MGM Rewards Perks For Matched Status
We have had a lot of news about the M life / MGM Rewards program over the last week or so. MGM first came out destroying the earn rate for tier credits, especially for on property spend. It appears that was a preemptive strike for their refresh of the program. The program is being renamed MGM Rewards and it is coming with a whole bunch of new perks. I said when the changes were announced that it seemed like a rip off of the Caesars Rewards program, in name and perks, and that still holds true. There are some slight differences though. One major question when all of this first came out was what MGM Rewards perks for matched status do you actually get?
Match Hyatt Status To MGM Rewards
Yesterday I gave you a how to guide for matching your Hyatt status to MGM Rewards. Depending on what level of Hyatt status you have you can leverage it into MGM Rewards Pearl or Gold status with their partnership.
- Hyatt Discoverist status – matches to – MGM Rewards Pearl status
- Explorist status – matches to – MGM Rewards Gold status
- Hyatt Globalist status – matches to – MGM Rewards Gold status
Those status levels will come with some interesting perks starting on February 1, 2022
MGM Rewards Pearl Status Benefits
- Tier credits needed reduced from 25,000 to 20,000
- Complimentary tickets to MGM Rewards concerts for Pearl
- MGM Rewards Points and Slot Dollars will not expire for Pearl members due to account inactivity.
MGM Rewards Gold Status Benefits
- Everything you get with Pearl status.
- Tier credits required remains at 75,000
- Waived resort fees for Gold
- Exclusive tier appreciation events and experiences Gold
- New Tier Advancement Celebration Dinners and access to exclusive tier appreciation events recognize members who reach Gold or above tiers based on 2022 gaming and non-gaming spend. (not a perk of status matches)
- Priority check in line at hotels, night clubs and select restaurants.
- Room upgrade, subject to availability
Which Listed Perks Will MGM Rewards Status Matchers Actually Get?
The questions still remains, which of these perks will you actually get if you match your Hyatt status to MGM Rewards? With the Caesars Rewards program status matchers initially got every perk available for that status level. That has changed some over the years. First they limited Laurel Lounge access and then blocked Atlantis Dubai for status match elites etc. We have all wondered would MGM Rewards do something similar with their new perks?
I haven’t received any official word from MGM about this but I did look through the terms that are posted (HT reader HanShotFirst) and was able to come up with some inferences on how I think it will play out.
Pearl Status
The main new perk of Pearl status is the free show tickets. This would be included for anyone that has Gold status as well (or Platinum / Noir). The terms for the tickets perk say the following:
Offers will vary in terms of frequency, ticket types, number of tickets, location, dates, etc. based on member’s tier status and spend/gaming activity.
I take this as meaning that this will be based on the tier credits you have earned through gaming or on property charges etc. Maybe matched status will get access to some lower tier shows etc. but I expect it to work like it does for comp hotel rooms. It will be targeted by individual account. This is much less rewarding than Caesars Rewards that gives all matched Diamond members 2 free shows per month.
Gold Status
Celebration Dinners
It is pretty clear that the celebration dinners are based on actually earning new tiers of status. This is also different from the Caesars program that gives even status matched members a $100 certificate every year. Here are the terms that spell this out:
…Members who receive their Tier Level status through a third-party or other partnership tier match program are not eligible for the benefit.
Waived Resort Fees
The one that we are most interested in is the waived resort fees though. This could amount to $50+ a night in savings at some Las Vegas properties. As far as I can tell this will be included for status matched Gold members. The terms do not explicitly say it is not available to third-party or partnership tier match programs like it does for the celebration dinners.
The really cool thing is that it says it will work for up to two rooms booked in the Gold member’s (or above) name. That is better than Caesars Rewards, which only waives resort fees on one room per stay.
Applicable daily resort fees will be waived on up to two room reservations per trip when an eligible member books direct, under their name, with MGM Resorts International and his/her eligible MGM Rewards account number is attached to such reservations.
