Credit Card Points and Miles for Las Vegas

Rules for Utilizing Credit Card for Rewards

Over the past 10 years, we have flown all over the world and our credit card game has been an essential part of that. These are rewards and benefits that you can earn just by spending money on the things that you buy everyday. By utilizing these rules, you should save a lot of money. Remember, the less money you spend on base-line expenses on your way to Las Vegas, like flights and hotels, the more money you'll have to spend while you're actually there. We'll see you in Las Vegas (maybe you'll be flying first class with miles!). So here we go:

Don't spend money that you don't have!
Don't spend money via debit cards or cash wherever possible. Even the worst reward cards give you 1% cash back.
Choose wisely, not all credit cards are created equally when it comes to rewards. Find ones where you can maximize your cash back and other rewards.
Minimize the number of cards with yearly fees unless they offer huge incentives.
Sign up for airline rewards, even if you don't have their credit card. You get miles for all types of things like flights, cell phone plans, hotels, and other purchases.
Look for cards with big sign up bonuses, but don't sign up for more than 2 to 3 per year. Multiple inquiries by credit card companies over a short period of time will hurt your credit score.
If it's free to do so, add authorized users onto cards. You earn miles faster with multiple spenders and you get your partner involved in the credit card hustle.
Good deals will disappear, take advantage now, while you still can.
The sooner you hit the spending requirement for new card incentives, the sooner bonus miles will post.
Don't hold balances on cards or you'll lose your interest free grace period.
Stay on top of which cards have which benefits (i.e. some cards get more points for grocery store or gas station purchases)
Rewards are meaningless if you're getting crushed by interest and fees.
If you have a card with a held balance, stop spending on that card immediately.
In general, don't buy miles unless it really makes fiscal sense.Ex. You have 50,000 miles and the flight costs 60,000 miles, so you purchase 10,000 miles ($25/1,000 miles) to get the flights covered with miles. The problem is that now you've paid $250, and you have zero miles in your account. That wasn't a free flight. Try to plan in advance, and get a new bonus or find a way to churn the miles quickly.
Calculate what buying the flight would cost and figure out the return you are getting for each of your miles.
Don't gift miles with American Advantage. You get charged per 1,000 miles transferred. Instead, simply purchase the flight for the person on your own account for no penalty!

Total Rewards Visa Credit Card

Applying for this credit card will save you money on your Las Vegas trips. There is no annual fee for this card, and there is a sign up bonus of 10,000 Reward Credits when you spend at least $750 in the first 90 days. Just make 1 purchase in your first 90 days and you'll automatically earn Platinum Status for the first year. As long as you spend $5,000 on your card over the course of the year (purchases can be at any locations), you'll maintain your Platinum Status with Total Rewards Properties for the following year. Platinum gets you discounts, Free Early Check-Ins, lets you skip lines, includes Free Parking, and lets you check in at Platinum/Diamond registrations in Las Vegas (Flamingo, Harrahs, Linq). Most importantly, it makes you feel special. You're a small time VIP when you're in Total Rewards properties in Las Vegas. For every dollar you spend at total rewards properties with this card, you'll earn 5 reward credits. These reward credits can be used towards your stays at their properties (10,000 Reward Credits = $100 in value). Another benefit that you receive is free and discounted rooms at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Founders Card - Automatic Upgrade to Diamond

Another way to improve your status with Caesars Entertainment (Total Rewards) is the Founders Card (Promo Code: FCJACKSON378). It's a membership with status and discounts attached to it. We were very skeptical of this card, because you have to pay for the membership ($790 for 2 years and $495 for 1 year) per year. We did some calculations and have decided, that for us, the Founders Card (Promo Code: FCJACKSON378) is worth the cost. Normally, in order to qualify for Diamond Status with CET, you have to earn 15,000 tier credits in a year. Even with great strategies (and luck), that would cost you a lot of money. Here are some of the benefits that come with Diamond Status:

No Resort Fees (Worth $45/night (with taxes) in Las Vegas. We do (2) 7 day stays per year, that is $630 in savings by itself)
Access to Diamond Lounges at all Total Rewards properties, which gets you Free Drinks (adult beverages) and Light Refreshments
Priority Check-In at all Properties (Often have free bottled water, snacks, tea, and coffee. You can come by any time they are open!)
$100 Annual Diamond Celebration Meal Voucher
(2) Free Show tickets per month
Free Parking at all CET properties
Free Access to CET properties Spas - Steam Room, Jacuzzis, Sauna, Snacks, and Juice/Water/Tea/Coffee ($20 at Caesars)
VIP Reservations Hotline (Helps you book quickly and get deals including friends and family discount)
4 Free Nights at Atlantis in the Bahamas with $100 Free Slot Play (Worth at least $800 based on their advertised rates)
As we've said before, status makes you feel special. As a Diamond member, you are a genuine VIP and will be treated as such!

