Status Match Merry Go Round

General note: Now that Hyatt and MGM have parted ways, the Wyndham to Caesars Diamond via the Barclays Wyndham Earner and matching in Atlantic City from Caesars to Hard Rock to Ocean Prime is the main match sequence left right now.

Before you read ANYTHING ELSE about the state of the Merry Go Round in Atlantic City, read this Jan 30, 2024 post.

I’ll be dialing into this in the coming weeks and rewriting this all for what is available as of early Q2 2024. 

Latest Updates:

Feb 17th: MGM Status Match Challenges are back through June 30, 2024.

Feb 15th: Founders Card will no longer match to Caesars Diamond following the 2024 program year. I’ve never thought FC provided enough value to ever discuss here and so I still won’t… (HT: Miles to Memories)

Feb 7, 2024: Fontainebleau Tier Match Returns through June 2, 2024

Jan 30, 2024: Read the recap of the state of the Status Match Merry Go Round in Atlantic City as of Jan 30, 2024 before going further in this post.

January 18, 2024: Updated South Florida section

January 10th, 2024: SUPER IMPORTANTRead this before you even think about heading to Atlantic City for Hard Rock / Ocean

January 5, 2024: Hard Rock Atlantic City switches to Unity on Jan 9th, 2024. 

January 1, 2024: Turning Stone in Upstate NY is no longer a Caesars Rewards reciprocal match partner.

December 15, 2023: New Las Vegas status match opportunity at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas – WOW – this may already be DONE. Reports are that it was a one day only thing.

July 27th, 2023: MGM is no longer matching at all. There is was a rather crazy MGM Status Challenge which expired Sept 30, 2023

July 14, 2023: As anticipated, the MGM and Hyatt Reciprocal match is dead. The links to match are gone.

July 11, 2023: Hyatt and MGM Cut Ties. Friday July 14th is your LAST DAY to match between Hyatt and MGM (either direction) if you haven’t already. You can still status match Ocean Prime in AC to MGM Gold through July 31st, however, you won’t be able to match that to Hyatt after July 31st and your status will still expire July 31st, rendering that useless, unless you have never had a Caesars card in which case it would be useful (for those two weeks) to get MGM Gold and match to Caesars Diamond which would be valid through Next January.

Once the dust settles in early August I’ll make some significant updates to this post (probably essentially rewrite it). 

July 1, 2023: Ocean changes benefits for 2023 – new 10 Day MSC cruise and Resorts World LV stay – loses Wynn. Now requires 18 months of inactivity to re-match.

June 20th, 2023: MGM Extends current matches to July 31, 2023 from June 30th. Existing matches were extended, new matches still possible.

May 31, 2023: Wyndham Matches are BACK – but as a Challenge. 

May 5th, 2023: Live! in Philly no longer matches anything in the Merry Go Round to Black. It’s now only Platinum.

May 1st, 2023: Removed Rivers in Philly; cruise no longer being offered.

Mar 23, 2023: Added the SoCal / Las Vegas “On Ramp” to the Status Match Merry Go Round™

Mar 16, 2023: Added in the LIVE! match in Philadephia

Feb 8, 2023: CAESARS Diamond to MGM Gold is now dead.

Do not follow anything below regarding Caesars to MGM Gold as they are only matching to Pearl. This change is as of Feb 1st, 2023. 

Note there is one remaining route on the Merry Go Round if you are near Atlantic City and have/can get the Wyndham Business Earner card or complete the Wyndham Diamond status challenge which is:

  1. Atlantic City: Wyndham Business Earner Card (or Wyndham Diamond status challenge) >> Caesars Diamond >> Hard Rock Rock Royalty >> Ocean Prime >> MGM Gold (in person, lasts til June 30, 2023) >> Hyatt Explorist (online). You do need to do this all in person after getting the Caesars match… (You do match Wyndham to Caesars online, though you need to get the card in person.)Note that MGM is now removed from the above circuit since it no longer matches and only does a Status Challenge

Jan 18, 2023: Updated South Florida casinos

Jan 12, 2023: MGM nationwide tier match extended

Oct 12, 2022: Updated the cruise offer section to include the MSC match and the Carnival match. See the Ocean Prime section and the following section.

Sept 14, 2022: Borgata no longer offers any perks with a match, even for first timers. You do still get Gold, though. Hard Rock no longer offers any perks if you have ever had a Hard Rock Wild Card before at any level, but you still get the match to Rock Royalty.

