Amex Weakens Recently Added Amex Platinum Card Benefit

Earlier this month, I wrote about how one Amex Platinum Card benefit is going away and that you need to use it before it ends. Now, as per this Reddit thread, Amex has made an unannounced tweak to the Resy benefit on their Platinum and Gold cards.

Starting August 1, 2026, it will no longer be enough to simply dine at any restaurant that happens to be listed on Resy. To qualify for the credit, the restaurant or food and beverage establishment must be specifically marked as eligible for the Resy Credit on the Resy website or app at the time of purchase. Previously, the practical understanding was fairly simple: find a Resy restaurant, dine there, pay with the eligible Amex card, and the credit should trigger. Now, Amex is adding another filter. The merchant needs to be on Resy and explicitly designated as eligible.

Newly Added Amex Platinum Card Benefit Tweaked: What’s Changing

The new language says that effective August 1, 2026, U.S. restaurants and other food and beverage establishments such as wineries and cafes must be indicated as eligible for the Resy Credit on the Resy website or app at the time of purchase. The key phrase is “at the time of purchase.”

That means cardholders may need to check eligibility before dining, not weeks before and not after the fact. Amex also says qualifying establishments are subject to change at any time. In other words, this becomes a moving target. A restaurant that shows as eligible today may not necessarily remain eligible later. That makes the credit a little less automatic and a little more annoying to use. In short, before you make a purchase, you need to make sure that the restaurant shows up as eligible in the Resy app.

Is This A Big Deal?

The real question is how broad the eligible list will be. Right now, it may not look like much has changed. If you open the Resy app today and check restaurants, many may still show as currently eligible. That makes sense if the new restriction has not fully kicked in yet. However, the important date is August 1. If most Resy restaurants continue to qualify, then this is mostly a technical change. Annoying, but not devastating. If Amex narrows eligibility to a smaller subset of restaurants, then the Resy credit becomes much less useful. That is the part we do not know yet.

Another Credit Becomes More Complicated

This is part of a broader pattern with premium credit cards. Issuers love adding credits because they look valuable on paper. But the actual usefulness depends on how easy they are to redeem. A dining credit is simple when it works broadly.

It becomes less attractive when cardholders need to check an app, confirm eligibility, worry about timing and hope the restaurant still qualifies when the charge posts. That does not mean the Resy credit is useless. It just means cardholders need to be more careful.

What Cardholders Should Do

Starting August 1, do not assume every Resy restaurant will trigger the credit.

Before dining, open the Resy app or website and check the restaurant’s booking page. Make sure it specifically says the restaurant is eligible for the Resy Credit. If you are going to use the credit strategically, I would also take a screenshot before dining. That may help if the credit does not post and you need to contact Amex later. This is especially important because eligible restaurants can change at any time.

The Pundit’s Mantra

The Resy credit is becoming less straightforward because Amex is moving from “Resy restaurant” to “Resy restaurant specifically marked eligible for the credit.” If the eligible list remains broad, most cardholders may not notice much difference. However, if Amex starts limiting the credit to a smaller group of restaurants, the benefit becomes harder to value.

My advice is simple: use the credit before August 1 if you already have a place in mind. After that, check eligibility before you dine.

With Amex credits, the fine print is increasingly starting to matter as much as the headline value.

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