P.F. Chang’s has a new multi-tier rewards program bound to help customers of casually luxurious Chinese cuisine save a bundle on their dining purchases.
The program remains completely free to join and was recently improved to include even more and better benefits. There’s also now a paid subscription option, catered toward true fans of the restaurant’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Mongolian Beef, and other appetizing delights.
We’ve spent some time with P.F. Chang’s Rewards and figured out how to get the most freebies and perks out of the program. Here’s a rundown of our best tips.
Sign up for P.F. Chang’s Rewards and get 1,000 points ($7.50)
The first step on your savings journey is to download and install the P.F. Chang’s Rewards app, available directly through P.F. Chang’s website or from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iOS).
Just be warned: The app has its fair share of minor bugs (especially on Android), and the overall user experience could definitely be improved. It’s new, give it time.
The sign-up process is pretty straightforward. You’ll choose between a Gold (free) and Platinum ($6.99 a month) membership, and then enter some basic registration info. If you don’t know which membership tier to pick, just start at Gold and you can always upgrade later.
Once signed up, get ready to receive one of the biggest welcome offers of any restaurant. You’ll get 1,000 points with no purchase required. This is the equivalent of $7.50 cash back.
From the detective’s desk: P.F. Chang’s allows rewards members to redeem 2,000 points at a time. So while you won’t be able to redeem your sign-up bonus immediately, you’re already halfway to the goal.
P.F Chang’s states that it could take up to 48 hours to receive your bonus, but we got ours in less than an hour.
Earn points on every P.F Chang’s purchase
As a P.F. Chang’s Gold Rewards member, you’ll earn 10 points for every dollar spent. The only exclusions are alcoholic beverages, tax, and tips.
For instance, if your food and non-alcoholic drink subtotal is $75, you’ll earn 750 points.
One of the primary perks of a Platinum membership is that you’ll earn twice as many points (20 points for $1 spent). Now, that same $75 subtotal will generate 1,500 points — almost enough for a $15 reward.
Takeout or delivery orders placed through the mobile app automatically generate points, so there’s no need to take any additional steps.
If you’re instead dining in, just tell the server your six-digit rewards ID at any time before payment.
You can find it on the app’s homepage, under “Rewards ID Check In”.
Don’t have the app handy? Give the server the email address associated with your account instead.
I forgot to get Rewards points, now what?
These days, practically every chain restaurant has some sort of loyalty program. So, we’ll forgive you for forgetting to claim every single possible reward.
Luckily, P.F. Chang’s gives users a 30-day window to retroactively earn kickbacks on their orders. The only downside is that you will need your receipt. Without it, it doesn’t seem like there’s much that can be done.
With your receipt in hand, go to P.F. Chang’s website, and under “Earn Points For A Past Visit” enter your 23-digit receipt code. If you don’t have a code, you can also fill out a form with some other details found on your receipt, like the order total and receipt order number.
From the detective’s desk: We couldn’t find a way to enter receipt information through the app, only the website. This is just one of a laundry list of bugs that P.F Chang’s needs to fix.
Redeem points in bunches of 2,000 for $15 cash back
Once you’ve accrued 2,000 points, they’ll automatically be converted into a $15 Reward, that can be redeemed for P.F. Chang’s menu items.
The good news is that you can redeem rewards in person or through the mobile app. If you’re dining in, just provide your server with your Rewards ID, and let them know you’d like to cash in.
However, there are a few annoying limitations associated with rewards, that we think you should know about:
- Rewards can’t be earned and redeemed on the same visit. This is industry standard, so we’ll let it fly.
- Rewards are issued as soon as you earn them, and from that point, you only have 60 days to redeem them. It would be better if you could start the 60-day countdown timer at your convenience.
- If your order is less than $15, you won’t receive credit for the remainder. The rest of the reward flies off into the abyss.
- You can only redeem one $15 reward per transaction.
- Rewards cannot be redeemed for gift cards, booze, retail merch, or any fees.
That’s a lot to take in, but really, it’s just saying that you need to use your reward quickly, and on a food/non-alcoholic beverage bill over $15 to reap maximum benefit.
The cashback rate for Gold members is 7.5% ($15 per $200 spent), which is pretty much the industry standard.
Platinum members get a whopping 15% cashback, but they have to pay $6.99 a month for that privilege.
There are a ton of other P.F. Chang’s Rewards benefits
In addition to earning and redeeming points, Gold Members also receive a birthday appetizer or dessert voucher (more on that later).
But where the perks really start to stack up is if you opt for a Platinum membership.
P.F Chang’s Platinum Rewards perks: Free Delivery
The primary benefit of becoming a Platinum member is that you’ll receive twice as many points (20) per dollar spent, but that’s not the only one.
You’ll also get free delivery. This is more valuable than you might initially expect. Not only do you get free delivery, but any associated service fees are also eliminated.
The P.F. Chang’s around us charges $4.99 per delivery and a 10% service fee. Not having to deal with those fees saves us nearly 20% on a $50 delivery order.
Better yet, P.F. Chang’s doesn’t upcharge its menu items on delivery orders placed through the app. Upcharges are common on third-party apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, so it was refreshing to see P.F. Chang’s take a kinder approach.
From the detective’s desk: Amazingly, with a Platinum Membership your delivery orders are exactly the same price as equivalent dine-in orders, assuming the same tip. We just don’t see that in the food service industry.
