It’s hard to constantly eat out at restaurants to maximize Amex Resy credits, so it’s nice to have an alternative that meets my dining patterns.

Updated January 2026. Included extra detail and improved clarity.

What are these Amex Resy credits?

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Resy is an online reservation platform that American Express purchased in 2019. I think it’s closest comparison would be OpenTable.

Due to the acquisition, some American Express charge/credit cards give the occasional dining credit at Resy restaurants. These cards include:

• The Platinum Card® by American Express: $400 Resy credit annually, divided into $100 per quarter
• American Express^® Gold Card: $100 Resy credit annually, divided into $50 semi-annually)
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: $240 Resy credit annually, divided into $20 per month
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: $120 Resy credit annually, divided into $10 per month
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card (refer-a-friend link): $240 Resy credit annually, divided into $20 per month
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card (refer-a-friend link): $120 Resy credit annually, divided into $10 per month

At this point, there are quite a few American Express cards that offer statement credits that can be used at Resy restaurants.

How to use these Resy statement credits

It might sound simple enough to just use the credit at the appropriate restaurant–and it is–but I thought I would share some observations that I’ve had on things that have worked, perhaps unexpectedly.

• Important: You must register your card on the Amex website for the Resy credit to receive the credit. American Express will send an email confirming you’re registered typically within an hour or so, and then you’ll be good to make a purchase.
  • If for some reason you do not receive a confirmation email, double check that it says you’re registered online. You should be good to go.
• You do not need a reservation at Resy restaurants to use the dining credit. Simply showing up at the restaurant unannounced and using your eligible card to pay for your meal will work.
• Assuming the restaurant allows it, you can split tender across multiple Amex cards and receive the credit for each card.
  • That said, I have felt bad when giving staff three credit cards when it’s just me dining there.
• Important: since Resy is just a platform, restaurants may join or leave frequently. Even if you’ve been going to the same restaurant for a while, you should confirm it is still listed on the Resy app or website before dining.
• Sometimes purchases that don’t seem like they should trigger the credit do in fact work.
  • I once paid for parking at L.A. Live for a Lakers game and received the Resy credit unexpectedly (no, a parking lot is not a restaurant).
  • But if an unintended source doesn’t work, you have no avenue to complain about why it didn’t credit.
  • So, treat these as a bank error in your favor.
• Buying some gift cards online apparently also counts–but stick to Toast gift cards.

Toast is the secret to making this work online

Let’s elaborate a little on that last point. If you go to the Resy website and pull open a restaurant you’re interested in, you’ll find the following details:

I find that many restaurants on Resy don’t list gift cards as an option though some do. If you do find that reference, click it to be taken directly to a Toast website to purchase a gift card (instead of sticking on Resy as you might initially think).

Alternatively, you can also just directly go to that restaurant’s website and click around to see if they offer gift cards. If they do, and it’s processed by Toast, then you should also be good.

Why Powered by Toast specifically? Because the Toast platform processes gift cards as though the restaurant charged you. And that’s really the key to making this work.

Something to be aware of as you’re using this method. Some restaurants can set a minimum gift card size, which might be higher than your credit. Other restaurants might have no minimum. It’s set by the restaurant and expect it to vary.

As a bonus, buying via Toast should also give you any dining/restaurant bonus multipliers you have on your card. That’s again thanks to Toast processing the purchase as though it were directly from the restaurant.

Getting confirmation the credit works

After you make a purchase, you’ll get the confirmation email from American Express a few days later that your Amex Resy credits triggered. While I typically don’t like spam filling up my inbox, I’ve grown to welcome these to make sure nothing is wrong.

There is a chance you don’t receive the email (like if you have emails disabled), but the good news is you can still check it worked online. After logging into the American Express website, head over to the “Rewards & Benefits” header and you’ll find this in the “Track Your Progress” section.

Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way to see this directly within the Amex app. You can only see that you’ve registered for the Amex Resy credits benefit but not if it’s used.

Final thoughts

Please do not wait until the last day of the cycle to use these Amex Resy credits. It’s supposed to record the day you made the purchase, and you might see it listed as pending for the day you dined. But there are times when the day shifts after processing. If it does shift, you might end up unintentionally forfeiting the credit for the prior period.

What doesn’t matter is when the credit posts. If your charge is in the prior cycle but the credit posts in the next cycle, you should still be good. Amex just cares about when the eligible charge happened, not when it gives you the credit.

At least their site will tell you if you’ve already used the credit for this cycle (as in the image above), so if you’re ever not sure on this, go to the site and see what it says.

And, at least for now, if you’re having a problem using these credits every cycle like I am, at least there is an alternative that makes it easier.

How do you use up your Amex Resy credits?