The skinny on Dining Programs
 

I currently have three credit cards registered with the United Dining Program.

Two of the resturants in their dining program I visit atleast once a week each. In the past, I have only been getting the miles for my first visit at each once per month. I would like to know if there is a way for me to earn more miles each month. I have plenty of credit cards to register for programs.

Is there any truth to the rumor that you can get miles for each visit if you pay using a different credit card each time at one of the establishments? I thought you could only earn miles for one visit per month no matter which three cards I used.

How can I find out rather easily if the two particular resturants in my area also belong to another airlines affinity program?

Is each airline dining program run by a different company or is it like MCI where they handle a variety of airlines?

Am I able to belong to three or four different dining programs using different credit cards even if the same company runs them?

Will I earn miles for each visit if I rotate between programs/credit cards?

I appreciate any help/tips that you are able to provide. Thanks.

The only was to get miles more than once per month at the same restaurant is to register different cards in separate airline programs. For example I have a Amex personal card, Amex business card, Optima, Diners and Visa registered in NWA, Delta, AAdvantage, USair and UAL programs respectively so if I do visit a restuarant more than once I use the card tied to the particular program.
Mike

Yes, the same company runs all these different airlines' dining programs. It is called iDine. However, you are able to register a different credit card with a different dining program. For example, my visa is registered with British Airways Dining; my mastercard is with American; my Amex Starwood card is with iDine; and my Delta Skymiles card is registered with NW Dining.
You can earn additional miles if you eat at the restaurant more than once a month by not using the same credit card twice in that month. However, your miles will be posted to the different carriers rather than to just one.

www.idine.com

Register online and you can view all of your account activity.

[This message has been edited by cactuspete (edited 08-18-2001).]

Great answers above. I had called idine a few weeks ago and got the same answers.

Hoangb: How do you keep track of all this? And do you check each of your FF accounts to make sure they post? I'd be interested in your system, please. And thanks!

Here is a thought. I signed up our personal Visa, work Visa, and debit card to receive UA miles for dining.

We never even bother to look up which restaurants take the card or not. I.e., we focus on food quality, price, etc. Still, considering that we (spousal unit and myself) charge about ten meals per month; we are not looking too bad to have one in ten show up on our statement as having earned miles. I.e., blind chance results in miles here and there at random.

No, this is not as effective as looking the restaurants up, going to the specific establishments, etc. But, sure as heck works and there is no time/money/paperwork involved other than the initial sign-up.

Idine will only let you register a credit card for one program. If you belong to flyaway airlines plan and takemethere airlines, and both are Idine, you can only register the card at one. You have to use different credit cards for the other programs.

Idine sends an e-mail when ever I collect miles, I keep those in a folder in the e-mail system, when the miles post I delete the e-mail, any left there are miles that have not posted. But I have never had a problem with miles not posting.

Butcherbird hit it right on the head too, never use a credit card that isn't part of a program to pay for a meal. It's a pleasant surprize to see that expensive meal come in as part of the program, just as much as the diner you were just driving by and stopped for breakfast in the middle of noplace.

[This message has been edited by cordelli (edited 08-18-2001).]

paradocs,

Good question. In order not to get confused with which card is registered with which program, I wrote the list down on a sheet of paper. Eventually, I memorized which card is registered with which airline program.

In general, I don't dine out a lot in restaurants that belong to the programs. Howevever, I frequenlty would check to see which restaurants in the vicinity of my neighborhood participate in the programs. I now more or less have memorized which ones they are. When I do dine out in these restaurants, I would use my credit card of choice to earn miles, my Amex Sheraton Starwood card. I registered this with the frequent flier program that I enjoy earning the most miles.

I would keep the dining receipts in a separate envelope. I do check the airline's website to see whether or not my miles for a certain dining experience have posted. Once I see that they have, I would throw the receipts away. (BTW, all the miles have posted. I have never been cheated out of a single mile.)

In general, my recommendation is to try to use a primary card for your dining mileage earning opportunities. Only when you realize that you have eaten at a particluar restaurant previously in the month should you resort to using your secondary card(s). If you want, you may want to initiate a record keeping of your dining acitivities on to monitor your monthly mileage earning progress.

I tend to remember which ones I have been to in a month. If I see that I am revisiting that restaurant, I just remind myself to use my secondary cards.