In short, there’s really no reason to ever use a third party to order P.F. Chang’s if you’re a Platinum member. However, Gold members that have a DashPass or other premium delivery memberships may be better off using a service, as they’ll receive free delivery and reduced service fees.
Other perks
Platinum members also get the following benefits:
- Priority reservations and waitlist seating: Platinum members can contact an exclusive VIP customer service line to secure a reservation. Also, in-person diners will jump ahead of all non-Platinum diners, excluding the first two on the waitlist and those who have already had their names called.
- VIP concierge support: You’ll get custom seating when dining at a P.F. Chang’s restaurant and access to a VIP support phone number and email. After leaving a message, expect to hear back from your VIP team member within 30 minutes or less.
- Insider panels: Access to exclusive surveys, where you’ll apparently be able to provide feedback and help improve the P.F. Chang’s experience.
Are these added perks mind-blowing? No, not by any means. But anyone who has been to a P.F. Chang’s on a busy Saturday night will appreciate being moved to the front of the line.
Having access to better tables and a special support line is also nice, but we view those as little frills as opposed to benefits with real monetary value.
Is P.F. Chang’s Platinum Rewards really worth it?
For occasional P.F. Chang’s customers, the Platinum Rewards membership is a tough sell. However, it starts to become more appealing if you’re a regular.
Here are the conditions under which we’d recommend a membership:
- For dine-in customers: If you regularly spend $93.20 per month or more on eligible menu items (basically food and non-alcoholic beverages), then a recurrent P.F. Chang’s Platinum is worth the $6.99 monthly fee.
- For delivery customers: If you order P.F. Chang’s delivery at least once a month, and the combined amount of your delivery and service fees (10% of your subtotal) is more than $6.99, then a recurrent membership is well worth the cost.
Here’s where it gets interesting. What if you only go to P.F. Chang’s once every few months or twice a year? In that case, you can either stick with the Gold Membership or upgrade to Platinum temporarily when you’re planning a delivery order or a large dine-in order.
If you go with the latter option and know you’re not going to order from P.F. Chang’s again for a while, just cancel the Platinum membership. You won’t lose your extra points and your membership will remain valid for the full month.
If you only go to P.F. Chang’s less than once per year, just stick with the Gold Membership permanently, since your points expire after 365 days of account inactivity.
At P.F. Chang’s, get a free app or dessert on your birthday
As a Rewards member, you’ll receive a free appetizer or dessert voucher on the first day of your birthday month. The voucher will be automatically applied and can be claimed through the app or in person.
In order to receive the birthday reward, you will have to add your birthday (month only) to your member profile. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a way to do this through the P.F. Chang’s app but were able to do it from a desktop.
Just log in, navigate to “Account Details” and select your birthday month under “Birthday.” Pretty simple.
You will need to redeem your reward by the end of your birthday month. Otherwise, it expires. The good news is that P.F. Chang’s will apply the reward to the highest-priced dessert or appetizer on your check, so go big!
Here are some good options*:
- Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps: $15.00
- BBQ Pork Spare Ribs: $15.00
- Northern-Style Pork Spare Ribs: $15.50
- Dynamite Shrimp: $15.00
- The Great Wall of Chocolate: $12.50
*Pricing may vary depending on your area.
All other appetizers and desserts are $11.50 or less, so you’d be missing out on full value. Although sometimes we simply can’t resist the Banana Spring Rolls, because the coconut pineapple ice cream is just that good.
P.F. Chang’s gluten-free menu is available on the rewards app
All of P.F. Chang’s gluten-free options are available on the app. However, some are more pricey than their non-GF-friendly equivalents:
- GF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps: $15.50 vs. $15.00 for regular
- GF Egg Drop Soup: $7.00/$12.00 — same as regular
- GF Chang’s Spicy Chicken: $22.00 vs. $21.00 for regular
- GF Mongolian Beef: $25.00 vs. $24.00 for regular
- GF Ginger Chicken with Broccoli: $21.00 vs. $20.00 for regular
- GF Shrimp with Lobster Sauce: $22.00 vs. $21.00 for regular
- GF Beef with Broccoli: $21.00 vs. $20.00 for regular
- GF Fried Rice: $15.50 – $18.50 vs. $14.50 – $17.50 for regular
- GF Singapore Street Noodles: $19.00 vs. $18.00 for regular
- GF Chicken Pad Thai: $19.50 – $22.50 vs. $18.50 – $21.50 for regular
- GF Chocolate Souffle: $10.00 — same as regular
As you can see, gluten-free options generally run about $1 more than their gluten-rich counterparts. Not a huge price to pay for being healthier, but still a bit frustrating for those with gluten intolerance.
We also wish that P.F. Chang’s regular pricing was more in line with a premium Chinese takeout spot. As it stands, it’s quite a bit more.
P.F. Chang’s Happy Hour is a thing of the past
One final note. We noticed that a lot of content still advertises P.F. Chang’s Happy Hour. We’re here to regretfully tell you that Happy Hour is a relic of the past.
We also haven’t seen P.F Chang’s run a Sushi Day special since all the way back in 2018. This could change, but we wouldn’t necessarily count on it.
On a positive note, P.F. Chang’s does support a lunch menu, which runs from 11 AM – 4 PM Monday – Friday, and 11 AM – 3 PM on weekends. Lunch portions are a bit smaller, but the prices are discounted by about 20 – 30%.
