The American Express Platinum Card has been regaling us with free stuff for the past year or so, and the good times just keep on rolling.

Following on from $250 and $200 in free groceries in late 2020 and early 2021, respectively, the Platinum Card is now adding a $175 statement credit on select dining locations in Canada and internationally, valid between September 1 and December 31, 2021.

$175 in Free Meals

The offer is valid at a collection of higher-end restaurants across Canada, the US, and a handful of other countries and territories. You can find the full list on the American Express website.

Any purchases made at these restaurants will earn a statement credit of equivalent value, up to a maximum of $175 in total credits across each Platinum Card. The offer is valid until December 31, 2021.

Since the offer is based on your cumulative purchases at participating restaurants, you don’t have to spend $175 in one go (even though you probably will if you’re patronizing some of the more expensive locations on the list). 

Similarly, if your dining bill comes to more than $175, you’ll only get a single $175 credit. If there are multiple Platinum cardholders among your party, it would certainly make sense to split the bill accordingly.

The terms and conditions of the offer do specify that the credits will be applied to your account “within 90 days after 31/12/2021”. However, in practice, they should show up within a few business days of competing your purchase.

List of Eligible Restaurants

Browsing through the list of restaurants, I’m particularly looking forward to trying out some of New York’s impressive collection of eligible locations on an upcoming trip, as well as revisiting some old favourites like Pai Restaurant when I pass through Toronto later this month. 

I’d also like to revisit Damas in Montreal if I get a chance, with fond memories of our last meal in town before Montreal’s October 2020 lockdown went into place. 

Here in Vancouver, I’m happy to have a wide selection of restaurants to choose from as we plan out our gastronomic adventures for the rest of the year. I’m thinking of spending some of our credits at Boulevard or Coast, having already enjoyed a meal at Blue Water Cafe recently for which a $175 credit would’ve certainly helped with the bill.

Certainly, Canadians who aren’t based in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, or Calgary’s metropolitan areas may feel a little hard done by, as there aren’t any eligible restaurants outside of our four largest cities. To take advantage of the statement credit, you’d have to make a trip out of it, or plan your dinner reservations so that they line up with existing trips. 

If you’re travelling to Europe or Mexico this year, you’ll also want to look up the fairly wide selection of restaurants at your destination where you’d be eligible to earn $175 back. 

I’ve been tinkering with the possibility of flying Frankfurt–Mexico City on Lufthansa First Class in light of the US’s ongoing ban on passengers coming from Europe, so these statement credits might just sway me into pursuing that itinerary and slotting in a dining experience at Pujol.

And lastly, if you don’t have immediate plans to dine at a participating restaurant before the end of the year, you can always purchase a gift card from an establishment that sells them and bank some future meals, too. 

Also: 25–40% Off Tap Purchases (Targeted)

Simultaneously to the Platinum Card’s $175 dining offer, American Express has also rolled out a few targeted offers for 25–40% discounts on contactless transactions, whether you’re tapping to pay or using a mobile wallet like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.

There are two such offers floating around on all types of products. Personally, I’m seeing them on my Business Platinum Card and Aeroplan Card: 

• Spend $20, Get $5, Up to 5 times, for a total of $25 in statement credits on $100 of purchases
• Spend $5, Get $2, Up to 10 times, for a total of $20 in statement credits on $50 of purchases

There is a registration cap of 50,000 and 20,000 on the two offers, respectively, so if you see them on your accounts, be sure to register as soon as possible.

These offers are pretty straightforward – register, carry the card in your wallet, and use them to tap for purchases until you’ve maximized the credits. 

Conclusion

The American Express Platinum Card has rolled out its latest lump-sum statement credit to the tune of $175 towards dining at eligible higher-end restaurants.

There’s a wide selection of eateries in major Canadian cities and across select locations in North America, Europe, and Asia, so you should have no trouble making full use of the $175 dining credits before the end of the year. 

Where do you plan on spending your $175 dining credit? Which restaurants are calling your name? Let’s get some inspiration going in the comments.