I hope this answered your question somewhat.

Ditto on registering for several airline dining for miles programs with different credit cards. I keep track of receipts by keeping them in separate files for each frequent flyer program. I keep a list all my credit cards which indicates the dining for miles program that they are registered for, and in addition, I put a sticker on each credit card with the airline name written on it.

[This message has been edited by wayneb (edited 08-18-2001).]

Thanks for the ideas about keeping track of idine.

I didn't know idine would send an email. That's great to know. I am going to sign up for them. Thanks CORDELLI!

HOANGB, I like your method. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

BUTCHER BIRD, I am more serious about this than you. But, I admire your more carefree approach.

We eat out a lot, so I am making an effort to choose an idine restaurant whenever convenient. If the food and service are good I will go back. Just have 2 airlines selected so far. Last night we got 1000 DL miles at a great and popular steak place. Why not get the miles too?

I just added up the miles from dining on my DL account. This is my primary miles for dining. In the last 6 months over 11,000. Not too bad for something I was doing anyway. These add up.

This program is good. When will they figure out a way to reduce the benefits? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Hmm...

It would seem IDine handles many, but not all of the dining programs.

Anyone know who handles US Airways'?

As far as I know, USAir Dividend Dining is handled by iDine as well. I'm almost certain of this.

If you don't want to track a bunch of credit cards (or only have a couple of cards), you can just switch programs.

For example, you register a card to top off NWA. When you get the required miles, you just cancel your NWA membership (wait for the miles to post first) and then signup with another airline.

Afer you sign up, it only takes about 48 hours for your membership to become active.

Yeah, this is a pain. I know United's version at www.ual.com/dining can be done separately and still gives access to online transaction history, etc. Do any of the others, AA, DL, etc, have an alternate online signup too?

If you have an AMEX card (starpoints for example), secondary cards have a different account number, so each card can be attached to a different program. The program doesn't even have to match the name on the card. So a spouse's card could be a different airline in your name, or a kid's name. This is true for Diner's club as well - additional cards have a different number. I have begun to write in my appointment book, the restaurant and which card I used, because I have a lot of cards and it is sometimes hard to remember if in a particular month I ate in a restaurant and which card I used, so I have begun to write it down in my appt book for quick reference. I also printed a list of family member's name, card and which FF program and family member will earn miles from that meal. I have a DC, AMEX and Visa (AA) which go to my AA acount since that is primary for me.

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DtG

Actually it was when I was signing up for United's they informed me that I already had the card registered in other Idine programs and could not use it again unless I combined the account. Not a huge deal, the cash back to me is worthless, it's spent without thinking about it, so I moved them all to United with the no annual fee, and the miles have to accumulate to be used.

Hoangb, thanks for the info. You are probably right, but it's interesting you can sign up for their other FF dining programs on their site, but not Dividend Miles.

thanks

If find it easier to remember which credit card is associated with which airline by writing the airline two letter designator on the edge of the signature line. This way with my wife carrying 3 cards and me carrying 4 cards we have all the major ff accounts covered.

You realise, I presume, that you have just stated something that everyone knew already (that you can't use the one card in multiple programmes) and also have no in any way answered my question?

I'm sorry for trying to help. I won't waste your time with any further replies. I was simply pointing out that you can not register separatly for the idine and the United program incase that was what you were implying, as your question was not clear. Forgive the assistance, and I totally appreciate your wit and sarcasm.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cordelli:
[B]
so I moved them all to United with the no annual fee,

What, what, what? What United card has no annual fee?

The Idine program, if you are going for a cash refund for all your meals has a $49 annual fee (shich they are currently waiving for a year). If however you go for points or miles, there is no annual fee. The no annual fee was referring to the Idine programs, not a United card. Though that would be a very nice thing...


[This message has been edited by cordelli (edited 08-22-2001).]

This is not true. You sign up for UA's one at www.united.com/dining and one of the others at www.idine.com.

What is this need to do everything on-line. With one phone call to i-Dine (one) you can sign up any credit card with any of the dining programs. It is really very easy and takes less time than trying to sign up at a web-site. Also, they now accept Diner's Club even though they do not list the card as an accepted card. Also, sometimes they will allow 4 even though they officially say they will only allow three. Now I have spread them out. Only for myself do I have 3 cards with AA - my DC, my starpoints AMEX and my citibank VISA. All other programs have 1 card attached. This way we will get miles on multiple trips to the same restaurant within a month.

