Total Rewards > MLife (Diamond vs Gold)

Seems like people are voting for random reasons unrelated to the question. Like preferring the comped rooms at one casino chain over another. Which doesn't matter, since I ignored Total Rewards for a couple years, was only Gold, and yet still got comped rooms based on my past ADT. Same with Mlife, I fell to Pearl and still got my suites comped. So that becomes a moot.Being a higher level at either one does next to nothing for a comped room. Your play matters, not your card.

Saying you pick Diamond over Gold since you get more free play is moot as well. Free Play is tied to your ADT, not card level. I've had twice the free play as a TR Gold then my Brother did as a Diamond. My average was that much higher.

Same with the resort fees. You could hold a base level card with Mlife and still get an offer without fees at some places. So level doesn't matter there. But all CET rooms require Diamond or better to get those waived. So maybe a wash?

Since CET would match Mlife Platinum to Diamond, shouldn't that be the barometer here? Not Mlife Gold?

And this thread is about Diamond, not a High Diamond with 25,000 TC's or more. Being Diamond does not get you free grub in the Diamond lounge. The Diamond player that has an extra 10,000 TC on top of the standard 15,000 eats for free.

If we are talking Platinum to Diamond 1, I see more value in Platinum. Diamond lines at check-in, the cage or restaurants are usually pretty packed. Seems like more Diamonds walking around then Mlife Platinum. So getting Platinum cuts is a better value to me.

Diamond has the free show tickets, and I do not like shows. Platinum has the free experiences, which I would rather do (Shark Reef, Siegfried & Roy, Gallery of Fine Art ETC) so I give a point to Mlife

I am only a base Diamond, so it cost me $10 in reward credits to get into the Diamond Lounge. But as an Mlife Platinum I can walk right into the VIP lounge at Luxor, Excalibur, MB and I assume Park MGM has the same rules as the old Monte Carlo and grab a free drink, some candy bars or chips to keep me going for free. So another point for Mlife.

I like that being Platinum gives me accelerated earning on points. Points which are already more valuable then TR's reward credits. Yes TR has the bonus point thing. But that is not a benefit of being Diamond. $30 in coin being Diamond gets me 6 cents in reward credits. $30 on a normal Mlife slot gets me 13 cents in express comps AND 13 cents in free play. That is 26 cents in value back vs 6 cents. A Huge win for Mlife for me.

Diamond gets me the $100 celebration dinner. But Platinum gets me a free cruise. Point to mlife.

Both get free parking & valet in Vegas. So a push there.

I just see more value in my Platinum card then Diamond. And a tiny bit more value in being Gold over base Diamond due to the point accrual. I stay 2 nights with Mlife, with a coin-in of $20K total (normal slots, no VP) and I earned $80 in express comps with the bonus earning for that level PLUS $80 in free play. That is $160 back on my points VS $40 in Reward Credits by being Diamond. That immediately offsets the Diamond celebration dinner for me. AND I keep racking up the same better point return with each stay.

 

@kwalsh1

• No resort fees vs $30+ a night (Not all MGM properties charge a resort fee on a comped room)
  
• Diamound lounge free food & drink (Diamond Lounge is only free for Diamonds with 25,000 TC or more, "Normal" Diamonds have to pay to get in. VIP Lounge is free at some MGM properties for Gold or higher)
  
• Affordable hotels mid-strip (This is not tied to card level. No CET properties at all on the South Strip)

 

Diamond lounge only requires 25k and NOT DA2 which was 80k.
Also your card sort of reflects your ADT as you are not getting a 2k ADT and still only being a gold card member at total rewards. Also for the purpose of this thread it is much easier for people to post their card level than their exact ADT if they even know that.

 

I misspoke for the Aspiration level. Nice catch. I thought that was the name when you moved up enough to actually gain access for free into the lounge. But the sentiment is unchanged. Just by being Diamond does not get you into the lounge for free. 15,000 Tier Credits gets you Diamond and 10,000 more gets you free food. So saying Diamond gets you free food and drinks is untrue. Being Diamond with an additional 10,000 TC's gets you that.

And for the second statement, not always true. I know a lot of people that work their way up to Diamond each year. They hit their local CET on the weekends. 2 dozen trips to their locals in a year will get you Diamond with only 500 points a day. Those people hold the card, but their free play (based on ADT) might get them a room and $25 in Free Play. I dropped by my locals once a couple years ago and ended up running $10K through the machines. That got me 2000 TC + 1000 bonus. I was still Gold with 3,000 TC's, any yet I'm pulling $250 in free play compared to that Diamond. These penny ante Diamonds are all over Atlantic City. I assume those players were the catalyst for CET to start charging for entry (unless you get 25,000 TC's)

I get what you are saying, but people that say they like one level over the other based on free play is just too all over the place. Comparing what you get for each level is a better view of perks. Not what you are also getting based on your rated play.

