If you have Restaurant.com certificates sitting in your account, you do not need to buy a subscription just to use them.
The dining-deal site is now using memberships for new offers. But certificates already in your account before the change stay valid without a membership, and Restaurant.com says they do not expire.
So this is not a use-everything-tonight situation. Your dinner plans can remain dinner plans.
What changes with the membership?
Instead of buying new certificates individually, members get access to participating restaurant offers during their membership term. The listed prices are $14 for one month or $99 for one year.
That buys access to discounts, not unlimited free meals. Each restaurant’s offer can still have its own restrictions. Look up restaurants you would actually visit and read their terms before paying for another subscription.
Old certificates and new offers have different rules
The old certificates remain yours whether you join or not. Offers obtained through the membership, however, stop working when the membership ends. Those are two different buckets, even when they appear in the same account.
Restaurant.com says auto-renewal is optional and can be changed at signup or on your member page. Check that setting rather than assuming it is off.
What about points?
You can use eligible points toward membership. The support page lists 1,400 points for a month or 9,900 for a year, with a points-and-card combination also available.
According to the membership guide, you can exchange unused certificates for points before signing up, or leave those certificates alone and use the points you already have. Converting a certificate is an option, not something you must do to keep it usable.
Keeping a paper copy? A printed membership offer is valid for seven days. After that, Restaurant.com says to sign in and print a fresh one. That printout rule is separate from the no-expiration promise for certificates purchased before the switch.