To get waived resort fees you must book direct with MGM though. If you book through Hyatt, another app or use Hyatt points for your stay you will not get the waived resort fee perk. Any reduced rates through trade shows or conventions etc. are also not eligible.
…Not applicable to reservations associated with convention, trade show and/or group sales unless billed to the qualifying member.
Final Thoughts
So which MGM Rewards perks for matched status will we actually get? It looks like the waived resort fees are locked in, which is the best perk of the bunch. On a long weekend trip this could save you $150+. When Vegas offered cheap rooms in the shoulder season, like $20 a night, you always got hit with $35-$50 a night resort fees which killed the deal. Resort fees are one of the biggest gripes in Vegas, well that and parking fees, so this is a big deal for a lot of people.
The free show perk for Pearl status is still kind of up in the air. I imagine all accounts will get some offers for shows but the better shows will be reserved for gamblers. That is just a guess on my part at this point but we should know more next month. I’ll update everything once we have more information then.
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I always get deals from mlife for 3 free nights with $50 (f&b) and $50 (free play). I have used these 5 times in the last 8 months and I was wondering if these would change. I am gold mlife and would be gold next year also.
I don’t think actual comps will change much but only time will tell if they tweaked that or not too.
Actually, they said there will be a shift towards earning (from gaming/gambling) being more aligned with ADT for machines. This has “pretty much” been the case for table games.
True – depends what type of games you are playing for sure. Table players nothing much should change for comps. Slots will depend on the type of slot likely.
Caesars hasn’t had free show tickets for diamond in nearly 2 years. Unless things recently changed you can get tickets to Bodies @ballys and/or the high roller. Maybe the new MGM ticket deal makes Caesars open the benefit back up with more choices.
That is true. With the pandemic a lot of the smaller shows they had available for it or gone and capacity is somewhat reduced. I was surprised it didn’t come back more over the summer. It would be nice if this forced their hand for sure.
I would say it will make no difference to CZR. Though, they might return some day when they have (lots) of shows to offer and lots of available slots (i.e. tickets for shows and seats going empty).
Remember, Caesars has really “kicked-up” the perks for Diamond Plus (and above). $80 a day for drinks (instead of lounge) is huge. Can be used all day long. Some venue just count it as an $80 comp. You don’t have to be staying at a Caesars Property. You can use as often (well, daily) as you want. I do think, these programs are becoming more “gambler” and higher-status (status earned from gambling) focused. On this subject, I think the lounges in Vegas for Caesars “might” be a thing of the past, or perhaps they will retain one or two. (Though, personally, as noted, the $80 a day premium drinks is a way better benefit — I never was able to take advantage of the very limited Caesars Lounge Hours.)
I agree with your assessment on free shows. It is a “BS” perk as far as I can see. Seems to be based on ADT. Heck, they do that already for both MGM and CZR.
Happy to be proven wrong.
Yeah that is my thinking as well. They may toss some freebies to everyone (like bodies for Caesars) but it will be very YMMV depending on the person’s activities. Would love to be proved wrong as well 🙂
Remember, you also have a “case study.” I get tickets every month for MGM Borgata. Comedy Club. I think that’s been a benefit (somewhat) forever. A listed benefit. But, I know for a fact that it’s selective based on your ADT.
The waived resort fees will be nice. I hope the free parking for Gold stays as well! That served us well on NYE!
I would imagine it will, would kind of ruin what they did add if not.
I assume that since MGM account number has to be on the reservation, you can’t get elite nights credited to Hyatt? $18 a night + tax but no resort fee would be a huge opportunity for Hyatt mattress runs to Globalist.
I think people have had luck having MGM add it after booking / check in or following up with Hyatt after. Although I have heard it has been YMMV lately.
But will AMEX FHR count as a “direct” booking for waived resort fees… that’s my big question…
I believe that it will since it acted as booked direct in the past but we should know for sure in a few weeks.
I assume when my MLife drops a level on Feb 1, I can rematch to Hyatt as Hyatt is good through Feb, right?
Yeah you should be able to and then match back to Hyatt March 1
thanks!