 

I think one fuzzy not provable perk of Total Rewards over M-life is that diamond players are much more likely to get free rooms at regional casinos where their ADT is zero than M-live players get at their regional casinos. I think that Total Rewards is much better than M-life at regional casino because of the conversion rate penalty that M-life applies at their regional casinos. But again M-life regional casinos are usually much nicer that CETs.

 

Mlife as better hotels, CET has better comp system.

System I mean, in that all of the hotels are connected and the points are like debt card. Mlife comps are separated per property.

As a poker player, if I wanted to buy candy or soda at a CET store, I just swipe my players card and its paid for. Mlife, I have to get a comp slip from the poker room and go back to the store and get soda. Not to mention they don't give out change.

If Mlife would combine all properties together and you are able to get comps just like CET, I would only spend time at Mlife properties but since they dont, I only play at CET properties.

 

Tatertot, I've not really played BJ at CET properties. Will they rate or give comps if I'm playing $10-$15 tables? Mlife seems uninterested. That would be a nice change, even if minimal....

 

Give your card at any MLife property (and any CET property). I've played $5 min craps at Luxor with a max of $15 in base bets out, and I got tier credits, so they were recording my play. You don't get any Express Comps for table play, but any theo you generate counts in your total for the day and helps with offers.

I can't directly answer your question about getting rated at BJ at MLife vs CET, I mostly play craps, but I've gotten tier credits at both chains when playing tables at less than a $25 min and less than $25 in base bets.

 

If you reverse from TR Diamond to mLife, you only get a Pearl card, lol. Frankly, the reason why I recommend TR is because it is much easier to get Diamond, which provides the perks listed, than it is to get the status on mLife. Now the question is: is it even worth getting status in the first place? Well, what's the point of gambling if you're asking the question. For me, I have shrunk my play to where I can earn my Diamond status at AC CET properties and keep my comp at the Wynn (or VP) when I go to Vegas 1-2 a year. In those instances, I believe I have the system that works for me. And, that's just it. Do what is right for you.

 

Yes, don't confuse aspiration level 1 (40,000 pts) and aspiration level 2 (80,000 pts) with regular diamond. It's like having higher tiers without changing your card. Also, the properties convert TR-diamond with Mlife-gold...not platinum. I have an Mlife gold card courtesy of my TR diamond card. They did not give me platinum. My TR card gives me access to an open bar, access to free shows, free access to all the spas (except Qua which has a $20 fee...usually $50) and no resort fees at all. If I want to get to 25,000 pts instead of the minimum 15,000 pts I can get into the lounges for free. I don't see where this is worth it unless you are in the AC market. The three diamond lounges in AC have full bars and full buffets...FULL BUFFETS...and they're free if you hit 25,000 pts. For locals, it's a no brainer.

 

Last year I hit aspiration level 2 with about 92k points.
I have not played at any CET properties this year.
Based on last year’s status,will I have access to the diamond lounge at CP when I go in Nov.?
When I was a CP regular they had a full bar in the diamond lounge but that was a long time ago.Do they still have one?
Stayed there 3 nights last year but never went in.

 

Isn't a full bar the reason for the diamond lounges?

 

I went to Harrahs AC twice last year and never used the lounge.there always seemed to be a line.
Spent three nights at CP in the fall and never walked in.Ten + years since my prior stay there.
I’m not familiar with the benefits,
I hit DA 2 in December and they announced no flight reimbursement so I stayed with MLife.
Maybe somebody else knows if I will have access.
I don’t really care but my wife is coming in Nov. and she was asking.
Thanks for your reply though.

 

On paper, CET. Much better guaranteed perks for hitting diamond...Celebration dinner, no resort fees, lounges, etc.

Mlife Platinum (not even gold) just doesn't guarentee much for being higher tier.

BUT my preference is Mlife. Yes, their "on paper tier perks" suck compared to others of the same level (CET Diamond, Gold Identity)....but my gaming offers give me much better rooms, I never pay resort fees (not guaranteed by tier, but written into our upfront gaming offers), generous FP/RC, so Mlife just seems to fit our needs/wants better than CET.

But, all in all, it depends on what you want. I'm a camper, and slots, and I prefer Mlife rooms, so mlife works great for us. (Above CET for us, but still second to Cosmo.)

