5 HACKS THAT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY WHEN EATING OUT IN DUBAI – Ladies Who Online

My Big Guy and I enjoy eating home-cooked food. But once in a while, especially on weekends, a meal at a restaurant is a lovely treat too. What makes it even more special is when you can get the same meal for a discounted price, or get another meal for free.

Living in Dubai, there are loads of options when it comes to eating out. Whether you want fast food, casual dining, or fine dining, paying less than your total bill is fantastic. I mean, who doesn’t want a discount, right? 

1. Use a buy one get one (BOGO), and discount offers app.

I’m using Entertainer and TravellersPass. Both apps are free to download, but you need to purchase the membership fee. With the Entertainer, the fee is paid annually. The price also varies depending on the products and the city/country that you will avail. So in Dubai, you can purchase the following: Dubai – Buy One Get One Free & Discount offers for Casual Dining, Cafés, Attractions & Leisure, Fashion & Retail, and Everyday Services or Fine dining (and more).

 With TravellersPass, on the other hand, you can either pay for a one month or one-year membership fee. This membership is not only for a specific city but for the whole UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. It offers unlimited buy one get one offers or flat discounts across categories like dining, entertainment, lifestyle, and wellness. 

Both apps work the same way. Before asking for your bill, tell the waiter you have the app for them to enter their code and get the discount voucher number.

2. Purchase a daily deal voucher.

Daily deals like Cobone and Groupon are used widely in Dubai. You can either purchase value vouchers or discounted vouchers, depending on the restaurant offers on their websites.

A value voucher can be getting more value for your money. For example, you can buy a value voucher worth of AED100 for AED50. You can then utilize this for any food you wish to order in the restaurant.

The discounted voucher, however, is for a specific meal. For example, instead of paying for the full price of the buffet at the restaurant, you can purchase the discounted voucher beforehand, which will save you up to 50% discount (or maybe more).

3. Dine during happy hour.

In this tip, you don’t need any discount vouchers or apps. It’s only about going to the restaurant a bit later (for lunch) or earlier (for dinner) than you intended to. Various restaurants have different happy hour timings and offers. So research is the key when it comes to finding the great and most suitable deals for you. You can receive 50% off on food and/or drinks, or buy one get one for free or discounted drinks and/or food. I would say the usual happy hour is from 4 PM – 7 PM. But again, it depends on the place you are going to, so make sure to check in advance.

4. Sign up for a hotel membership.

When you stay at a hotel, you might have encountered being asked if you would like to join their membership programs. If this application doesn’t cost you anything, you may want to spare a couple of minutes to write your information and join in. These membership programs can provide you discounts not just for accommodation but also for their F&B outlets. If your membership is from a branded hotel chain, it’s even better as you can use the discounts everywhere in the world.

You don’t need to stay at the hotel to claim your discount when dining in their restaurant outlets. All you need is to make sure the restaurant you are going to is part of the membership program so you can avail of the discount.

Also, have your membership card or your member number handy as you will need to provide it to your waiter. 

5. Pay by the credit card with discount offers.

Most people in Dubai have at least one credit card, and when we think of a credit card, we only see it as a plastic card that pays for stuff.

You may not know this yet, but on top of the cash backs and accumulated points, there are credit cards that offer savings and discounts when you use them to pay for your restaurant bill on the spot. Numerous banks have different participating outlets and discount values, so it’s best to confirm it in advance.

I’m not suggesting that you get a credit card for this. Just check the credit card that you already have as there might be benefits included with it.

You might find you can use two or more of these money-saving ideas in one restaurant. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to implement multiple discounts in conjunction with other offers. Do the math to see where you can save more and go for it. Here’s one example: My friend and I went out for lunch at Vantage in the Sheraton Hotel Mall of the Emirates. I knew from the beginning that I have an Entertainer voucher so I could get one main course for free. Because I haven’t seen my friend for quite a while and there are lots to talk about, we ended up staying there for five hours and ordering more drinks (coffee, tea, and juices). I told the waiter about my entertainer voucher, and luckily, he said to me that if I have SPG membership, I could obtain a 30% discount on the total bill. I do have SPG membership, and since I could only get about AED 50 discount for the main meal using Entertainer, it’s a no-brainer that receiving a 30% discount on a total bill of AED 300 will save me more.

Very important tips: 

1. Make sure to read the terms and conditions of the discount vouchers as the last thing you want is the vouchers being refused.
2. Discount vouchers and offers usually are not applicable during national holidays.
3. Always check with the merchant if you could use the discounts to avoid disappointments.
4. It is generally not applicable to use discounts in conjunction with other offers.

And hey, just because you’re spending it doesn’t mean you’re not saving.