Camden.

Looks like there is room the market for a new dining program now!

I've used OpenTable a few times, and it seems that they have now taken over TopTable, and any requests for UK restaurants get forwarded to TopTable.

My few points have gone, and I'm back to 0...

Time for the UK to adopt iDine/Rewards Network?

How could we make that happen?

Honestly, I have a lot better things to do than waste my time over a free £100 meal.




So why did you start this thread?

Deleted???

Luckily my points weren't deleted.



toptable points expired quite aggressively. If they now don't expire, the new scheme may actually work better for me.

toptable points expired quite aggressively. If they now don't expire, the new scheme may actually work better for me.

Please explain how points can "expire aggressively". Do they punch you on the nose before they pass away?

Please explain how points can "expire aggressively". Do they punch you on the nose before they pass away?

Strictest expiry regime of any programme I am involved with

Strictest expiry regime of any programme I am involved with

@:-):)@:-):)

I think this may be an imrpovement perhaps, to get a "real" value of the booking.

I cashed in I think 3000 or 4000 points for a meal a Quagalinos. Of course it's a special TopTable set menu ;) . It was fairly limited and luckily with my partner we were able to find something that suited us between the limited set menu and the normal one. We were back a few weeks later with friends who'd booked set menu "deal" that cost around £25 or £29 from memory and this was at the same level.

A lot of the redemption offers were for set menus and in some cases restricted times. If we can book when we want and choose whatever to eat, then that may be a small mercy!! I have yet to look at the changes in detail (or chase my amextoptreat points Panny!).

I was looking at Quaglinos too, my 4,000 points would have got us dinner for 2 there. Now they are only worth £27 which is a dinner for 1, so the value has at least 1/2'd :(

Good luck chasing the Amextoptreat points with Lloyds!

Let me know how you get on, they won't have a clue I expect :D


I think this may be an imrpovement perhaps, to get a "real" value of the booking.

I cashed in I think 3000 or 4000 points for a meal a Quagalinos. Of course it's a special TopTable set menu ;) . It was fairly limited and luckily with my partner we were able to find something that suited us between the limited set menu and the normal one. We were back a few weeks later with friends who'd booked set menu "deal" that cost around £25 or £29 from memory and this was at the same level.

A lot of the redemption offers were for set menus and in some cases restricted times. If we can book when we want and choose whatever to eat, then that may be a small mercy!! I have yet to look at the changes in detail (or chase my amextoptreat points Panny!).

Just logged into my account. It was 3000pts for a redemption at Quagalinos for a 3 course meal for one person. Looking at Quag's current set menu offering, this was worth around £25. (Of course add a side dish and compulsory tip and you're looking at £33 before booze)

3000 points now gives you £20 voucher/cheque to be used up within 180 days (and allow up to 6 weeks for them to post the cheque to you) so you could say this devaluation is £5 at least at this range.

But if I've read the T&Cs right, the points only expire now if you have no activitiy in 12 months, whereas before they would expire after 12 months after when you earnt them, so at least you have a chance to accumulate more if you only go out once a month or if you want to keep accumalating them. However I've also noticed you only earn 100pts per visit now. :td: Maybe we'll be making lots of bookings for 1 instead now and "bumping into friends" when we get there!!

We'll need the Amextoptreats points just to earn what we were before! Unless that's changed now too......