July 20, 2022: Ocean Prime no longer works for the Baha Mar match. That eliminates all Merry Go Round Options as Hard Rock Rock Royalty is no longer accepted either.  H/T Reader EL in the comments.

July 1, 2022: MGM Nationwide Match Renewed through Dec 2022; Ocean Prime Match is Renewed.

March 31, 2022: Added a new “side match” for Bally’s in Atlantic City

Mar 15, 2022: Caesars has ended the practice of “matching and re-matching” meaning that if you matched from Wyndham to Caesars and back to Wyndham, they will not let you match back again. If you have the Wyndham Business Earner credit card, you can still re-match.

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

The first step has changed. While Wyndham matches had been paused they are now back as a status challenge

If you can’t do the status challenge, you can still use the Wyndham Business Earner card on-ramp!

AlsoOcean Casino Resort in Atlantic City is now matching new and inactive members to Prime status which includes a free annual cruise (no port fees) and two nights at Wynn.


The Status Match Merry Go Round™

I’ve written a number of times in the past about what I call the Status Match Merry Go Round. For those that have never read any of my posts about this before, the Status Match Merry Go Round is a series of status matching opportunities that, by the time all is said and done, will have grant you status in half a dozen programs, many of which you’ll be able to keep year after year.

The Merry Go Round at Encore Boston Harbor (Sadly, not part of the Status Match Merry Go Round)

Here are a few of the posts I’ve written going all the way back to July of 2018:

Without question, these have been some of the most popular and widely shared articles I’ve written. In the MilesTalk Facebook group, I love when people post pictures of their various successes. Makes my day.

The phrase Status Match Merry Go Round™ comes from the fact that (at least as it stands now) you simply need to find a way onto the Merry Go Round and then, once there, it keeps going and going for you.

I’ve gotten some feedback that some people have lost track of how this all works, as my info has been spread across various posts. So, I’m bringing this “full circle” today with a start to finish guide.

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Why Should You Care About the Status Match Merry Go Round?

In short, because it will confer a variety of statuses on you for relatively little effort and much is repeatable year after year once you get on the Merry Go Round.

milestalk status match merry go round cards

I’ll summarize all the programs and tiers involved:

What are the Primary Benefits of Each Status in the Status Match Merry Go Round?

Wyndham Diamond

Wyndham doesn’t really have a super exciting footprint nor program, but you will be entitled to early check in, late check out, and suite upgrades when you stay at a Wyndham property. I list this first, however, because it’s the primary “on ramp” to the Status Match Merry Go Round.

wyndham diamond
Wyndham Diamond – the Star of the Show

Caesars Diamond

While some people report better room offers at Caesars casino properties, that’s not a reliable benefit. Nor are upgrades. But what is reliable is this:

Free Parking at Caesars casinos/hotels

Skip the Line at most restaurants (I’ve saved hours on line with this perk)

A free four night stay at Atlantis (Also see:Free Atlantis Stay via Caesars Total Rewards Diamond: What To Expect with Room Fees, Food Costs, and More)

 A free $100 “Celebration Dinner” each year including status renewals (renewal dinner only if you have earned Wyndham Diamond status, which includes the Wyndham Earner Business card method).

– Free monthly show tickets.

– Waived resort fees

– Diamond Lounge access (requires $10 in comps per person)

– Taxi Queue line cut

MGM Rewards Gold 

Free parking (including valet) at MGM resorts, priority checkin, priority buffet seating, potentially better room offers. 

(No current match to MGM is available)

Hard Rock Atlantic City ICON

Priority access to beach chairs, Lounge access for a $10pp fee (in comp dollars), free self or valet parking, priority line at buffet. Priority checkin and 12pm check out. Free car wash once per month at Rocktane. Your first time new member match should include a free night as well. We don’t know yet what new members are getting with the brand new Unity program rollout.

Read more: Hard Rock Atlantic City: Rock Royalty Trip Review (note: from 2019 and out of date)

Ocean Atlantic City Prime

Access to the Player’s Lounge ($10 comp dollars per person), free parking (including valet or specially reserved Prime self park spots).  First time and 12 month inactive Ocean members also get 2 free nights Sun-Fri., a free one time pass to the lounge (valid for 72 hours) plus free nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a free 10 day (anywhere but China) MSC Cruise each calendar year. Must be a new member or inactive for the last 18 months. 

