Restaurant Choice and Cafe Choice are merchant category restricted gift cards that can be used at restaurants, eating places, drinking places, fast food outlets and more. This guide covers both cards as they support the exact same list of merchant categories.
The Cafe Choice gift card is only available in a Visa version but the Restaurant Choice gift card was previously produced as an Eftpos card, meaning there are some differences in how the two versions of this card can be used.
Summary
You can:
- Spend these gift cards at almost any restaurant, eating place, fast food outlet, drinking place and selected other merchant categories
- Use the Cafe Choice and the newer Visa version of the Restaurant Choice gift card online
- Add the Cafe Choice and the newer Visa version of the Restaurant Choice gift card to your mobile wallet
You cannot:
- Use the older Eftpos version of the Restaurant Choice gift card online
- Add the older Eftpos version of the Restaurant Choice gift card to your mobile wallet
Supported merchant categories
Unlike some restaurant-themed gift cards that only work at specific restaurants, Restaurant Choice and Cafe Choice gift cards can be used at almost any restaurant. This is because they’re essentially prepaid Visa or Eftpos gift cards set to only be accepted at the following merchant category codes (MCCs):
- 5811: Caterers
- 5812: Eating Places, Restaurants
- 5813: Bars, Cocktail Lounges, Discotheques, Nightclubs, and Taverns: Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
- 5814: Fast Food Restaurants
- 7011: Lodging: Hotels, Motels, Resorts: not elsewhere classified
- 7996: Amusement Parks, Carnivals, Circuses, Fortune Tellers
The inclusion of fast food and hotels makes the Restaurant and Cafe Choice gift cards some of the most versatile merchant category gift cards on the market. You shouldn’t have any trouble using these gift cards at the vast majority of restaurants.
How to use Restaurant Choice or Cafe Choice gift cards
Visa version
Cafe Choice gift cards or a Restaurant Choice gift cards with a Visa logo can be used for in-store as well as online purchases. They can also be added to your mobile wallet (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay).
Using a Restaurant Choice or Cafe Choice gift card is much the same as paying with any other debit or credit card so you don’t need to let the restaurant know that you’re using a gift card. Just tap your phone or, if paying with a physical card, swipe it, select Credit and then enter your card’s PIN.
If you don’t have enough of a balance on your card to cover the entire purchase, you’ll have to ask the person serving you if you can pay $X.XX on one card and then the remainder on another. Some restaurants will be happy to do this whilst others may not want to.
For online use, enter the sixteen digit number on the front of your card in the credit or debit card field, followed by your card’s expiry date and CVV (security code). Few online merchants allow you to pay using multiple credit/debit cards so you’ll likely need to have enough of a balance to cover the entire purchase.
Eftpos version
Whilst no longer produced, the Eftpos-based version of the Restaurant Choice gift card can still be found for sale. Although it supports the same list of merchant categories, this version is only available in a physical format, cannot be added to your mobile wallet and does not work online.
To pay using the Eftpos version of the Restaurant Choice gift card, swipe it at a payment terminal, select Savings and then enter your card’s PIN. Note that some payment readers (e.g. Square) won’t accept these Eftpos gift cards because they don’t have a chip.
Promotions
Offers on Restaurant Choice and Cafe Choice gift cards are quite common at stores like Woolworths, Coles and Amazon. Typical discounts are 20x rewards points or 10% off and you usually don’t have to wait more than a month before another one rolls around.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out for promotions on TCN Restaurant and TCN Pub & Bar gift cards as they work in a similar way to Restaurant Choice and Cafe Choice gift cards.
