Total Rewards Games
Play real money casino games in a fully legal, regulated and fair environment in New Jersey. Enjoy no download casino games, real money prizes, deposit bonus offers, Reward Credits® from Total Rewards® and so much more. Play anytime, anywhere with our mobile casino games so you can win on the go. So what are you waiting for? Caesars Rewards is the most rewarding casino loyalty club with over 50 destinations in one Empire. Discover all the benefits and offers coming your way as a Caesars Rewards member. You’ll enjoy more ways to build rewards while playing, dining, shopping and doing what you love. Your use of Caesars Rewards benefits and/or your continued participation in the Caesars Rewards. Play the hottest online slots and table games on Harrahscasino.com.
Many traditional hotel loyalty programs have been linking up with casino loyalty programs in recent years. This has provided them a foothold in Las Vegas, a city where mainstream brands have not had a strong presence. I think it’s been a good move because those mainstream properties that did exist tended to be in off-strip locations that don’t compare to the mega resorts bringing in all the tourists. (I had to look up the Westin Las Vegas to figure out where it is — and it’s only one block away from Caesars.)
Caesars’ Total Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest were last to the altar but managed to create a partnership that I would place near the top of the pack. It’s one notch below the Hyatt/MGM relationship for two main reasons: (1) It doesn’t include an extensive status matching scheme, and (2) there is a cap of 10 on the number of elite-qualifying nights you can earn each year by staying at Caesars properties. To its credit, there are also many non-Vegas locations that participate, including Harrah’s and Harvey’s in Lake Tahoe with great access to the Heavenly ski resort. I’m more likely to spend a week there than in the desert.
I am not an expert on casino rewards programs, but when the Hyatt/MGM partnership came out I did my best to review MGM’s M life program. Today I’ll attempt to do the same with Caesars’ Total Rewards.
Elite Status and Tier Credits
Total Rewards has four elite tiers that you can gain access to through accumulation of Tier Credits (TC). All members start out at Gold status and will earn Platinum status with 5,000 TC, Diamond status with 15,000 TC, and Seven Stars status with 150,000 TC. Let’s assume you aren’t going to earn Seven Stars, just as you probably wouldn’t earn NOIR with M life.
Tier Credits are earned through gaming and other resort spend. You’ll get 1 TC for each $5 played at a slot machine or $10 played at a video poker machine. TC awarded for table games depends on your length of play and average bet — but a good player probably will lose less money if it’s a game of skill rather than chance.
Earning TC through resort purchases appear to be greatly accelerated as some of the resources I read suggested it had been 1 TC per $5 as early as January this year. But now Caesars is advertising the opportunity to earn 1 TC for every $1 spent at its hotels and at participating restaurants and shops.
Total Rewards members with Platinum, Diamond, and Seven Stars status (i.e., anyone but entry-level Gold members) can earn 100 TC for every stay — up to 2,500 TC per year — at a Starwood hotel after linking their SPG and Total Rewards accounts. By requiring some status up front it essentially prevents you from stumbling into status by accident through Starwood stays alone. It does help existing Total Rewards elites keep their status, but it’s an interesting sign of how far the two programs go to prevent any semblance of a status match. Fortunately the earning process for eligible members is pretty automatic and easy to set up. Update: The partnership with SPG has ended, but you can still learn about other Total Rewards partners.
Finally, Total Rewards offers bonus TC when you earn a certain number in one “day,” measured from 5 AM to 4:59 AM the following morning. This has lead to what is called “Diamond in a Day” whereby if you earn 5,000 TC you can get 10,000 bonus TC and achieve the 15,000 TC necessary for Diamond status. I think the major issue here is exhaustion: one person reported success playing $10 hands at video poker for four hours, with a rather numb behind at the end of the ordeal. But we’re all used to sitting in a plane for four hours or more, right? 😉
Rewards Credits
Similar to the difference between elite qualifying miles and award miles in airline programs, Total Rewards differentiates between Tier Credits that contribute to elite status and Rewards Credits that can be used for free play and comps. Rewards Credits (RC) are earned at the same rates as TC: 1 for every $5 on slots; $10 on poker; or $1 spent on rooms, shopping, and dining. Table games are variable. You can also get 1 RC for each $1 spent on various activities like a round of golf.
Redeeming RC is more complicated and less lucrative than earning them. There are also loads of other partners include fuel rewards, a Total Rewards Visa, and an online marketplace. If I were to do the Diamond in a Day challenge, I would earn 5,000 RC plus about 1,250 more for my hotel and dining expenses during the rest of the trip. 6,250 RC is only enough for a $25 gift card — a valuation close to 0.4 cents.
If you want to stick to travel, Total Rewards partners with Hawaiian Airlines, and you can exchange 2 RC for 1 HawaiianMile. Or, not surprisingly, they partner with SPG. I did a random search for hotels in Bali. A $140 room at the Westin Nusa Dua (also available for 10,000 Starpoints) was 22,500 Rewards Credits — a valuation close to 0.6 cents.