Read More: Ocean Resort Casino Atlantic City Match to Prime

South Florida Casinos

These are pretty much pre “cash” plays – bonus slot dollars for matching.

Resorts World Las Vegas

This doesn’t provide too much, but it may possibly play into future offers.

One Thing to Note about the MLife Match:

(It’s dead)

You can do some of these matches online, but you will need to visit, in person, one of three MLife properties:

  • The Borgata in Atlantic City
  • MGM Springfield in Massachusetts
  • MGM Properties in Las Vegas (Sometimes available, sometimes not. I mention it at the very top of this post when available. As of January 2023, we are probably back to Borgata and Springfield only.)

That’s it.

How Does One Take The First Step in the Status Match Merry Go Round?

Right. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To find out how this all works.

When I did my first ride on the Status Match Merry Go Round, I did everything I’m sharing with one exception. Back then, a Founders Card membership was the easiest way. Not wanting to pay for Founders Card as I didn’t (and still don’t) see value in it, I won my Wyndham Diamond in a charity auction for about $250. It’s been well worth it.

But now, it’s so much easier, thanks to the Wyndham Business Earner

 

Step 1: Wyndham Diamond

Once you have that Wyndham Business Earner card (or, worst case, a Founders Card which grants Caesars Diamond), you will be Wyndham Diamond automatically.

Step 2: Caesars Rewards

Status Match Merry Go Round CaesarsNow that you have a nice shiny Wyndham Diamond card, you are entitled to an automatic match to Caesars Rewards Diamond. You can do this online here.  Wait for your account to update at Caesars. It could be the next day or it could take a week.

You’ll be automatically eligible for that Atlantis stay now and the $100 Celebration Dinner credit is in your account to redeem in person.

(Update: It seems not everyone is still getting the $100 Celebration Dinner unless they earned status or got it via the Wyndham Business Earner Card; YMMV)

You can use this status for Step 4 below now that Step 3 is dead.

Step 3: MGM Rewards

Step 3 is dead now that MGM is only matching Caesars Diamond to MGM Pearl.

That is, UNLESS, you can do one of these two methods, location specific:

  1. Atlantic City: Wyndham Business Earner Card (or Wyndham Diamond status challenge) >> Caesars Diamond >> Hard Rock Rock Royalty >> Ocean Prime >> MGM Gold (in person, lasts til June 30, 2023) >> Hyatt Explorist (online). You do need to do this all in person after getting the Caesars match… (You do match Wyndham to Caesars online, though you need to get the card in person.)
  2. Follow this SoCal / Vegas method.

It’s getting easier now, right?

You’ve got your Wyndham Diamond status and your Caesars Diamond status.

But now, for the first time, you have to take a walk (or a drive or a train or a flight).

You’ll need to get yourself to a Caesars Entertainment casino to pick up your Diamond card. No, they won’t mail it to you. And then you will need to take it to one of the Mlife casinos I mentioned before:

  • The Borgata in Atlantic City
  • MGM Springfield in Massachusetts
  • MGM Grand in Las Vegas (Not year round; enquire first; see notes above; don’t rely on this one)
  • NOTE: As of right now, through July 2023, you can match at any MGM casino in the country.

Step 4: Hard Rock to Ocean Prime – Atlantic City

**  Standby. Jan 10th, 2024 – READ THIS POST BEFORE GOING TO ATLANTIC CITY **

If you can get to Atlantic City, you can ALSO and separately take your Caesars Diamond card to the Hard Rock Atlantic City for your Hard Rock ICON match then to the Ocean Casino Resort for your Ocean Prime statuses.  

As of Jan 10th, 2024, it appears that the match to Unity ICON if once per lifetime. Data points are still being collected.

Currently, Ocean Prime comes with 2 yearly nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a yearly free 10-night cruise (no extra fees) on MSC Cruises, valid anywhere but China. Requires just a $400 deposit pp given back to you as onboard credit.

This status will become ICON level when Hard Rock AC moves over to the Unity program.

See: Free nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a free 10 day (anywhere but China) MSC Cruise each calendar year. Must be a new member or inactive for the last 18 months.

I’ll repeat the benefits from above:

Hard Rock Atlantic City ICON

Priority access to beach chairs, Lounge access for a $10pp fee (in comp dollars), free self or valet parking, priority line at buffet. Priority check-in and 12pm check out. Free car wash once per month at Rocktane. 

