Total Rewards Atlantis Vacation Package Devalued
Caesars Entertainment is on quite a roll destroying their Total Rewards loyalty program. First they eliminated free lounge access for many Diamond members and removed the aspiration levels. Then they walked this devaluation back a little bit, extending lounge access for a few months, and then offered double tier credit bonuses in February.
While adding these two small improvements to the program, after previously gutting it, they slid in one more stealth devaluation. They made changes to the Atlantis vacation packages and took the top off of some Diamond members.
Changes to the Atlantis Packages
The Atlantis Stay & Play package was introduced by Total Rewards a few years ago. It essentially offered TR players with status free rooms at the Atlantis. It was a win win situation, a great marketing ploy. Total Rewards got to reward their bigger gamblers and the Atlantis got a new stream of gamblers to play in their casino.
For 2018 some changes have been made. Total Rewards added in peak and off peak rewards for each level. If you stay during the “off peak” time of the year you get a better room or extra perks etc. They did keep the traditional Aspiration levels (40K, 80K tier credit players) to offer higher end Diamond players better rooms. This stayed even after Total Rewards removed the levels from their players club. What was interesting is that Total Rewards specified a 15,000 tier credit Diamond level.
Need more info? Click here to read our full FoundersCard Review!
In the past the Diamond level did not have a tier credit level classification. If you were a Diamond card holder you were good to go. But there are Diamond members that get their status through the FoundersCard or via a status match from another casino etc. The player could also be getting their Diamond status via the Total Rewards credit card spending offer. There are a lot of ways to get Diamond status that does not involve earning 15,000 tier credits.
Now this could be a misunderstanding on my part. The system could work the same as it always has. I.E. if you have a Diamond card you are good. But, I have the feeling that they added in the 15k minimum on purpose. People that achieved that status without gambling are being left out in the cold.
Conclusion
It seems like a lot of the changes that were made are probably a net positive. Total Rewards gave Platinum players 3 free nights instead of 2 (a status which you can get via the Wyndham credit card). They added in better rooms for non peak rewards that weren’t available previously etc. Even with the positive changes it seems like they are adding in a sneaky devaluation. Total Rewards seems to be targeting, and devaluing, non gambling members with status in 2018.
I get why they would do that, but why sell your status to the highest bidder then? I know they get a kickback from FoundersCard – why be a part of the program if you don’t want people to reap the rewards? Why offer Diamond status via your credit card if you are going to make it harder for them to use it?
I could be totally overreaching here and taking the wording the wrong way. But, with the recent negative changes across the program how can I not?
 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now
bonus_miles_full
Learn more about this card and its features!
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
I have Diamond via Founders Card. Do you know if I’m able to book Atlantis with the free rooms? Or did they really make it I need 15k tier credits to take advantage of the offer?
As far as I know you should be able to book the Atlantis package with Diamond via the Founders Card Darcey
Purely a guess on my part, but the minimum qualification for diamond is 15,000 tier credits, so maybe it’s just the way they classify it. 5000-14999 are platinums. So I think status matched diamonds would still get the Atlantis deal. It makes no sense that a platinum would and not a diamond.
There are some people that get Diamond Status with a 0 Tier Credit score…and since they have never specified the 15k in years past I think that is telling. Especially with the way they have targeted non gambling Diamonds over the last few months. I could be off here but I think that is there intention at this point.
Are there any data points on this yet? Received TR Diamond this summer via a status match (zero tier credits) and am curious if Atlantis is off the table…
Nope you should be able to set up Atlantis still.
Can i match my Total rewards Diamond . M life Gold . Hyatt status?
I am not sure if they still have an MLife match or not going on. Next time you are in a MGM casino you can ask at the desk. If they will match it then you can turn it into Hyatt status very easily.
They should have at least given Diamonds with less than 15K Tier Credits the Platinum benefit instead of just giving them nothing.
That is what I was thinking…but who knows how it will actually play out at this point. I can’t see them offering absolutely nothing but we will have to see.
Dang. That was one of the tipping factors for looking into getting that card. Not really interested anymore.
You would be better off getting the Wyndham card and doing the status match to get Platinum status. You could still get 3 nights doing it that way.
I already have a previous version of it which gives 15,000 points each anniversary. I’d have to give that up. It doesn’t give status. I think it also earns 2x Wyndham points on everything, IIRC.
Does your wife have the same card or could you get it done that way?
She has the same. I’m going to play the waiting game and see where things fall on this one. If it looks like they will maintain the offer, I might dump mine and reapply for the new version.
Yeah tough call giving up the 10k for it. Could always just stay at the Baha Mar instead 🙂
I contacted TR about Diamond lounge access for FoundersCard holders – they said I’d need 1,000 reward credits to enter the lounge, can’t access it purely by being Diamond anymore
Yup I covered that back in December….bad news. Can’t even pay $10 to get in. I am not sure why they don’t just drop from the FC program.