The “best” deal is free play — assuming you want to gamble with your rewards and think you stand a chance at winning them back. You can’t cash out if you lose it all. The amount of free play is proportional to your elite status, but works out to $1 per 200 RC for Gold members up to a maximum of $1 per 125 RC for Seven Stars.
Total Rewards Elite Benefits
You can find a complete list of elite benefits on the Total Rewards website, so I will not discuss them at length. The most consequential are those that concern discounts, priority service, and upgrades. Along the way you’ll get spammed with special offers.
Everyone gets a 10-25% discount at casino gift shops and special pricing at select restaurants. Platinum members get a chance at room discounts based on play history as well as the option to transfer Rewards Credits to a friend. But the cap of 5,000 RC per year is worth at most $40 in free play to a Seven Stars member. It’s my opinion that these benefits aren’t worth much.
Diamond members who reach 15,000 TC start to get more meaningful perks like Diamond Lounges with free drinks and snacks as well as priority lines at restaurants, check-in, and other service areas. You’ll get a $100 credit for a “Celebration Dinner,” and additional benefits are awarded as you make your way to Seven Stars status.
Seven Stars members get many of the same Level 2 benefits but on every stay (and minus the airfare credit).
Get a Status Match
As I said earlier, there is no extensive status matching scheme, but there is one match available and a few other suggestions.
If you are a Seven Stars member of Total Rewards, you have achieved an invitation-only tier comparable to M life NOIR status and you probably don’t need to read this post. But you do benefit from the only status match available, from Seven Stars to SPG Gold elite. There are no matches from any SPG tier to Total Rewards, nor are any other Total Rewards tiers able to match to SPG.
It’s possible to buy your way into status with either program. Anyone can get the SPG Gold status as a benefit of the American Express Platinum Card for about $400-450. And those who apply for the semi-exclusive Founder’s Card for a net cost of $295 can get Total Rewards Diamond status.
Conclusion
I think the whole Total Rewards program makes more sense than M life. Rather than talking about confusing terms like “theoretical win” it’s a more straightforward “play this much and you’ll get this many points.” On the other hand, all the bonus offers and improved earn rates on resort spend suggest a hint a desperation. (Caesars has been having financial issues for a while, partly since it lacks a major presence in Macau.)
But desperation is great as long as the benefits are still worthwhile and these seem to be okay. Most of the rewards, as always, will go to those who gamble a lot. I view elite status as a way to make the trip more enjoyable by cutting through all the crowds. Blowing loads of money at the blackjack table to earn status doesn’t make sense to me. It might make sense if I could focus my expenses in certain areas, such as choosing to dine at participating restaurants and concentration my (limited) gambling at certain casinos.
To be cost-effective, the Founder’s Card is the best approach to earning status with Total Rewards, though I’m not convinced the benefits are worth it. Platinum status with M life is an easier sell because it’s included with my Gold Passport Diamond status.
That said, the “Diamond in a Day” offer is appealing for less rational reasons. Playing video poker with perfect strategy is reported to offer odds of greater than 99%. It would take $50,000 of coin-in to earn 5,000 TC, and a 1% loss would be $500. The value of the Rewards Credits would be negligible: $33 of free play if I meet my goal. My guess is I won’t play perfectly, and I haven’t yet managed to sit at a machine for longer than 30 minutes. But if I can sip free drinks while I hold a little cheat sheet in front of me the whole time, maybe I can do it and at least have a story to share.
Read This Next
Caesars Entertainment is one of the most recognized names in the gambling industry, operating roughly 40 casinos in the United States, Canada, Dubai and Mexico. Regardless of whether you are in Reno, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or somewhere in between, you are probably not far from one of Caesars’ casinos.
As one of the biggest casino operators in the world, you would expect Caesars to have an exceptional rewards program for their players – and they do. The program is called Total Rewards, and it’s used at virtually all of the company’s properties. Many gamblers view the Total Rewards program as one of the best in the industry simply because such a large number of casinos use the program. Read on to learn more about the Caesars Total Rewards program and why it is so popular.
Total Rewards Tier Credits For Table Games
Tiers of the Total Rewards Program
Just like many player programs at other casinos, Total Rewards members earn points (Tier Credits) for gambling or spending money at any Caesars property. When gambling, these credits get added to a player’s account based on the type of game they play, the amount of money wagered, the length of play and other factors.
The total amount of Tier Credits that a player has in their account determines their status in the program. In the Total Rewards program there are 4 tiers; Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Seven Stars. Below is an image of these tiers as well as how many credits are required to reach each one:
New players start out at the Gold level and will ascend to the subsequent levels as they earn more Tier Credits. As you accrue credits and reach higher tiers, you will unlock bigger and better perks. Some of the benefits associated with this rewards program include free nights at all Caesars properties, free slots play, and discounts on everything from meals to shows. Caesars is such a large enterprise that it is almost difficult to avoid earning Tier Credits if you visit one of their properties.