Ocean Atlantic City Prime

Access to the Player’s Lounge ($10 comp dollars per person), free parking (including valet).  First time Ocean members also get 2 free nights Sun-Fri. Also: Free nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a free 10 day (anywhere but China) MSC Cruise each calendar year. Must be a new member or inactive for the last 18 months.

Bonus on this bonus! You can status match to MSC’s loyalty program before you book a cruise. Check this chart for what matches to what as of 2023. Hilton Diamond gets you top tier, for example.

Bonus Cruise!

And one more cruise bonus – on Carnival! You qualify in a way similar to the MSC status match, but in this case it’s more nebulous what will get you what.  I’d probably upload the Ocean Prime since it’s the highest tier.

I’ll also take a moment here to mention that IF you plan to actually gamble for comps, your first trip to a casino plays heavily into the comps you’ll initially receive, so play wisely and read this article from TravelZork before you go…

Your Best Credit Cards

Step 5: Hyatt Explorist

Dead.

You now have hopefully, at least 4 statuses now. You have the one you started out with plus Wyndham Diamond, Caesars Diamond and MGM Gold. Now, my friend, you can match to Hyatt Explorist as well. And this is, happily, an online match as well. Just hit the OPT IN button here. Note, if that doesn’t work, try going to this page on the MGM Website and logging in. Look for the OPT-IN button on that page.

Hyatt and MGM parted ways in 2023, so this part no longer exists. 

Step 6: Bonus Match to American Airlines AAdvantage Gold Status

Bonus Round: Thanks to the new Hyatt and American Airlines partnership, you can get a 3 month status trial and fast track challenge to AAdvantage Gold by linking those accounts.

Now also dead since you can’t get Hyatt status via the Merry Go Round anymore 🙁 

Step 7: Bonus Match to South Florida Casinos

As with most of the Merry Go Round, this once very lucrative match has been very watered down per Ben in the comments. 

Here is what is left:

Hialeah Park Casino

Now only gives $25 free play when signing up and then you must earn 250 slot points on signup day and you will receive $175 more free play. This is not even a match. 

Gulfstream Park Casino

Match to Win Level using Hard Rock Unity (Caesars Diamond no longer works)- no reported perks

Casino Miami

$150 in free play for matching from the Gulfstream Win card. Caesars Diamond would not have matched to anything.

In case you are still not convinced about the above, Nick of Frequent Miler saw the post in the MilesTalk group and took his own detour to South Florida, confirming his findings.

Thanks to reader Luke for updated on these matches in Jan 2023 and Ben in Jan 2024.

Step 8: Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Get up to $300 in goodies if you match by June 2024.

Fontainebleau tier match details are here

Step 9: Want More Free Cruises?

You can take your highest status card and try for free cruises at both Carnival and Holland America. Different people get different deals. There is no roadmap of what matches to what but many are getting free cruises.

Step 10: Round and Round it Goes

(See caveat below)

In January and February, you have homework. Come January, your Wyndham will drop to Blue Level. But you have your Caesars Rewards Diamond that you matched online. Login and check your Caesars Rewards. Still Diamond, right?

Now go ahead and go back to the Wyndham page and match. This will re-up your Wyndham Diamond status.

Then make a note for a few days into February. Your Caesars status will lapse Feb 1. But you can go back to the Caesars page then and re-up for another year!

Sadly, as of 2022, this “match back” only works if you have the Wyndham Business Earner credit card or Founders Card – or get lucky! (some have)

See Why I call it the Status Match Merry Go Round™?

I’m sure you do… (although it used to be MUCH more of a full circle Merry Go Round than it is now after so many program changes that aimed to end it).

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Did you do the Status Match Merry Go Round™?

MilesTalk Facebook group members love to post pics of all their new shiny cards and I’d love for you to let me know how it went for you as well. You can let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private group.

You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards

New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.

260 COMMENTS

  1. […] I’ve personally just plunked down 480,000 points for 5 nights there (in a villa going for $1,500++ a night) and then have a 6th night reserved for 120,000 points which I plan to swap out with a free weekend night certificate I hope to earn from my Hilton Honors American Express Business Card for spending $15,000 in a calendar year.  When used that way, you can be getting up to 120,000 points in value for that “free weekend night.” Now, the WA Maldives is the only 120,000 point hotel currently in the system, but a great many are 95,000. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to say you are getting essentially 225,000 points (or, in my one WA Maldives case, 250,000 points) in value from this sign up offer (although, to be clear, it’s 130,000 points and a free weekend night). The card has a $95 annual fee and will confer Gold Status on you – good enough to get you going on the Status Match Merry Go Round. […]

    • Hi Dave, thanks for updating this guide. I was able to get a Caesars diamond match from my MGM gold this summer. I’m a bit confused on how to maintain the status for Caesars through next year as I’ve read somewhere that we need to earn the status for next year instead. Is it still possible to rematch Caesars next year and apply the old merry go round principles if we continue to have MGM Gold and Hyatt Explorist?