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DtG

I'd agree that signing up on the phone is easy. However, the useful thing about doing it all online isn't the signing up part, it's the tracking part. Idine, like all other programmes, misses things at times.

If you can't check your activity online, then you have to wait for several months to see if the credit hits your frequent flyer account or not. I don't usually keep credit card receipts after the credit card bill comes in that contains those transactions, so I would have to keep a special file of receipts to keep for Idine.

By signing up online, it's possible to check transactions, which post to Idine's own system within 10 days of dining. Saves a whole heap of extra work.

One wrinkle in this whole thing regarding posting and why you MUST keep your reciepts until they post with the airlines.
1) Early last year I visited a restuarant and after a few months miles did not post
called Idine/Dining miles they said credit has been sent to NWA so should post soon.
One month later - no post, called Dining for miles, the called me back said that they had definately sent the miles on to NWA.
Two more calls, then they asked me to fax them the credit card receipt - still no post.
One more call, spoke to supervisior then miles posted a week later, would not have bothered much but was 2500 miles.
2) 3 months ago ate at another restuarant - no post called and they said to fax receipt still no miles. Called once more and they said place no longer participating - no miles
Asked to speak to a supervisor and made the point them that when I visited the place was listed in booklet, was then asked to fax receipts again and miles posted shortly after.
In short even though I-dine/dining for miles might show you as due miles until they post
with the airline its not a done deal.
Mike

[This message has been edited by MIKESILV (edited 08-24-2001).]

Personally I prefer the IDine Prime program (IDine has two one called IDine prime and one Idine (FF miles accumulation)

You get 20% off each time you dine at a participating restauraunt. Vox Populi in Boston is really the best! I highly reccommend it. Basically it ends of paying for the tip in the end, when you dine with 2 people with drinks, appetizers, main courses, and dessert.

They will also accept a copy of your CC statement if you don't have the receipt.

I was only referring to the original sign-up being easier to do with 1 phone call - especially if you wish to sign up different credit cards for different airline programs and perhaps different people. Once you do that you can go to the respective web-sites to do your tracking. I haven't done it yet, but I plan to and I think that is a great addition.

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DtG

In order to track your dining purchases online, I believe that you have to register online.

How many miles does one get for each dollar spent? I registered in the BA program, and it gives 5 miles per dollar spent. The posting takes so long, I cannot keep track of it.

slawecki,

Are you sure that the BA dining is only five miles per dollar spent? I hope not. I remember that when I enrolled about 11 months ago, it was still 10 miles per dollar spent. Perhaps they have changed that.

IF they did, I can't see the rationale for it. It is run by the same company that runs all the other mileage dining programs.

I would imagine that once you are a member you can sign up for this new feature. Why would they exclude all the members who were already members. I haven't tried it yet, but I will. Also, my July meals posted - for some reason I thought they hadn't. I think they post fairly early in the beginning of the new month.

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DtG

OK, is there a special address to "register" for the aadvantage dining program. The address on the booklet just brings you to the restaurant list.
thanks

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DtG

I was able to creat a profile at the united site even though I was already a member with one of my credit cards. I was able to see my last transaction (happened in June). Could not go back and sign up my daughter. MIne kept coming up. I can't find anything comparable for aa. I just get the restaurant search. Has anyone done it for AA or DL or CO?

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DtG

I really like the idea from cordelli.... =)
I just signed up for iDine last week and used my CC at a participating restaurant. However, I did not get an email. Should I be concerned? or does it take a few weeks to get the email. Thanks in advance!

jsy9999

hello,

By the way, earlier in the thread I had questioned whether US Air did IDine or another group (because I noticed you could not sign up at IDine for US Air Dividend Miles, but you could others.)

Apparently they use "Signature Dining Group" which from the looks of the restaurant list is the same as Idine. Does anyone know if these are the same company?

JSY-

It usually takes two or three days for the e-mail to arrive. I don't ever remember signing up for e-mail notification, only for newsletters, but I'm not complaining about it at all.

Mike

What is the time lag for posting, I need to time a switch, but must use the same card

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"A Southwest line never gets longer, It only gets wider"