How I Scored Cheap Stadium Eats With This Little-Known Amex Platinum Trick

I was thrilled to discover Uber Eats stadium ordering at a baseball game. It offered me a convenient way to pick up food without waiting in line and also use the monthly Uber Cash credit I get with The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

I placed an order from my seat, picked up my food in just a few minutes, and saved big on stadium stacks. Read on to see how I used Uber Eats at the stadium and how you can take advantage of this Amex Platinum card perk at other stadiums.

Using the Amex Platinum Card’s Uber Cash Credit

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The Platinum Card^® from American Express

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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The Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Apply With Confidence and, if approved, find out your welcome offer before deciding to accept the Card. You may not be eligible for the maximum welcome offer amount.

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When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

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Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

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• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Apply With Confidence and, if approved, find out your welcome offer before deciding to accept the Card. You may not be eligible for the maximum welcome offer amount.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card^® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck^® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card^®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
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• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile.
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The Amex Platinum card offers up to $200 in Uber Cash credit annually, with up to $15 monthly from January to November and up to $35 in December. 

Claiming this credit is easy, as I just added my Amex Platinum card as a payment method in the Uber app. I see the credit available at checkout any time I order a U.S. Uber ride or place a U.S. Uber Eats order, and it’s automatically applied, whether it’s for rides or food. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.

Although it’s easy to apply Uber Cash each month, I sometimes have to go out of my way to use these credits. I rarely take Uber rides or use food delivery services unless I’m traveling, and even then, my usage is pretty low. 

Still, I’m not going to leave money on the table with unused credits, especially not when I’m paying a $695 annual fee (rates & fees). Most months, I get to the end of the month, realize I still have Uber Cash to burn and place a small pickup order close to home to use it up. That’s nice, but it doesn’t necessarily save me money.

However, I noticed Uber Eats stalls at Minute Maid Park — the Houston Astros baseball stadium — and realized I could use my Uber Cash to save on stadium food.

Hot Tip:

You can get up to $10 in monthly Uber Cash with the American Express^® Gold Card, for a total of up to $120 in Uber Cash annually. It works just like the Amex Platinum card credit, just at a lower amount for U.S. Uber Eats orders and Uber rides. Don’t forget to add the Amex Gold card to your Uber app.

Uber Eats at Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park, like many other sports stadiums, has partnered with Uber Eats to offer convenient stadium concessions pickups. Using the Uber Eats app, you place an order, pay for your items, and pick up your order at designated Uber Eats pickup locations within the ballpark, skipping ordering lines. 

Using Uber Eats to order offers convenience when concession lines are long because you don’t have to wait in line to order and pay. All you have to do is walk up to the pickup window, show your order, and take your food. It’s great if you want to spend more time watching the game and less time waiting in line.

In fact, Minute Maid Park has 6 Uber Eats pickup locations. Most are at the 100 level, though 2 are on the 400 level. The selections range from Home & Away (with ballpark staples including hot dogs, soft pretzels, and nachos) to barbecue at the Butcher and hot wings at Pluckers Wing Bar. That’s just a fraction of the foods at Minute Maid Park, but it’s nice to have Uber Eats available at some stalls.

The app lists the section where each Uber Eats stall is so you can easily choose a pickup window close to your seat — or at least know where you’re going if you’re making a trek.

Placing an Uber Eats Order at the Stadium

Creating a stadium Uber Eats order was just as easy as any other Uber Eats pickup order. First, I selected the restaurant I wanted to order from, Home & Away, in section 129, which was close to our seats. Then I chose 2 items my kids wanted: a soft pretzel and nachos. 

The prices in the app were the same as those on the regular order screen at the food stall — there were no Uber Eats markups like I typically see at restaurants on the app when I’m at home. The only difference was a $1.85 merchant fee. There was no tip option.

The pretzel was $8.19, and the nachos were $8.59. With the merchant fee and sales tax, my total came to $20.17 — perfect for using my $15 in Uber Cash! 

After my Uber Cash credit, I paid $5.17 for a food order that would have been $18.32 — a $13.15 savings. That’s not huge, but I appreciated being able to save money on something I would have easily bought anyway.