  2. […] I’ve personally just plunked down 480,000 points for 5 nights there (in a villa going for $1,500++ a night) and then have a 6th night reserved for 120,000 points which I plan to swap out with a free weekend night certificate I hope to earn from my Hilton Honors American Express Business Card for spending $15,000 in a calendar year.  When used that way, you can be getting up to 120,000 points in value for that “free weekend night.” Now, the WA Maldives is the only 120,000 point hotel currently in the system, but a great many are 95,000. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to say you are getting essentially 225,000 points (or, in my one WA Maldives case, 250,000 points) in value from this sign up offer (although, to be clear, it’s 130,000 points and a free weekend night). The card has a $95 annual fee and will confer Gold Status on you – good enough to get you going on the Status Match Merry Go Round. […]

  3. Hi Dave! Thanks for this article. Very helpful and informative. Have you come across anymore data points on the Mlife Gold match working at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas? I’ve seen 2 comments in another article in the last month saying the MGM Grand no longer works…

    Thank you for your time.

  4. Hi Billy – unfortunately, no. My understanding is that the match in Vegas comes and goes (it’s of course possible that this has become popular enough that it’s gone for good). Either way, I have not heard of a single positive data point since August. Sorry!

  5. I just tried to read over it as I’m coming up for expiration soon on my Diamond Caesars status, I didn’t make it to any MGM property to try it last year to see if status match is possible at other properties (pretty much never go to A/C though after reading the article was tempted)and am curious if anyone has tried doing this at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS (an MGM property) or the Gold Strike in Tunica, Ms (also MGM property) and if they’ve had any luck? Also, anyone tried the Hard Rock in Biloxi for match?

    Another question: I thought I read last year that this could only be done ONE TIME…just looked and didn’t see anything about it in the rules so I’m excited, did it change?

  6. I just did the Wyndham status match using IHG Platinum and it says; “After you’re matched, stay 14 qualifying nights in 90 days to keep your DIAMOND level. There is no way I will stay 14 days within the next 90 days. Did I miss something in the directions?” Or is this just the stepping stone to get to Caesars status, and it makes no difference if I don’t keep the Diamond after 90 days? Thank you for taking the time to write out all these steps!! That is much appreciated.

  7. I do not gamble, have never been to Vegas. So when I read “Diamond Lounge access (requires $10 in comps per person)” does this mean a $10 co-pay? Thanks!

    • @clyn6: you need to earn $10 in comps from gambling else you won’t be able to access the lounge. Can’t be paid with cash.

  8. I have Caesars Diamond until 1/31/2020 and Wyndham Diamond until 2/1/2020. How and when do I do the status match submissions to qualify for 2020?

  9. I have Wyndham Diamond until 1/31/2020 and Caesars Diamond until 2/1/2020. How and when do I reapply to ensure that I get DIamond for 2020?

  10. Did my match on the second of februari because my diamond status at Caesars expired on 31 januari. Along the website announcement it should take 6 business days to update from gold to diamond. When I’m logging in on my caesars account I’m still gold. What shell I do

  11. Tried matching my Wyndham diamonds (marched from Hilton gold) to caesars twice now, ended up at gold. First was first week in Feb second was about a week ago. Am I SOL?

  12. I have Caesars Diamond thru Founders Card which expires 12/31/2020. My understanding is that once my
    Founders Card ends on Dec 31st, they will reach out to Caesars to drop my Diamond. When should I match my Caesars Diamond to Wyndham Diamond to be able to match back to Caesars Diamond?

    Will I get 90 days of Wyndham Diamond or will Wyndham downgrade me on 12/31/2020 no matter when in 2020 I match my Caesars to Wyndham?

      • As soon as you cancel Founders Card, they reach out to Caesars and cancel your Diamond status within a few days. The fact that my Founders Card expires on 12/31/2020 is making this really frustrating.