You also get other benefits like automatic status with Hilton Honors, Marriot, Hertz, Avis, and Cathay Pacific. If you are interested, you can use this link and promo code to get a preferred rate: FCJACKSON378 . You can also email us at [email protected] for a direct email invite as well! We offer people who sign up with us an additional discount, so please email us!

Churning fo Points/Miles

Churning is a term people use for earning points and miles in large quantities on credit card purchases made only for the purpose of earning these rewards. We'll give you a few examples below. If you find a good deal, or a way to churn for points or miles, don't overdo it and keep it to yourself. We've found that it's only a matter of time before the business, bank, or credit card shut it down.

The best example of churning ever was on a deal through the US Mint. They were trying to push the use of $1 coins in circulation, so they offered people to purchase $1,000 in coins, with no transaction fee, and free shipping. Buyers would simply, spend the $1,000 on their credit card and then take the coins to their bank, and use the funds to pay off their credit cards. People overused this scheme so much, that the US Mint eventually caught on because they were receiving entire rolls of $1 coins back almost untouched.

Another great example, was a gas discount program offered with a partnership by North Carolina based Grocery Store, Lowe's Food. They used to offer $.50 off per gallon of gas for purchases of $100 in their grocery stores. This also included gift cards, and there was no limit to the amount of the rewards that you could earn. Essentially by spending $500 on Amazon Gift cards, you would receive 25 gallons of free gas. This works out to about $65 cash in free gas, plus with the Blue Cashback card from Amex you earn an additional 6% cashback at grocery stores (To get this 6% on gift cards, make sure you purchase at least 1 grocery item with your gift cards). We were effectively getting 20% off every purchase on Amazon with this deal. Eventually, they figured it out and shut it down. You now only get $.05 off per $100 transaction. Be Smart, always be on the lookout for opportunities, keep the deals to yourself, and cash in while you can!

Chase Freedom

There are a few credit cards that we have utilized heavily for cash back or other rewards. The Chase Freedom card offers exceptional benefits. First, there is no annual fee. Every quarter, there is a different category that receives 5% cash back (other purchases receive unlimited 1% cash back). The yearly quarters are:

1st Quarter: Gas Stations and Transportation (Including Uber/Lyft)
2nd Quarter: Grocery Stores and Drug Stores
3rd Quarter: Summer Fun (TBA)
4th Quarter: Holiday Fun (TBA)

These benefits are good for the first $1,500 in purchases per quarter at these location which translates to $75 cashback per quarter ($300/year). If you don't have enough transactions at Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, or Drug Stores to receive the max cash back we recommend purchasing gift cards for stores that you commonly shop at like Amazon.com to get to $1,500, because essentially you will be receiving 5% off all of your Amazon purchases with these gift cards. Just make sure that when you purchase these gift cards that you have other items purchased in the transaction to ensure the 5% cash back. Example, buy $100 in Amazon gift cards and a carton of milk or other normal groceries. On top of these annual benefits, when you use our link and spend $500 in the first 3 months of the card, you will receive $150 cash back bonus. You can also earn an additional $25 when you add a free authorized user to the account. This gives you a potential total of $475 cash back in the first year alone, with no annual fee. We highly recommend it. To see our offer with Chase, please click here!

Blue Cash Preferred American Express Card

This is another card that we recommend. The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express offers 6% cash back at Grocery Stores, up to $6,000 per year in transactions. This translates to $360 in potential cashback. If you don't spend $500 per month over the course of the year at the grocery store, please use our gift card strategy above. You will also receive unlimited 3% cash back at gas stations and select department stores. All other purchases will receive 1% cash back. As a welcome bonus with our link, you will receive $150 cashback after spending $1,000 on the card in the first three months. This card has an annual fee of $95, but the high cash back at grocery stores, gas stations, and department stores more than compensates for this. To see our offer with the Blue Cash Preferred Card, please click here!

Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card

We applied for this card before our last trip to Las Vegas and received a statement credit of $50 for making a Delta purchase and 60,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. There is no annual fee for the first year, and then $95/year in the following years. You also get a free checked bag for each member of your group when flying Delta if you have this card. This card is definitely worth looking in to for its benefits. Click here to see our offer for the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card!