u/zm20881

I went to a restaurant on the list of places in Los Angeles. When I got back from my trip my £100 was not rewarded on my account.

After speaking to Amex chat they have said as the merchant is the hotel (which the restaurant is in), and they cannot award me the offer.

I am so confused, I went to the restaurant stated on the offer list, paid with my Amex and now being told my transaction does not qualify because the merchant is the hotel and not the hotel restaurant!

Has anyone else experienced something similar, do I now have to monitor the exact payment terminal the restaurant uses every time I try to use my platinum dining credit? It seems like more work than its worth considering I pay a hefty annual fee. I am seriously thinking of looking to downgrade or leave Amex after this. This is literally the biggest perk of having the platinum for me.

I have escalated this to a formal complaint, but I have no real hope of this going successfully, given my interactions with the chat.

Just finished up our trip in Oahu! Was able to see lots of the island and eat lots of delicious food. We also did not rent a car and used public transportation and one tour to get us around. The buses were great, sometimes a little slow but it is definitely possible to visit without the need for a car!

Things we did:
Circle Island Tour with Aloha Fantasy Tours - really good tour and company, would recommend if you want to see the North Shore with no car. It is vert touristy in parts, but you are a tourist so that is the point.

Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona - I am a bit of a history buff so that was super interesting for me, but if you aren’t can probably skip!

Iolani Palace - beautiful palace, even if you don’t go inside you can see the architectural details from outside.

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden - stunning! Nice walk and easy to get to by bus from Waikiki!

KCC Farmers Market - lovely farmers market to get fruit, honey and other snacks. Nice to see lots of local vendors here and get a taste of the island.

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet - huge marketplace, great for souvenirs at a good price, seeing the stadium is also pretty cool.

Friday Waikiki Fireworks - I mean they are fireworks and last 5 minutes, if you are staying in Waikiki worth a watch and the atmosphere is nice, but wouldn’t plan my day around it!

All above were really good, I would recommend the tour (if you do not have a car), and the other sites were all beautiful and we accessed everything by bus from Waikiki.

Food places I ate at:
Rainbow Drive-In - amazing food and plate lunch, great value!
Sato Seafood - great poke, was seasoned well!
Da Seafood Cartel - ceviche was delicious, great on a hot day!
Nicky’s Lunch Wagon - THE BEST MEAL we had, it was such a lovely plate lunch and Nicky is just a great person!!
Tanaka’s Shrimp - had this on our tour and it was really tasty!
Loco Moco Drive Inn - really good Garlic Ahi, and garlic shrimp plate!
Leonard’s Malasadas - DELICIOUS, I loved the Haupia ones, I got them 4 times in 4 days!

Foodland Poke - ok maybe I didnt see the hype or got a bad batch but I didn’t love this…

All in all an amazing trip! If anyone has any questions let me know, but Hawaii is beautiful and I always tried to eat at locally owned restaurants and avoid chains.