Do Food Trucks Earn a Dining Bonus?

The short answer: Usually. Most food trucks process payments under a restaurant or fast-food category code, so a card with a dining bonus earns its higher rate on your order. The exception is a small vendor using a generic mobile card reader, which can occasionally code as a general merchant and earn only the base rate.

Food trucks usually code as dining

A food truck sells prepared food, so when it uses a proper payment setup it rings up under an eating-place or fast-food category code, the same family as restaurants. That means a dining card earns its bonus, tip included, since the tip posts under the same merchant. The rule is covered in do restaurants always code as dining.

When it earns only the base rate

Some independent vendors use a generic mobile payment reader that registers under a broad or miscellaneous category rather than as a restaurant, so a dining card may earn only the base rate there. A truck parked inside a larger venue, like a stadium or market, can also code under that venue instead.

The best card for street food

If dining is a real category for you, a card with a strong restaurant bonus rewards food trucks the same as sit-down meals most of the time. Compare the top options in best dining cards, and value any points at a flat 1 cent when you weigh them against a simple flat-rate card.

Frequently asked questions

Do food trucks code as dining?
Usually yes. Most food trucks use a restaurant or fast-food category code, so a card with a dining bonus earns its higher rate on the order.
Why did my food truck order earn only the base rate?
The vendor likely used a generic mobile card reader that codes as a general merchant, or the truck was inside a larger venue whose category applied instead of a restaurant code.
Do food trucks earn a dining bonus on tips?
Yes, when the truck codes as a restaurant, because the tip posts under the same merchant as the food, earning the same dining rate.

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Bryce Casson

Written by Bryce Casson, Founder of Cardocrat. About the author and how we rank cards.