DoD Dine Smart Dinova GTC Traveler Rewards Points

The new DoD Dine Smart program from Dinova allows you to earn points when you spend money at restaurants with your Government Travel Card (GTC). You can sign up for this program here. You can earn 499 points (worth $4.99) if you use my referral link here!

I have not used this program yet but I am interested anytime there are points to be earned.

You can earn 1 point per dollar spent and points can be cashed out for gift cards. Points can be cashed out for Amazon gift cards which is almost as good as cash. The DOD Dinova program is effectively 1% cash back on restaurant purchases.

Usually DoD travelers are better off using a card like the American Express® Gold Card for restaurants and US supermarkets while TDY. You can earn 4x Amex Membership Reward points which can be cashed out at 1.1 cents each, so effectively you are earned 4.4% cash back.

American Express^® Gold Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year- includes OCONUS Commissaries
• 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
• 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
• 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees – great for the 4x on restaurants when traveling for fun, OCONUS TDY, or PCS!
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Amex Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 annually.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit: You can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
• $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment required.
• Go explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.
• Read my full review of the Amex Gold card for military, terms apply
• $325 Annual Fee* See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse 

How DoD Dinvova Dine Smart Works

1. Sign up for a myDinova Rewards account here. Link your Government Travel Card (GTC) to your account.
2. Use the Dinova website or app for find a participating restaurant. There are over 20,000 of them.
3. Use your linked GTC to pay for your meal.
4. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on the GTC at restaurants in the network.
5. Cash out points for gift cards at places like Amazon, Target, or restaurants.

DTS Email on DoD Dine Smart Traveler Rewards

Here is the email I received on a recent TDY introducing the Dine Smart program:

Subject: DoD Dine Smart Traveler Rewards – Enroll Today!

According to the Defense Travel System, you have submitted an authorization for a recent or upcoming TDY trip. As you resume travel, consider enrolling in DoD Dine Smart Traveler Rewards, a new frequent dining program that allows DoD travelers to earn points towards gift cards every time you dine at participating restaurants and pay with your Government Travel Charge Card while on official travel.

The Defense Travel Management Office manages the DoD Dine Smart program, which operates through Dinova, a dining network with more than 20,000 participating restaurants throughout the United States.

Here is what you need to know:
— It takes just two minutes to enroll. Go here and follow the link on our website to enroll today through Dinova’s DoD Dine Smart webpage.
— Earn one point for every $1 you spend at in-network restaurants. Points are earned on the total purchase amount, including tax and tip! Your points can then be redeemed for gift cards from retailers (like Amazon and Target) and restaurants (like Outback and Jersey Mike’s).
— DoD policy requires you use your government travel charge card to pay for all official travel expenses, including meals.
— Easily locate participating restaurants through the DISA-approved smartphone app, myDinova, which is available through the DoD app store, Google Play, and Apple App Store. The app lets you filter restaurants by COVID safety protocol and map nearby restaurants.

Again, I have yet not used this GTC points program but I think it should be interesting. You can sign up here and earn 499 points to get your account started! Let us know in the comments how it goes!

Dod Dine Smart FAQ