Need Suggestions for Using Points for Dining
 

A number of years ago I used Diners Club points to pay for restaurant charges on my DC bill. Then the program changed quite radically and I haven't found a good substitute. I am hoping someone can suggest a way to use points for restaurant charges. Thanks.

Need Suggestions for Using Points for Dining
 

Check out Chase's Sapphire CC

I have a Chase Sapphire card and know you can earn 2 pts/$ for spending at restaurants. However, I could not find a way to cash in points to pay for restaurants. Could you be more specific? Thanks.

You can redeem Chase points for cash or statement credit, 100 points = $1. It's just semantics of statement credit vs "paying with points." Or are you looking for a card that gives bonus value when you redeem points to pay for restaurants? I know of no such card

Are you referring to the Diners Club "Restaurant Savings Program" of about a decade ago which gave 20% discount for dining only at certain restaurants? That was through RewardsNetwork, and the same company still operates restaurant programs, but not any tied to a specific credit card any more.

However, that didn't "pay for" restaurant charges, that only discounted restaurant charges any more.

I've had the Diners Club Professional (USA) card for some 15ish years now, and I recall a way to pay the annual fee with points, but not to pay for restaurants specifically with points. (But all those ways Diners Club used to have to pay for stuff with points were rather poor value, compared to transferring Diners Club points to airlines and/or hotels.)

There are various cards that give you the ability to redeem points for gift cards for certain restaurants. But again, those are all poor value, not necessarily even as good value as 2% cashback card.

So I'm confused by why you're so focused on paying for restaurants with points, without considering the value of using the points for that versus using them for something else.

Points/miles are most valuable when used for "excess capacity" inventory like airlines seats and hotel rooms. When used to repay stuff, the card has to pay "hard cash" to pay down something on your bill, which is why it's never much better than an ordinary cashback card would be.

Answered by a previous post, just use points to pay your dining cost on your CC statement

One reason cards set it up so you charge your card in the normal way and then pay your card bill with points, rather than paying for the meal with points, is employee expense reimbursement.

If you get a normal bill for business expenses, you can get reimbursed. How you pay your credit card bill later isn't anyone's business but your own.

If you were to use points to pay for the meal directly, you would often not be eligible for reimbursement. (Showing the itemized check that you get before you pay wouldn't do, since it doesn't identify the diner. Anyone can pick up any number of itemized restaurant checks easily. Corporate expense accounting people know this. They also know that the itemized check you find on the floor can be for twice what your meal cost.)

This doesn't benefit everybody, but it doesn't harm anybody either. So, an upside for some people, and essentially zero downside.