Aside from the savings, using Uber Eats at the stadium was convenient. The Home & Away location we picked up from used touch-screen ordering kiosks, and those had a wait. Instead of standing in line to digitally place my order, I asked my kids for their requests and placed my Uber Eats order from my seat.

The app told me the estimated wait was 5 to 7 minutes, but realistically, I probably could have picked up my items immediately, as I ordered food that the stadium food stands almost always have ready. 

After I waited a few minutes at my seat, I popped out to Home & Away and walked directly up to the pickup window, which doubled as an Uber Eats lane. Once I arrived, I showed the attendant my order screen and got my food.

It took me less than 5 minutes to get from my seat to the pickup window and back again. Perfect for satisfying kids with demanding snack needs while barely missing any of the game!

Bottom Line:

A $15 Uber Cash credit isn’t even close to enough to feed my family of 5 at the ballpark, but it offered welcome relief for saving on snacks. Ordering was lightning-fast and convenient. I won’t place all of our ballpark food orders through Uber Eats, but it’s a great option when lines are unbearably long — especially when I have Uber Cash to use up.

Other Event Venues and Stadiums With Uber Eats

Minute Maid Park isn’t the only stadium where you can use your Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders. Uber Eats is available at these sports stadiums, including MLB, NHL, and Major League Soccer venues:

• Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California
• Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
• Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
• PayPal Park in San Jose, California
• Roazhon Park in Rennes, France
• SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
• Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York

In addition to stadiums, you can use Uber Eats at numerous Live Nation venues:

• Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, Tennessee
• MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa Bay, Florida
• iTHINK Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, Florida
• Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, Texas
• Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Atlanta, Georgia
• Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
• PNC Banks Arts Center, Holmdel, New Jersey
• Northwell Health at Jones Beach, Wantagh, New York
• Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois
• Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, Missouri
• North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, San Diego, California

Uber continues to expand the venues where Uber Eats is available, so check the Uber Eats app for the latest information.

Other Food Ordering Services

Uber isn’t the only food delivery service in the stadium game, as GrubHub is available at Northwest Stadium, the NFL stadium for the Washington Commanders in Maryland. It’s also available at DRV PNK Stadium, home of the Inter Miami CF soccer club in Miami.

DoorDash is an option for games and events at Chase Center, the NBA stadium for the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. That’s convenient if you’ve enrolled in a DoorDash membership (by Dec. 31, 2027) with a Chase card, such as the up to $5 monthly DoorDash credit from the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®.

How To Maximize Amex Uber Cash Credits

1. Plan Ahead

If you like to pick up food before you head to your seat, it’s helpful to know where you can use Uber Eats before you get to the stadium. Uber Eats offers location-based ordering, so you usually can’t see options unless you’re in the stadium. However, you can plug in the stadium address on the app to see in-stadium options before you go.

2. Connect to Wi-Fi

Some stadiums have limited cellular service like I frequently experience at Minute Maid Park. Check for Wi-Fi so you can use the Uber Eats app within the stadium if you’re having connection issues.

3. Be Mindful of Fees

Expect to pay a merchant fee, which may increase proportionally with the size of your order. You might want to order just enough to use your credit so you’re not spending much on fees. Also, check prices to make sure you’re not paying more, though in my experience, the prices were identical in the app and the regular menu.

Hot Tip:

The merchant fee depends on how much you spend. I added a $10 hot dog to my order, and the merchant fee increased to $3. If you’re trying to maximize savings using Uber Cash and are less concerned with convenience, just order enough to use your credit. You can place other orders the old-fashioned way without paying Uber Eats fees.

4. Enable Notifications:

I waited a few minutes before picking up my order, but you can get a notification when your order is ready if you have Uber Eats notifications enabled. That can save you time so you don’t have to leave your seat until your food is ready to pick up.

5. Skip the Line

Don’t bother standing in the ordering line when your food is ready. Instead, just walk straight up to the pickup window, which should have a designated Uber Eats lane. From there, you can show your order to get your food.

6. Use Your Credit Before It Expires

Uber Cash doesn’t roll over month to month for the Amex Platinum card, so it’s a use it or lose it situation! 

Final Thoughts

Uber Eats offers convenient concessions ordering at stadiums and is especially helpful when paired with the Uber Cash credit on the Amex Platinum card. Skipping the lines and taking advantage of this perk makes it easy to focus more on the action and less on waiting for food.