Total Rewards Diamond Founderscard Review (Initial) & An Awesome Offer
A few days ago I wrote about why I finally decided to join Founderscard. (You can find the benefits and specials to join in that post.) The main reason I ultimately did was to get Caesar’s Entertainment Total Rewards Diamond status. Not only do I live in Las Vegas where I can utilize the status often, but I plan to write reviews of many of their hotels and the waived resort fee is attractive as well.
The other day I picked up my Diamond card after the match went through. I was pleasantly surprised to find that:
- I received a $100 Celebration Dinner voucher. ($100 dining credit which can be used at most restaurants.)
- I am eligible for 2 free shows per month as a Diamond member.
- I can bring myself and a guest into the Diamond Lounges at six properties in Vegas and more around the country.
My cost for two years of Founderscard membership was $590 and my thinking is that I will easily get that value back, even if I don’t get any other comps or offers. Well, I still think that, but I have already received an additional offer. When I picked up my Diamond card the other day, a total of $20 was played on machines to “season” it. I wasn’t told this was needed, but figured it couldn’t hurt and it didn’t.
An Unexpected Offer
Yesterday I was heading down to the Strip to meet some friends and just out of curiosity searched for hotel prices. I do this often out of curiosity more than a wanting to stay. Anyway, when I logged into my Total Rewards account and searched for just the one night, Caesar’s Palace came up as $0!
That is much better than the rate I get when not logged into my account!
What Did I Save?
Caesar’s Palace was among the first hotels on my list to review, so I jumped on the opportunity to get it for free last night, especially considering I was already going to be on the Strip. In fact, my wife and the kids stayed too and as you are reading this we are enjoying the pool before taking advantage of a late 2PM checkout. (Complimentary as a Diamond.)
The room I booked for $0 was the Palace Deluxe Room with 2 Queens and while I was hoping for an upgrade to something above that, it didn’t happen. Still, that room is $255 tonight so I can’t complain. Of course my savings isn’t $255 since I wouldn’t have stayed here at that rate. Even during the week when it is slow in town, the lowest I normally see Caesar’s is about $100 per night. I’ll calculate my savings at about $100 given the fact that I was going to pay to stay here and review the property.
A Quick Review of My Diamond Experience
I haven’t had a ton of time to use my Diamond card, so I don’t want to give a full review, but I am happy thus far. The Diamond Lounge at Caesar’s Palace is very nice and the service is good. Yesterday when I went to check-in, the main valet was full, but my car was put in VIP parking since I am a Diamond. Check-in was done in the separate Diamond/Seven Stars check-in area which has light refreshments and no crowds. My only disappointment was with the lack of an upgrade, but hey they gave me the room for free so I definitely am not complaining.
Conclusion
I am only a few days in and already I have saved about half of what I paid for my Founderscard membership. Of course this value will be different for everyone, but it is working out for me. In about a month or so I plan to write a more detailed review once I get more time to experience Total Rewards Diamond, but so far so good and I am definitely liking it much better than Mlife Platinum!
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[…] tried to focus on Total Rewards properties, since I have Diamond status through my Founderscard membership. Diamond status gives me a number of perks including Diamond […]
[…] have covered my experience with Total Rewards Diamond status before along with why I got Founderscard. I also recently also covered my recent TR Diamond […]
Is founderscard still giving TR diamond status? I read at one point that they had temporarily stopped and also that there are no way to find out founderscard benefits before you sign up(which i hate and may deter me from signing up)
Yes they are. There was a stall in their negotiations but they have signed another 1 year contract AFAIK. My TR Diamond status was just reinstated today and their website says the current benefit is good through Jan 31 2018.
[…] of the Total Rewards Diamond status it has given me. You may remember that I found the status to be much better than I had originally anticipated after I received a free comp night at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas with almost no […]
How long after signing up did you get your card? Was it mailed or did you receive notification to pick it up?
You need to pick it up when visiting one of their casinos.
I don’t understand why you always ask for free stuffs. Status doesn’t mean free access to everything. Real rich people with status don’t care about the free stuffs. Saving time should be the true meaning behind the status. The idea of your blog is to get the most value of your money. If everyone bothers hotel staffs about the free upgrade, then the line will be out the door. It ends up wasting everyone’s time. I believe, time is more valuable if you are middle class.
I’m TR platinum. Enough play for room comps but I’ll never make Diamond. It’s kind of perfect for that I’m thinking, but no guarantee they’ll offer it in year two right?
Just like everything else in Vegas, its a gamble. You need to make up the cost for two years of Founderscard membership at $590 in some way. And remember, at $590 youre just breaking even. Not even benefiting from FC yet. Which means you have to value certain perks of FC very high. Shawn lives in LV. Thats a huge location advantage. I tell everyone that FC is not a points/miles game friendly card. Its not meant for that. Its really meant for people who dont have some essential base benefits from other CCs and enjoys networking with other entrepreneurs. If thats not your thing then you have to consider the certain FC perks like the TR Diamond very highly to make it worth it.
Received the FC invitation via your link but haven’t pulled the trigger. What do you make of all the terms and conditions legalese? It’s a bit intimidating.
No different than your typical T&C from any CC or financial institution. If youre in this game, your should read all fine print, but the main question is not really about T&C. Its about the real benefits to you from FC. A pro like Shawn only got it for the Caesar’s Entertainment Total Rewards. Not because everything else was so amazing. So you may want to do more research and see if it fits your lifestyle.
Sounds like a great deal for LV residents! Any specifics on the two free shows per month?
It is most shows at Caesar’s properties and obviously it depends on if there are tickets or not. I will cover it in more detail in my full review but a couple of the shows off the top of my head are Anthony Cools and Mac King Comedy. It doesn’t include top tier shows like Donnie & Marie, The Colosseum or Absynthe.
It does have Penn and Teller, Tony and Tina’s wedding too
An amazing deal for Las Vegas residents. Congrats on the great find.