Overview
It's the scheme that's designed to get New South Wales residents out of the house — to eat, and to enjoy the state's entertainment venues — but while Sydney is in lockdown for two weeks, that's not so easy to do. So, the NSW Government has announced that it is extending its Dine & Discover program. It's also expanding the program to cover takeaway for a short period, too.
If the first part sounds familiar, that's because this is the second time that the scheme's cutoff date has been shifted. When it was rolled out the statewide from mid-March, Dine & Discover given a June 30 finish date, giving folks more than three months to use their vouchers. Then, at the beginning of this month, the State Government announced that it was extending the program for until the end of July to give NSW residents even more time. Now, thanks to lockdown, it's tacking yet another month onto the end as well.
Haven't used any of your vouchers yet? Still have a couple left to redeem? Haven't registered? Either way, you now have until Tuesday, August 31. That's one big change — and, thanks to another notable tweak to the scheme, you can also now redeem them for takeaway and delivery meals while lockdown is in effect.
The NSW Government recommends getting your food delivered direct to your house by whichever restaurant or cafe you're ordering from, but you can also go and pick up your meal if you'd prefer. Crucially, though, the vouchers can only be redeemed if you're dealing with the eatery directly — so they can't be used on orders via third-party delivery platforms.
Parker Blain
By now, every NSW resident should know how the scheme works, but here's the basic details if you need a refresher. For the past few months, the State Government has been handing out food and entertainment vouchers to NSW residents, in an effort to boost patronage at hospitality businesses and cultural institutions that've suffered during the pandemic.
Four vouchers are available to everyone in NSW over the age of 18 — two $25 vouchers to use at restaurants, cafes, clubs and other food venues, and another two $25 vouchers specifically for performing arts, cinemas, amusement parks and the like. The vouchers can be used at a hefty number of participating COVID-safe registered businesses, with the full list available on the Service NSW website. You can't use them on tobacco, alcohol or gambling, and you can only use each voucher once, including if your transaction totals less than $25. Also, you'll need to use all of your vouchers separately.
To access the vouchers, you'll need a MyServiceNSW account — and the corresponding Service NSW app, so you can use the vouchers digitally.
The NSW Government's Dine & Discover scheme will now run until Tuesday, August 31 — and Sydneysiders will be able to redeem their vouchers for takeaway orders during the city's lockdown. For more information, visit the government's website.
Top image: Kitti Gould