Restaurant.com: *HOT!* 90% off Code + 35% Cash Back = $25 Gift Certificates Only $0.65
UPDATE: It seems that the restaurant.com site is experiencing high volumes of traffic so you may want to check back in a bit.
Restaurant.com just released a very rare 90% off promotional code that is valid through 12/24. Just use the coupon code JOY during checkout which will take 90% off of $25 Gift Certificates and leave you to pay ONLY $1 (regularly priced at $10 each)! Even sweeter, go through ShopAtHome.com and you’ll score 35% cash back from your Restaurant.com purchases. That means you’ll end up paying only $0.65 (after cash back) for each $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate purchased! Wow!
This is a great opportunity to stock up on Restaurant.com gift certificates for Anniversary/Birthday gifts, upcoming vacations, Christmas gifts, or even date night. Just head on over here and enter your zip code to browse through the available restaurants, then be sure to enter the promo code JOY during checkout.
*If you’re unfamiliar with how Restaurant.com works, then be sure to check out this post!
Perfect timing! Great addition to gift baskets for extended family! Thanks 🙂
I was going to buy some but when I checked out the restaurants in my zip code, noticed there were a lot fewer restaurants available than had been in the past. I wonder if Groupon, Living Social and other deals are taking a bite out of restaurant.com? I used to buy these a lot–now I don’t see any at all that interest me 🙁
I agree! This would have been perfect for the little date package gift I’m putting together for my sister and brother-in-law, but there are only two restaurants available in their area – and one of them is a Chinese takeout inside a grocery store – not exactly a high class date! 🙂
I have noticed for my area that the minimum purchase to use them has increased to $45. So even with the GC, you still pay $20+ out of pocket. One restaurant we went to, we has to order another soda just to get to the minimum and ended up just leaving it.
The restaurants tend to “sell out” of certificates, fyi.
Yes, your best bet is to look at the beginning of the month when they restock.
site is running VERY slow!
Hmmmm. My total came to $2
and ebates rebate is 30% right now
We got $250 worth of GC’s when they had them for $2 each, and what a deal! We are going to use them for our date nights since we can’t afford to go out often. I can easily spend $2 on a $25 GC for us to try different restaurants and go out to eat! We have a very tight budget, and weren’t planning on getting my husband’s co-workers anything, but now I will definitely be getting more certificates and printing them on festive Christmas paper as Christmas gifts. I might roll them up into a Christmas mug and add a packet of cocoa or instant coffee and candy cane to make it more “giftable”. 🙂 I will have to be creative! But so excited these are so cheap, what great gift ideas!!
Just PLEASE verify that the restaurants in your area ACTUALLY accept the Restaurant.com gift certificates!
I did the same thing….bought $250 worth for really cheap for my husband so we could have a date night, one time per month, just us. We are also on a very tight budget. Any way, we would check the website for a restaurant, find one, make plans, go, eat have a good time & then when the check came, the server would tell us “Sorry we don’t accept those any more.” This happened 3 times! So, make sure you call the restaurant to verify that they will accept the gift certificate.
Also, some of the places we went to, once we were there, had ADDITIONAL restrictions for the gift certificates than what were on the Restaurants.com website.
It is now such a hassle to use….it’s very discouraging. We have spent WAY more than we have wanted on all of these nights out and quite honestly, it has caused more stress than relaxation!!! 🙁
yep- and make sure to check the conditions of the certificates. i know a lot of them that i have purchased are a $25 certificate, but you have to spend $35 on your bill and the tip will be automatically added on… so your not going to go out to dinner for $2, just know that…
Wanted to get some for Magic Time Machine but it says promo codes can not be applied to the GCs from there 🙁
I was planning to just buy g.c. to restaurant.com and then applying those g.c. to the specific place I wanted to buy at that don’t accept the promo codes…hope that makes sense and helps you out! 🙂 Merry Christmas!
cant even go to check out keep getting this message…..
Welcome to My Account!
Because our deal is so popular today, we are experiencing very high order volume. Please do not worry – My Account will be available within 48 to 72 hours and you will have access to all of your certificate(s). You can also view and/or print any of your certificates directly from order confirmation emails sent to you. No need to contact us.
Thank you for your patience.
Restaurant.com
If you order through Shopdiscover.com (using your Discover Card), it’s 25% cash back!!
The site is slammed.
crazy! I’ve been trying off and on for over an hour and its still not letting me log in!
I’ve never purchased these before, how do restraurants accept them? If I buy a $25 certificate do I have to spend $50 at a restaurant in order to use a $25 GC (just using those $$ figures as an example). How do they work?? TIA!!
You have to spend a certain amount to use the GC….. for example a lot of the $25 GCs are only valid on a purchase of $35 or more. For the $50 GCs, you need to spend at least $100 at the restaurant. And 18% gratiuty is already added into the bill when it comes after the meal
Thank you Molly!
It will say on the right side of the restaurant listing. We were lucky and have some good restaurants listed. I can get a $25 GC for $1, and when I go, I only have to pay $35 minimum for the meal. So if it comes to $35, we will only pay $10 out-of-pocket, plus the $1 we paid for the certificate.
You have to read the info. carefully, though. Some are only good on larger amounts (like $50) and only good for lunch, or just dinner. It will say for each restaurant. 🙂
Thank you Rachel C!
