Arlington Heights, Ill., Sept. 17, 2008 - Restaurant.com has announced that it is teaming up with Upromise, the largest private source of college funding contributions, to help families save instantly for both dining and education. Now, Upromise's nine million members can access Restaurant.com gift certificates that offer more than 60-percent savings, while earning a 15 percent reward for college.

"Upromise wrote the lesson plan for online savings and college education," said Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Restaurant.com. "Our vision here is to empower people through savings and to advocate smart, affordable choices when spending. We're excited to expand the cash back rewards for their members and for the added exposure to our thousands of partner restaurants."

Upromise members search Restaurant.com by state, zip code and area to select participating restaurants. After choosing, members purchase restaurant- specific gift certificates for less than face value; $10 gift certificates are available for $3; $25 gift certificates cost $10; $50 gift certificates sell for $20; $75 gift certificates are available for $30, and $100 gift certificates are $40. Purchases made are rewarded with cash back deposits into the member's Upromise account.

"Restaurant.com provides Upromise members including students, parents, grandparents, and virtually every family member another innovative way to save money now and for college when purchasing a restaurant gift certificate either for themselves or for any gift-giving occasion," said Kelly Christiano, executive vice president, Upromise.

Through the program, families can immediately stretch their dining budgets, while investing in education. Americans, for example, spend $1,078 per person or $4,312 each year for four people on food away from home, according to the National Restaurant Association. Using Restaurant.com and Upromise, a family of four could save nearly $650 in annual college savings, while having $10,780 in purchasing value through gift certificates to use while dining.

Upromise members benefit by receiving the college cash back reward, gift certificates with money-off value and selection of more than 8,500 participating Restaurant.com restaurants. Members can also receive added short-term email promotions that increase the amount of savings for gift certificates. Additional program and membership information is available at
http://www.upromise.com/restaurantdotcom.