Savings on takeaway meals
The downside of takeout? The toll it takes on our wallets. Here are some ways you can save money the next time you order in:. Pro Tip: Create an email address exclusively for your alerts and newsletters to keep the clutter out of your main account.
Pro tip : Use available filters, like filtering out delivery fees and filtering restaurants by price, high ratings, and delivery fees. Pro tip: Before joining, check your credit cards or other memberships because a free membership might be included, i. some American Express cards come with a complimentary month subscription to the UberEats Pass.
The Chase Sapphire Card, offers 12 months of complimentary DoorDash DashPass. We may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Further reading: Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review. Food delivery benefits: This card hasn't traditionally offered dining benefits, but American Express recently announced it was making some limited-time perks across a wide variety of cards in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
From June through August, purchases made at U. This includes diners, pizzerias, fast food chains, cafés and more, as well as delivery services like Seamless, GrubHub, UberEats and Postmates. Enrollment required for select benefits.
Further reading: The only card you need for your next Hilton stay: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire credit card review. This applies to all U. restaurants, as well as popular delivery platforms including Seamless, GrubHub, UberEats and Postmates. Further reading: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card review.
Normally, we'd tell you to refrain from using your points and miles on food delivery orders. By doing so, you're usually throwing money down the drain, since you'll typically get far more value out of your points and miles by redeeming them for travel when it's safe to do so.
Thankfully, as of recently, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Spark Miles for Business and Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business cardholders can redeem their Capital One Venture miles for food delivery through April 30, Your miles will be worth 1 cent per point, and are redeemable on platforms including DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates.
You can always use your American Express Membership Rewards points on Seamless and Grubhub orders — just be sure to make sure that's how you want to spend your hard-earned points. You can't redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for food delivery, although you can use points or cash to purchase gift cards for restaurants, as well as GrubHub through the Ultimate Rewards portal.
Credit card issuers such as American Express and Chase typically offer cash back or bonus points-earning opportunities for cardholders. They vary from person to person, depending on the card you have and your spending habits. But it's not uncommon to save money or earn bonus points on your favorite restaurants by using these offers.
Related: Your ultimate guide to Amex Offers. It's always worth a quick check on all of your cards to see if you're eligible for any additional savings or bonus points to restaurants that you might want to order from anyway.
Even if you don't have any of the aforementioned cards or valuable credit card offers, all is not lost. Many popular delivery platforms offer promotional codes or delivery credits. New users can almost always get a discount on their first few orders by using a promo or referral code to sign-up for a service.
and 9 p. daily in support of local businesses, with no code needed. Pay attention to your emails and run some basic promo code searches online. The Uber Eats subscription isn't the only way frequent users can save even more money on food delivery.
You'll also get special offers just for members, and access to exclusive giveaways and events. Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offer complimentary DashPass for at least one year.
You'll also be eligible for that latter offer with the Chase Freedom Student Credit Card, along with Chase Slate. The information for the Chase Freedom, Chase Slate has been collected independently by The Points Guy.
Light eaters can also save by ordering an appetizer as their main course. It automatically cuts the per-person cost in half and also helps you avoid overeating. This is cheaper than placing two separate, smaller orders since you only pay the delivery fee once.
Piling on extras like appetizers, desserts, and drinks can more than double the price of your takeout order.
Better yet, skip all that added sugar and drink tap water for practically free. Many large supermarkets offer a wide variety of prepared foods, including rotisserie chickens, cold salads from the deli, and even pizza.
You can pick up your meal yourself — possibly while doing your regular grocery shopping — or have it delivered along with your other groceries through a grocery delivery service. Finding ways to cut those costs can help keep your overall takeout budget under control. While there are almost no eateries that offer free delivery all the time, you can sometimes get this perk as a limited-time offer.
For instance, as of December , Popeyes is offering free delivery on any order. In addition, food delivery apps like DoorDash and Postmates sometimes team up with local restaurants to offer free delivery as a promotion, particularly on your first order.
Delivery fees can vary widely between restaurants and delivery platforms. Spending a little time comparing the fees at different local restaurants could save you several dollars on every takeout order you place.
In addition to looking at how fees vary across different restaurants, check out how much they vary for different delivery services that partner with the same restaurant. The most straightforward way to avoid delivery fees is to skip the delivery.
Instead, get some exercise and hoof it down to the restaurant to pick up your own order. This allows you to skip both the delivery fee and the tip without guilt. More often than not, you can find a coupon, promo code, or other discount offer to knock something off the price.
Do you receive envelopes in your mail stuffed full of coupons for local businesses? Sometimes, they contain coupons for local eateries that you can apply to your takeout order at checkout.
Circulars for local grocery stores are another possible source of coupons. Before tossing them in the recycling bin, shake them to see if any useful coupons for local eateries spill out.
Just go to Valpak. com and enter your ZIP code to find restaurant and delivery service coupons for your area. When you receive a food delivery order, take a look at the receipt. Some restaurants try to attract repeat business by printing coupons at the bottom that you can apply to your next order.
Check the food bag before tossing it too — some places tuck coupons or discount offers in along with your meal. Because restaurant delivery is such a competitive business, these services regularly offer discount codes that waive or reduce their fees in an attempt to attract customers.
To maximize your savings, go with whichever service offers the best promo codes that particular day rather than being loyal to just one.
A no eating out challenge is when you stop going to restaurants or ordering take out for a set period of time. You can save a ton of money! 1. Consider a subscription · 2. Use the right credit card · 3. Opt for breakfast or lunch over dinner · 4. Order a larger portion to make a second You're looking at about $8 in savings if you were to have picked up your meal rather than make it at home, or about $16 for delivery. Cost for