Amex Resy Credit Modifications Coming August 1, 2026
The Amex Platinum Card and Amex Gold Card provide Resy credits among their features. The premise is that enrolled members can receive a credit of a specified amount for spending at nearly all eligible Resy restaurants across the United States.
For me, this equates to cash, and I essentially subtract that value directly from the annual fee when evaluating whether a card is worthwhile. However, recently Doctor Of Credit highlighted how the newest statements of qualified Amex cards contain the following note:
Modification to the Resy Credit Advantage
Starting August 1, 2026, U.S. restaurants and other food and beverage venues (e.g., wineries, cafes) must be designated as eligible for the Resy Credit on the Resy website or Resy app at the time of transaction to qualify for the benefit. Eligible restaurants and other food and beverage venues will be marked as such on their booking page on the Resy website or Resy app and may change at any time.
Thus, beginning in a few weeks, U.S. restaurants must explicitly be labeled as qualifying for the Resy credit for it to be applicable, instead of all Resy restaurants being eligible.
In the same vein, when you visit the Resy website while logged into your Amex account, you’ll already notice a note stating “this venue currently qualifies for the Resy Credit.” The crucial word here is “currently,” implying that in the future, some restaurants may not hold that designation.
Is This a Significant Devaluation, or Much Ado About Nothing?
Here’s the official response from Amex regarding the situation:
We have introduced a Resy Credit eligible badge to Resy venues pages to offer greater clarity to diners at the time of reservation. We have not eliminated any Resy venues that qualify today and will be incorporating more eligible venues later this year when Tock venues become bookable on Resy.
As you can see, this is promising news. Amex owns both Resy and Tock, and intends to integrate Tock with Resy. The goal is that former Tock restaurants will gradually become eligible for the credit, but this transition won’t occur instantaneously, hence the new notice about restaurant eligibility.
Truthfully, this Resy credit on the Amex Platinum is incredibly generous (especially compared to numerous other card benefits) that many of us were concerned Amex was attempting to modify the economics of the perk and limit eligibility to a fraction of Resy restaurants moving forward:
– With the Amex Platinum refresh we observed some time ago, I’d contend that the card is now more justifiable than ever before, primarily due to the up to $400 in Resy credits (together with the up to $600 in hotel credits).
– Currently, a substantial portion of premium card perks are merchant funded, and it doesn’t seem that this has been the case here; rather, Amex owns Resy, and it appears this perk has been motivated by encouraging usage of the Resy platform.
– Many speculated whether Amex was essentially attempting to have restaurants contribute to funding this benefit, whereby inclusion on the list and increased business would require some form of payment.
Nonetheless, none of this appears to be accurate, and that’s a cause for celebration. The 2025 Amex Platinum refresh was genuinely a net positive, in my view, and it’s reassuring to see that value maintained.
Final Thoughts
Amex has revised its terms to indicate that starting August 1, 2026, we’ll observe changes to the Resy credits on premium cards, such as the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum. The premise is that credits can only be utilized at restaurants specifically indicated as eligible for that benefit.
The positive news is that this is not a massive devaluation aimed at significantly reducing the number of qualifying restaurants. Instead, this alteration is linked to Tock’s integration into Resy, with new restaurants being gradually deemed eligible for the dining credits.
Thus, not only will existing Resy restaurants remain eligible for the credit, but we will also witness an expanded selection over time. This is excellent news and should enhance the value of this benefit in the long run.
What are your thoughts on these Amex Resy credit benefit updates?