When we use them it always is more than I think it will be out of pocket. If you have to spend $35 then you add the 18% tip that is automatically added plus the money you spent on the certificate, it is probably more like $10 (the amount over $25) + $6.30 (tip) + cost of the certificate. Still a good deal, but a little more out of pocket.
yeh, the certificates help a little, but you’re not really saving the full $10. I got one for WOW a few weeks ago, $10 certificate (spend $20), and it still cost my sis & I $20!
plus youll have to pay for any alcohol and the tip! They take $25 off the $35 then they add tip based on the $35. I use them all the time and have a few that are over a year old because they don’t expire. Just make sure you ALWAYS show them the cert before you order..Love it!
The few that are available in my area require you to eat Sun – Thurs for eat-in dining and only for dinner and excludes alcohol so be sure and read the fine print. I wanted to go to a nice dinner for our anniversary in January, but our anniversary is on a Friday night, can’t use any of them for a Friday night. Just too many restrictions! 🙁
Thank you cdawnt!!
The $25 gift certificates are priced at $20 for me, so the total is $2 per certificate.
Please read the small, fine print!!! We have had such a hassle with the restaurants in our area! I bought into the website about a year ago as a present to my husband so we could have a date night once a month. Well, the first 3 months/restaurants wouldn’t accept the Restaurant.com gift certificates. We didn’t learn this until AFTER the meal when it was time to pay. SO, please read the fine print, check the website for the participating restaurants AND call those restaurants BEFORE you go!!! All the places we went were on the website but stated that they had changed their acceptance policies and the website was no longer updated.
We still have like 3 certificates left and only 1 restaurant that we like that will accept it. 🙁
Sorry this happened to you. I always call ahead to make sure they are still accepting and also show the certificate right away. Restaurants.com will exchange any certificates (possibly even refund) if the restaurant is no longer participating.
This is good to know!! 🙂 I should have double checked mine first, so I will call around today!!
also, it says to present the certificate to the server BEFORE ordering. I bought one for my mom & dad to use, a place they like to eat from time to time. The server told them they don’t accept the certificates anymore, well my parents were going to leave. another cashier overheard and told my parents to wait a minute, and the manager came out and apologized. He comped their drinks, 1 entree and & a slice of desert. All my dad had to do was pay for his steak dinner and tip! I thought that was very nice of the manager.
Like Jennifer said, you can get a new certificate for a different restaurant on restaurant.com if the ones you have are no longer accepted.
This is my first time ever doing this or even knowing about it and I just purchased $100 for $6. Hopeful that the bad things I’ve read above don’t happen to me only because I didn’t do my research and now feel silly. I do appreciate this website and whoever let us know about the deal! So excited!
Just make sure you read the fine print before trying to use it and ask before you order to be sure they will accept it and you should be fine. I have used these many times over the past 5 years or so and only had a couple of issues.
someone else please do the math for me… 😉 what’s a better deal? This, or the $500 gift card for $30? (From Jill’s Deals and Steals posted earlier today) Does the gift card mean you don’t have to specify right now what you want to spend it on? We’re moving out of state, so that flexibility would be nice. Thanks!
If you used your $500 GC to buy 20 $25 gift certificates, you would have paid more because you bought the GC. ($30 for the GC vs. $20 for 20 $25 gift certificates). If you go to the site and just buy a generic $25 credit (to be used later anywhere you want), it is $1.50 right now, so 20 of them would be $30, which is the same as the Jills Steals and Deals price. If I were you, I would just buy the $25 credit on the site if you only want a few certificates, unless you would need 20 of them to use the whole $500. I hope that makes sense! 🙂
What is the 18% Gratuity added prior to discount. Is that the tip they add on?
Thanks for the heads-up! Just snagged 3 $25 gc’s for $3, and a $25 restaurant.com at $1.50 to save for a rainy day. Yay!
I have used several of these in California and Oklahoma and have never had a problem.
I always show the certificate to my server before we even order. The 18% Gratuity has always been added prior to the discount with all of my experiences. This is really a great deal and a good opportunity to try new restaurants for a lot less!
it is saying the code isn’t valid????
Anybody else buy gift certificates and not get an email from restaurant.com?
This is the first time I have bought an EGift Card from restaurants.com. Already I am dissappointed. I thought it was a gift card and all you would pay would be gratuity. When in fact it is more like a coupon, very decieving. For a 50.00 GC you must spend 100.00 and gratuity is not included. So you are not even getting 50% off the bill. I bought 10- 500 GC Thinking what wonderful gifts for my family and friends. This will cost them alot more than anticipated. Also the web site said they had 296 Restaurants in our area, when I redeemed one of the GC It said 49. It was actually only 10 Restaurants with just different denominations of GC to choose from. I usually am not this blind when making purchases like this. I don’t think the Today Show should advertise for this company after this experience and reading all the other complaints. Very upset, $300.00 wasted.
I purchased this deal on Dec. 20th. Never got my cupon code…. but they charged my credit card for it. How do I resolve this?
This seems to be not as it was described on the Today Show Steals and Deals. Not really dining certificates but all it is…is coupons. They are very difficult to use and result in you having to spend a lot of $$ to dine out…kind of scam!!