"That hard-to-get reservation at the just-opened restaurant? It might run through a booking platform owned by your credit card company. The court-side tickets and the post-game meet-and-greet? Same. The hotel you're about to book, the car ride to the restaurant, the points that post when the check arrives-increasingly, all of it lives inside infrastructure controlled by a single card issuer."
"When American Express acquired the restaurant reservation platform Resy in 2019 and integrated it into its mobile app as a benefit for rewards cardholders, it was the first of its kind in an increasingly perk-heavy ecosystem that has come to encompass the credit card industry. Five years later, Amex paid $400 million for Tock, the reservation and table management service, expanding its foothold in a dining category that accounted for $100 billion in spending on Amex cards in 2024 alone. In 2021, Chase acquired The Infatuation, a restaurant discovery platform, and has since built exclusive dining promotions, food festivals, and content access into its Sapphire card lineup."
"Amex Platinum and Centurion cardmembers get access to "By Invitation Only" events, Platinum House pop-ups, and Global Dining Collection experiences with top chefs, none of which are open to the public. Amex cardmembers get special ticket access and presales across sports, theater, dining, and live music, and Amex hosts its own member experiences at Austin City Limits. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers get exclusive lounges, film panels, and dining events at the Sundance Film Festival, just as it opened branded Sapphire Lounges at JFK, LaGuardia, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, and Philadelphia, each featuring curated food from restaurant groups like Momofuku."
"Like Amex, Sapphire Reserve cardmembers now get exclusive restaurant reservations through Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables on OpenTable, with the list curated by The Infatuation. And Capital One giv"
Credit card issuers increasingly embed dining and entertainment services inside infrastructure they control. Reservation platforms and discovery services are acquired and integrated into cardholder apps, enabling exclusive access to hard-to-get restaurant bookings, event tickets, and related perks. American Express acquired Resy in 2019 and integrated it into its mobile app, then expanded further by paying $400 million for Tock in 2024. Chase acquired The Infatuation in 2021 and built exclusive dining promotions, festivals, and content access into Sapphire cards. Amex and Chase offer private events, presales, lounges, and curated dining experiences, including exclusive OpenTable reservations curated by The Infatuation. These benefits extend across sports, theater, dining, and live music.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]