        If I match Caesars to Wyndham in December, will my Wyndham downgrade at the end of the year anyway? I thought the match is good for 90 days unless you meet their requirements (staying X nights during the 90 days)? Any thoughts?

        • With a standard status match which Wyndham isn’t currently offering, one gets 90 days, otherwise it does expire Dec 31st. If you’d done that, you could have the 90 days and match to Caesars and then back to Wyndham in January.

          You are not in that situation, though. A match from Caesars is instant and through the end of the program year. However, a variable is that this year they extended all statuses for a year. I’m not sure the impact. If you matched on Dec 31st, you might be good for a day or a full year.

          I’d probably match now and then see when it is set to expire. If it’s this year, then be ready at 12:01am on Jan 1st to match a second time from Caesars.

          • Thanks for the advice Dave. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll match now and check the expiration date hoping for sometime past the end of 2020. If not, I’ll try to do another match on New Years Day first thing and will keep my fingers crossed!

  13. thanks for sharing, very useful.

    Sadly it looks like Wyndham has ceased its status match so that puts a wrench in the gears of the Merry go Round.. basically as I was getting on!. 🙁

    Im Explorist with Hyatt and ive earned Mlife Gold on my own.. end goal is to get Diamond with Caesars Rewards!

  14. I have reached out to Wyndham by phone, email, and social media to try to encourage them to bring back the status match and/or let me know what the plans are going forward. All I get in all cases are form letters and canned responses.

  15. I’m diamond select at Best Western. Wyndham not matching right now correct? Are they going to offer it again any time this year? I’m trying to get Caesars diamond. Thanks

  16. As an FYI, I just tried the normal way of re-matching my Caesars Diamond status to Wyndham and it worked! I’m Diamond again with Wyndham. I guess Wyndham either reversed course or they are allowing people already on the merry go round to keep going or maybe I’m confused about what they stopped doing (ie not doing matches to the original hotel chains at the top of the diagram pyramid)

  17. Now that the Wyndham hotel status match seems to be dead (though I still hold out hope of it coming back), what are your thoughts of going the FoundersCard route? It looks like I can become a member for $395. If I get Caesars Diamond from this, will it be matchable back and forth to Wyndham diamond year after year (assuming they continue their partnership)? If so, I’m thinking Caesars Diamond in perpetuity is worth way more than $395.

    I still have Hilton Gold until 2022 now I believe, so there’s also the chance I can get on the merry go round that way and save the $395.

      • This is why you’re my go to! I’m on the Facebook group, but somehow I missed this new on-ramp. Any tips on applying as an individual? Sole proprietorship, any specific revenue level, etc.

          • I obtained a Wyndham business card for $95 as a sole proprietor. No business docs required but they will check your individual debt to income ratio. My credit is 800+. I had a little snafu with income misunderstanding, other wise I would have been instantly approved on their website. I had to call in to give more income information and due to that review, had to send them a copy of my DL and SS card as well as a utility bill verifying my address. That was from the security dept to prevent fraud (not the credit approval dept), but I was otherwise approved with no business docs. Got my card and Wyndham Diamond, then matched to Caesar’s diamond. This was done in early May 2021.

  18. So I went today to AC and got my Wyndham status matched to Caesar’s (picked up the card) and then Mlife at Borgata. Nothing was mentioned about a free night there and there was a medical emergency nearby so I tried to jam as soon as possible to let staff in there/create space. Is it something that gets loaded to the account or how does this work?

    Also- trying to get Hyatt globalist. I got the credit card and am wondering if I book stays through M life page with a discount will they still count for Hyatt? Or what is the best play?

    • If you have never had an MLife card before and matched at Borgata, you get the free night. You have to call Borgata to book and cannot view online.

      For Hyatt, only MGM properties that you can find on the Hyatt website award elite night credits. (So, not Borgata at this time). If you are staying on COMP nights, note that a stay will only count for elite nights if at least one night has a cash rate component and resort fees don’t count. (This is a bug AFAIK – really comped nights should not count.) All Hyatt or MGM rates qualify but be sure to provide your Hyatt number at check-in.

      • Thanks for your fast reply!

        So what you are saying is that I could book something in Vegas for instance, but through the MGM site, is that correct? Looks like a good stacking opportunity w/amex offers right now (If I have 2 different MGM offers, will they stack as long as highest value is met?)

        • You can book via MGM or Hyatt – doesn’t matter. Just make sure the front desk has your Hyatt number if you book via MGM. The two MGM offers are for different properties, so no way to stack.

