Buying vouchers for Dublin restaurants: gifts and treats

You can buy a voucher for a Dublin place on Mosey as a gift or for yourself: choose the place and an amount, and either keep it or name the person, who gets it in the app straight away. The balance comes down as it is spent, so it can cover one dinner or a run of breakfasts, and some places give you more credit than you pay for.

This guide is about getting the most from that: choosing the place, the amount and the moment, and the less obvious use of buying one for yourself.

Which Dublin place should the voucher be for?

The best voucher is for a place the person would choose themselves, a little nicer than they would usually treat themselves to, and close to where they spend their days.

• Match the place to the person. A brunch lover, a wine-list person and someone who lives on takeaway curries want three different vouchers.
• Think about the neighbourhood. Dublin is spread out, and a voucher for somewhere an hour's journey away is a voucher that waits for a special occasion. Somewhere near their home or work gets used.
• Use ratings from people who ate there. On Mosey every rating comes from someone who visited, with their own photographs of what they ate, so you can see whether the place suits the person.
• Check the menu for dietary needs before you buy, and ask the place if you are unsure.

For a shortlist, the Dublin top-rated list ranks places on ratings people left after eating there, and the Dublin hub lets you browse by neighbourhood and occasion. For a weekend treat, the guide to the best brunch in Dublin is a good starting point.

How do you buy and send a voucher?

1. Find the place on Mosey and check that it sells vouchers.
2. Choose an amount from the options the place offers.
3. Keep it, or name the person. A gift reaches them in the app straight away: no envelope, no post, no card going soft in a drawer.
4. Pay. A small processing fee is shown before you pay. There is no extra charge for sending it as a gift.

The vouchers and gifts page has the details.

Can you buy a gift voucher for yourself?

Yes, and it is one of the better reasons to buy one.

• To make a quiet month better. Buying in a good mood in December means January already has a nice dinner in it.
• To commit to a place you keep meaning to go back to. Credit already paid is a reason to actually book.
• To get bonus credit. If a place you go to regularly offers more credit than you pay, buying a voucher before your next few visits is straightforward value.
• To budget. A set amount at a café you love, spent over a few weeks of mornings, is easier to keep track of than a dozen card taps.

What is bonus credit, and why do places offer it?

Some places give more credit than you pay. They choose whether to offer it and how much, so it varies.

The reason is simple economics: a place that sells credit today gets money now for meals it serves later, and that certainty is worth something to a small business with rent and suppliers to pay. Bonus credit is that value passed back to you. It is a fair trade rather than a gimmick, and it is often the best value on offer at that place.

When are vouchers the right gift?

• Birthdays and anniversaries, when what people want most is an evening out.
• New parents, for whom a voucher for a local café or a takeaway may be more welcome than anything else.
• Thank-yous, for a neighbour, a teacher or someone who helped you move.
• Leaving presents and group gifts. Collect from everyone first, then buy one voucher large enough for a proper meal, rather than several small ones.
• Last-minute presents. Because it arrives instantly, a voucher works even when the occasion is today.

When you send one, add a personal touch outside the app: a message saying why you chose that place, or what to order there. It turns credit into a plan.

Spending, balances and expiry

Vouchers are spent at the place. Staff apply it at the till or counter, it can be applied at checkout on an order ahead, and the balance comes down by what was spent, so there is no pressure to use it all at once. You can see what is left at any time.

Whether a voucher expires is up to the place, and the terms are shown before you buy. If you are giving one, check them and mention it, so it is not discovered too late.

What if you change your mind?

You have 14 days to withdraw and get your money back automatically, as long as none of the voucher has been spent. For a gift, that applies only until the person has been told about it; once it has reached them, it is no longer automatic, and it becomes a matter for the place.

Some places ask buyers at checkout to give up that 14-day right in exchange for immediate access. If you are shown that box, ticking it is a choice. If you are not shown one, you keep the right.

Find a Dublin place worth giving on Mosey, and send a voucher, or keep one for yourself.