Earning Total Rewards Tier Credits
Tier Credits can be earned at any Caesars Entertainment property by playing games on the casino floor, attending shows, eating at certain restaurants, and a variety of other activities within the casino. After signing up for a Total Rewards card, you can easily keep track of how many credits you have directly on their website at TotalRewards.com or at one of the kiosks in the casino.
To give you a better understanding of just how easy it is to earn Tier Credits and in turn reap the benefits of Total Rewards, we will go over exactly how and where players can earn credits.
Playing Casino Games
Slot Machines: 1 Tier Credit for every $5 wagered
Video Poker: 1 Tier Credit for every $10 wagered
Table Games: Varies (rated by the pit boss based on length of play, average bet amount and the type of game)
Poker: Varies (the amount of Tier Credits are based on length of play, limit and type of game)
The most common way that Total Rewards cardholders earn Tier Credits is, of course, by gambling. The amount of Tier Credits you receive will depend on whether you play slots, video poker, table games or poker. Each of these game categories give players a different ratio of credits based on how much money they wager, and this is usually determined by the game’s house edge. For example, slots have a much higher house edge than most video poker games, therefore you’ll earn more Tier Credits by playing slots.
Because Caesars has one of the most extensive networks of casinos in the world, a player is given the chance to earn Tier Credits no matter where they are. 55,000+ video poker and slot machines combined with more than 2,500 table games gives any type of casino-goer the chance to earn seemingly countless rewards.
If you enjoy gambling, there is a Diamond in a Day promotion which makes it easier to become a Total Rewards Diamond member. If you’re a new player and earn 5,000 Tier Credits during the first 24 hours of getting your card you will receive a 10,000 Tier Credit bonus.
Dining at Caesars Properties
Dining: 1 Tier Credit for every $1 spent
Dining is one of the easiest ways to earn points simply because you’re always going to have to eat. Total Rewards are able to be achieved while dining at any one of Caesars’ 250 approved locations. From extravagant restaurants owned by iconic chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Bobbly Flay, to the buffets and food courts that feed the casino grinders, there are ample opportunities to earn Tier Credits regardless of your budget or appetite.
Shows and Events at Caesars
Entertainment: 1 Tier Credit for every $1 spent
If you venture to places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas, it is no secret that some of the world’s biggest stars come to headline shows. If you are a Total Rewards member, earning Tier Credits is as easy as attending any of the shows held on Caesar properties and even some that are held elsewhere.
Shopping
Shopping: 1 Tier Credit for every $1 spent
Finally, Tier Credits can be earned by shopping at any of the outlet locations approved by Caesars. The more you spend, the more credits you will earn. This includes shops that sell clothes, jewelry, gifts and other daily essentials. Many casino goers prefer to use these outlets as a way to spend comp dollars versus earning them. That being said, it’s not as common as the other methods of accruing Tier Credits.
Earnings Snapshot
Tracking Total Rewards Tier Credits
As you accrue credits from any of the aforementioned avenues, you can keep track of them a few different ways. The first, and maybe easiest way to keep track of how many credits you have is on the Total Rewards website. It’s very user friendly and easy to navigate. In fact, it is probably one of the most comprehensive player reward program websites we’ve come across. Doing so gives you direct access to how many points you have and how many you will need to achieve the next level in the program. You can also view any offers that you have at Caesars’ casinos across the country as well as shows, restaurants and more.
Aside from checking in online through the TR website, if you are at any of their properties you can check your points by going to a Total Rewards Kiosk. These are often spread throughout the casino floor and are easy to spot. To access one, just swipe your card and enter your pin number. This will show you how many credits you have and if you have free play offers.
Total Rewards Log In
If you are not tech savvy, there are other ways to check your credits. The last method is by going to the Total Rewards desk at any Caesars property, where an employee should be able to pull up your card info for you, let you know how many credits you have and answer any questions you might have.
List of Casinos Using Total Rewards
Total Rewards Games
Bally’s Atlantic City
Bally’s Las Vegas
Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Caesars Windsor
Caesars Atlantic City
Flamingo Las Vegas
Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel And Casino, Maricopa
Harrah’s Resort Southern California, Funner
Harrah’s Joliet
Harrah’s Metropolis Casino and Hotel in Southern Illinois, Metropolis
Harrah’s Council Bluffs Hotel and Casino, Council Bluffs
Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, Bossier City
Harrah’s New Orleans
Harrah’s Gulf Coast Biloxi
Harrah’s North Kansas City
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Stateline
Harrah’s Las Vegas
Harrah’s Laughlin
Harrah’s Reno
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River
Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack (Chester)
Harveys Lake Tahoe
Horseshoe Bossier City
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino
Horseshoe Hammond
Horseshoe Southern Indiana Hotel and Casino (Elizabeth)
Horseshoe Baltimore
Horseshoe Tunica (Robinsonville)
NOBU Hotel Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
Tunica Roadhouse
The Cromwell Las Vegas
The LINQ Hotel & Casino Las Vegas