  19. Once you’re on the merry go round is there any action needed to keep it going? A couple years ago I matched my Caesars Diamond status (from FoundersCard) to MGM Gold and got matched to Hyatt Explorist. As of November 2021 nothing seems to have changed but not sure how much of this was due to status extensions. Will the MGM-Hyatt reciprocity just keep continuing the match without any intervention on my end?

    • That is only because of the status extensions. Normally you would indeed need to rematch between Hyatt and MLife. Hyatt will expire at the end of Feb and that is when you rematch from MLife. Then when Mlife expires, you do the reverse.

  20. “Note that I’m being told that as of Dec 2021, expiration dates are not printing on the Hard Rock cards which makes them invalid for matching at Ocean.”

    I matched from Caesars to Hard Rock today and my card printed with expiration date. No issue matching the Hard Rock status to Ocean.

  21. Awesome guide, thanks Dave. I was able to get Wyndham Diamond to Caesars Diamond, to Mlife Gold to Hyatt Explorist over a year ago, and took advantage of the Caesars perks (no resort fees, free valet, VIP check-in, $100 celebration dinner) a couple of months ago! (btw Mlife revamped their program and the Gold status has better benefits now, making this Merry Go Round even more fun).

    But i am not clear what the process is to re-match from Hyatt to Mlife after the Mlife status lapses. In your guide I see the link to match Mlife to Hyatt, but what about the other way around?

    • Yeah, trying to match Caesars using my Wyndham Diamond this year. I’ve done it twice earlier this month and still Caesars Gold. I did get the “WYNDHAM REWARDS MATCHING STATUS
      Thank you! Your Caesars Rewards tier status will be updated to Diamond within 7 business days.” status message after typing in my Wyndham number.

      I actually have a booking with Caesars for May, but might cancel and stay elsewhere if I don’t have diamond status

  22. Quick question for anyone willing to answer. I know the status matching with Wyndham isn’t happening right now so I reallt don’t have a was to get onto thr merry go round. I also know the founders card isn’t worth the price however, if I were to get the founders card just to get the ceasers diamond status. Would I be able to get all other statuses and then be able to see them all just and the layout states? If possible could someone tell me if this is possible and break It down for me, it would be greatly appreciated.

    • HI AJ,
      I am currently on the merry go round, but I started with Founders Card.
      In my Founders card travels, I discovered that an existing FC holder can send you a trial invitation for FC.
      That trial will not allow you to get the Caesars Diamond Benefit, however If you wait the trial out or cancel it, they will start sending you emails to get you to join. If you wait long enough you should get an offer to join for $99 for one year. I haven’t needed to try it, but you might give that a go and see how it works.

  23. I got the Wyndham business card and after waiting two weeks for the status match from Caesars, I emailed them asking about it. Three days later they answered and said they were working through a backlog. Two days after that, I checked the app, and the diamond status finally appeared.

    I had already booked a trip to Harrah’s Las Vegas with my gold status, and we arrived on April 5th. I was able to print my new diamond card from a kiosk. I then checked my promotions and the $100 dinner was not listed. The only thing of value was 2 free rides on the Linq High Roller ferris wheel.

    The next day, I went across the street to The Mirage and they status matched me to gold and gave me a card. I gambled a little bit on the slots to generate some activity but nothing of value showed up on the promotions. I checked the MGM app and it still showed pearl, so I figured it might take a day to come through.

    We were due to check out on Friday, so on Thursday, I checked with the front desk at Harrah’s to make sure the resort fees would be removed. They said it would be taken care of…

    Friday morning rolls around and I checked the bill and the resort fees were still there, so I headed down and had to wait in line with everyone else as the priority line was closed. This time, they actually removed the resort fees – though I learned that they will only remove them from one room. I had booked connecting rooms so had to suck it up on the other room. I also made sure that I would get the free parking. They added it to the key and I swiped it at the exit to get out. I’m glad I asked because I thought that I would have to use the parking kiosk.

    Before leaving, I went back to The Mirage and asked why my app still showed pearl status. The person there said that no one had actually processed it, so she went ahead and pushed it through. It shows gold now on the MGM app. One thing I noticed about the $100 dining credit is an asterisk stating that you still have to get 75k tier credits to use it. The waived resort fee and room upgrade perks have no asterisks.