If you like to bounce around to different casinos? CET is going to probably be better. Tables? That will probably change it too. I also love the CET has Tahoe. Haven't done it, but the option really appeals to me.

The nice thing is, both MLIFE and CET have a slightly different flavor/approach....so you can pick the model that meshes best with your individual styles and preferences!

 

CET for me. I get the comp rooms and FLIGHTS to not only Vegas but others for quite a few years now. (Tahoe in 10 days, New Orleans in 5 weeks, Vegas last month, AC in May. Oh of course the many Laughlin offers. Did one of those this year too) I was a just truly a barely make it 15,000 TC Diamond player till last year. Duh, finally had my barely platinum hubby play on my card and forget his Platinum to boost me up and hope to get the 15k easier. Well, that and all the trips we were able to take last year got me to 25k first time. I was getting the flights to Laughlin as many do for ages but I was getting AC, Reno and Vegas 3 years ago @ the just barely15k TC. This year is first and sure because 25k last year getting Tahoe and NOLO finally. Makes it hard to not do TR props for sure. Looking so forward to Tahoe! Always wanted to go. Is funny now being 25k and didn't need to use RCs, didn't do D-Lounges in Vegas. AC spoiled us. Caesars AC DL is fabulous.

 

Are you talking CET Reward Credits compared to Mlife Express Comps? Those are both the points you earn with your card. You can use your Express Comps at any MGM property. Earn points at Aria and spend in Luxor. Just swipe and you are done. I actually used some of my Vegas earned Express Comps at Borgata in Atlantic City. It might be different if you are asking for a comp, like a poker player might, but for just points earned and spent using your card (like this thread is about) they both work the same. Except you earn much more money on your Mlife then you do your Total Rewards card for video poker and slot play.

Mlife will match your Diamond with a downgrade. And even that I believe they only do in Atlantic City where most every casinos matches each other. Not in Vegas. That is why you only got Gold for your Diamond. CET matches only Platinum or Noir Mlife with Diamond.

If you show the girl at the Total Rewards Booth a Gold Mlife card they will laugh at you. That is why I'm saying Platinum = Diamond. Mlife could very well have given you a Pearl card for your Diamond. It doesnt mean its a match. CET views Platinum as a match. It takes about $20K of coin in to get Gold with Mlife in Vegas. Without the bonus TC's it takes $75,000 coin on slots to get base Diamond. Nearly 4 times as much play to earn. And to get to your FREE FULL BUFFETS you need to play through $125,000 of coin (without the bonus TC's, too much math to list for various extra earning rates). I sure hope they would toss you some free food for that! And in AC, that $20K coin to get gold, means just a $12.50 buffet at Borgata any day, any time, with that card. And the Borgata buffet is much better than any of the Diamond Lounges in AC. Sure it costs 12 bucks, but you didn't have to play through an additional 100 Grand to earn it.

Diamond Match cards in NV:
B Connected: The Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast, Sam's Town, California Hotel & Casino, Main Street Station, Fremont Hotel & Casino

• Emerald

M life Rewards: MGM Resorts International

• Platinum
• Noir

Grazie Rewards: Venetian, Las Vegas

• Platinum

Identity: Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas

• Gold
• Platinum

Marquee Rewards: Tropicana, Las Vegas

• Executive Producer
• ICON

https://www.caesars.com/total-rewards/promotions/diamond-tier-upgrade

 

@Grid - Do you mean the Amphora Lounge instead of the Borgata Buffet? The buffet I get comped but the Amphora Lounge is $12.50/person... Charlie

 

No Sir. Both actually cost $12.50 for Gold or Platinum. I was just there a few weeks ago. It used to be 10 bucks for either in the old Black Label days. Great value, since the diner buffet is $34.95 on the weekend for those under Gold Level.

Access to Amphora Lounge for You and a Guest for $12.50 Express Comps per person per visit
Borgata Buffet for You and a Guest for $12.50 Express Comps per person per visit

 

I don't know. I get pretty frequent offers for flight + 4 nights + 200 FP at Beau Rivage for $299. Not free, but not bad for a casino I've never set foot in. They also just sent me an offer for 2 free nights at MGM Springfield, which may be because of the grand opening, but I'm curious to see if I get more.

 

TR status earned in a given year is valid for that year, the following year, and the January after that. So you currently have diamond lounge access thru Jan 31, 2019.

Re: full bar, not sure if you are asking about alcohol selection, or an actual physical bar to sit at, but the CP DL has both. All DLs have a good variety of booze, but not all have an actual bar; some just have tables.