Are you a member of a Vegas rewards or loyalty program? If not, you should be because Vegas rewards programs are awesome! Vegas rewards or loyalty programs are your ticket to free stuff and discounts, saving you money on your trip to Vegas. Since becoming a member of MGM’s loyalty program, MGM Rewards (formerly MLife), we’ve saved hundreds, maybe even thousands, with comps (that’s free stuff) on things such as hotel rooms, food & beverage and gambling. If that statement alone doesn’t convince you that you need to join a Vegas rewards or loyalty program, here’s some additional information to help you better understand how these programs work and their benefits.
Every Vegas Resort & Casino (or group of properties) has a rewards or loyalty program. All MGM Resort properties (Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, W Las Vegas, Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York, Park MGM, Aria, Vdara) on the Las Vegas Strip offer the same rewards program, MGM Rewards. All the Caesars Entertainment properties (Caesars Palace, Horseshoe, Paris, Harrah’s, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, Cromwell) on the Strip offer Caesars Rewards. Wynn & Encore offer Wynn Rewards. The Venetian and Palazzo offer Grazie Rewards. Resorts World offers Genting Rewards. The STRAT offers True Rewards. Treasure Island offers TI Players Club. Tropicana offers MyChoice. Circus Circus offers Circus Players Club. The Sahara offers Infinity Rewards. The downtown resorts & casinos also have individual rewards and loyalty programs.
Becoming a member of a rewards program is easy. When you enter a Resort & Casino, follow the signs directing you to the Rewards or Loyalty Program desk which is generally shared with the Casino Cage. If you can’t find it, ask a Casino employee and they will point you in the right direction. The Rewards desk will enter your name, address, date of birth and email address into the system (this information will be verified from a piece of government issued ID), and immediately issue you a Rewards card. (Note: you might also be asked to select a PIN for your card that is used on a slot machine when you earn free play.) At some casinos the application process can also be done on a self-serve kiosk.
Once you’re a member, the next step is accumulating points to earn rewards. How do you do that? First, always use your Rewards card when you gamble in the casino. Present it to the dealer when you play a table game and insert it into the appropriate slot when you play a slot machine. (Always remember to take your Rewards card with you when you’re done gambling! If you do leave it behind or lose it, return to the Rewards desk and they can give you a duplicate.) The more you gamble, the more points you earn. Second, dine, shop, take advantage of the amenities, such as the spa, and see a show or two at the Hotel Resort & Casino. All these things earn points, and again, the more you spend at the Resort & Casino, the more points you earn. And typically, loyal members are treated quite well which means you can earn yourself free drinks, free meals, free stays, free show tickets and much more.
So you’ve earned a whole bunch of points, now what? Each rewards or loyalty program offers a number of tiers. The more tier credits or points you earn, the higher your tier. The higher the tier, the better the rewards or comps you earn. As an example, let’s take a look at the tiers offered by MGM Rewards and Caesars Rewards and some of the benefits you can earn with your points.
MGM REWARDS
MGM Rewards has five tiers – Sapphire, Pearl, Gold, Platinum & Noir. All new MGM Rewards members start at the Sapphire tier. To advance to Pearl, you must earn 20,000 points. To advance to Gold, you must earn 75,000 points. Platinum requires 200,000 points and Noir is by invitation only. Unfortunately, MGM doesn’t publish its formula for calculating how much you have to spend on gambling to earn rewards. Instead, MGM states that you’ll earn points based on how long you play, the type of game and the average bet. For dining and hotel stays, you earn 1 MGM Rewards point per $1 spent.
The benefits you earn at each tier level vary and include things such as dedicated reservation lines at restaurants (ALL), discounts at retail shops (ALL), flexible rates when booking a hotel room (ALL), complimentary self-parking (PEARL & HIGHER), priority check-in lines (GOLD & HIGHER), waived resort fees (GOLD & HIGHER), complimentary enhanced room upgrade at check-in (GOLD & HIGHER), and so much more. One thing to note is that in addition to your Tier status benefits, members can unlock new rewards by achieving the required tier credits within the Tier Earning Year (January 1 – December 31). Tier Credits earned from January 1 to December 31 qualify you for your tier beginning February 1. If you advance to a higher tier at any time, you’ll enjoy those benefits for at least one year. For example, if you earn 75,000 points between January 1 and December 31, 2023, you will earn the Gold tier. You will enjoy the Gold benefits for all of 2024 but will need to earn 75,000 points between January 1 and December 31, 2024 to maintain your Gold tier. If you don’t earn 75,000 points in 2024, you will be downgraded to the Pearl tier in 2025.
TIP: myVEGAS is the official mobile app and Facebook game of MGM Resorts and MGM Rewards. This free-to-play app offers an ever-expanding collection of slot and table games and gives you amazing rewards from your favorite MGM Resorts destinations. You can earn free hotel rooms, meals, show tickets, and more which will save you even more on your trip to Vegas.
CAESARS REWARDS
Caesars Rewards has six tiers – Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Diamond Plus, Diamond Elite & Seven Stars. All new Caesars Rewards members start at the Gold tier. To advance to Platinum, you must earn 5,000 points. To advance to Diamond, you must earn 15,000 points. Diamond Plus requires 25,000 points, Diamond Elite requires 75,000 points and Seven Stars is by invitation only. Caesars Rewards generally requires a dollar for dollar spend to earn 1 Reward Credit. In other words you earn 1 Reward Credit for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations reserved directly, dining, shopping and amenity experiences (spa, pool, etc.). The spend for gambling varies from earning at least 1 Reward Credit for every $5 you play on a slot machine, to earning 1 Reward Credit for every $10 wagered through video poker.
The benefits you earn at each tier level vary and include things such as free or discounted hotel stays (ALL), complimentary valet & self-parking (PLATINUM & HIGHER), discounts at casino gift shops (PLATINUM & HIGHER), waived resort fees (DIAMOND & HIGHER), complimentary early check-in/late check-out (SEVEN STARS), and so much more. Similar to MGM Rewards, the Tier Credits you earn in a calendar year (January 1 – December 31) add up to your annual Tier Score which determines your Tier Status within Caesars Rewards. Your Tier Credits always reset to 0 on January 1 since Tier Status must be earned each year to maintain your status for the following year.
As mentioned, every Vegas Resort & Casino has a rewards or loyalty program. Visit their websites to find out more about the benefits or perks of their individual programs. Do your research to see which loyalty program works best for you, and join the one(s) you find most valuable. Or better yet, join them all and start saving on your trip to Vegas no matter where you stay or gamble! And remember, the free stuff doesn’t stop when you leave Vegas. As a member of a rewards or loyalty program, you can expect to receive special offers to entice you to return.