    I stopped by the Caesars Rewards desk before leaving and I was told that the $100 food credit won’t show up under promotions but it is loaded and will be available at a long list of restaurants that he gave me a printout of. I forgot to ask about the free Atlantis trip but see nothing about it under my offers.

    Once home, I used the link in the article to upgrade my Hyatt from discoverist to explorist. It happened instantly.

    Lots and lots of legwork but I finally achieved the 4 main statuses. Thanks for laying everything out so clearly Dave!

  24. The Baha Mar Status match asks for actual proof of activity and a matching offer. The status and card alone is not enough. They also take 7 days to respond by email. Sometimes not at all.

  25. Hi Dave,
    I notice the wording for Caesars to match Mlife Gold specifically states it is only for new Caesars reward members. https://www.caesars.com/myrewards/promotions/terms-and-conditions/2022-Terms-and-Conditions
    “To be eligible for this Offer, participants (“Participants”) must be a newly verified Caesars Rewards member and be registered to receive marketing emails at a valid email address on record with Caesars Rewards.”
    Seems they are trying to close all the loopholes.
    Not sure if, in practice, they will hold to that, but it is something to note.

  26. just got back from Atlantic City – only got $50 free play with my new status match (not 75 or 100 as mentioned in this article) but I’ll still take it. Also got a free tshirt at Oceans with my new card. This page was very helpful in navigating all the matches so thanks for putting this together. Now to see when I can book some trips for all these free rooms 🙂

  27. Any status match opportunities in Laughlin? I currently have MGM Platinum and Caesars Diamond. Will be heading to Vegas in a few days and plan to try and status match at Resorts World but wondering if there are any other places I could in Vegas or if I drive out to Laughlin.

  28. You guys are the best! Followed the status matches from Caesars Diamond to Hard Rock Royalty to Oceans Prime – all worked out as you said, wearing my new Oceans shirt down the Boardwalk, booking my cruise on July 15th, booking Wynn 2 nights in August. Really appreciate the clarity of your spot on blogs!

  29. Hi. So being a merry-go-round, this gives an impression of being able to start at nearly any spot.. that being said, I have a mlife gold. Is there a way to go from that to Caesars diamond???

  30. My wife and I did the status matching merry-go-round in mid-July 2022. We started at the Borgata where we matched my wife’s Royal Caribbean Diamond status to Mlife Gold. (I am already MLife Gold). We then went to Hard Rock AC and successfully matched to Rock Royalty + got $50 free play each and then went to Ocean AC and matched to Ocean Prime + $25 free play each. Note that we had wanted to use our HR complimentary nights but HR sign-up info are only loaded after 24 hrs. We tried calling the booking line multiple times that day but no go. Thanks so much for your info!

  31. Has anyone attempted the Baha Mar match with an offer received by one of the updated properties listed? I have an offer from one of the casinos and I’m wondering what they’ll request in order to approve the match? I have a screenshot of the offer. Thanks!

    • If you submit the form, a VIP Host will manually reach back out to you via email with something like this:
      —-

      Thank you for your interest in Match your Offer and Baha Mar Casino.
      We will need a little more information to put together a trip for you, which is listed below.

      Please provide a matching offer from one of the casinos that we have listed on the website.

      DOB
      Home Address/Phone Number
      Do you have a contact from that casino we could reach out to verify your play?
      Are you a table games or slot customer (will you need a credit line set up)?
      A copy of your Casino Rewards Card
      Log into your account & send a screenshot of your offer that you are looking to match (Please note that we are not matching Tier Benefits)

      *Also please read the terms and conditions of “Match Your Offer” as this is an exclusive program to certain tier levels of YOUR CASINO REWARDS & must be matching an offer/ and new customer to Baha Mar*

  32. Just a note about the free nights at the Ocean:

    I definitely thought you got two free nights Fri-Sun at the Ocean, but it is actually One STAY of up to two free nights. So I booked a one night stay, then a couple weeks later tried to book my second free night but I got told that it basically got forfeited because I had already used my free stay.

  33. Hi, is this marching route still working as of August in Atlanta city? MGM Gold -> Rock Royalty -> Ocean Prime.

    The Ocean AC tier matching brochure says the qualifying card is Rock Royalty “X” Card.

    Hope the matching route still works.

    Thanks!

  34. Any DP with HR complimentary nights booking? I did status match in the middle of August. Tried to call and book two nights. Tried lots of dates (weekend/ weekdays) , none available, not even for one night. Not sure if there is any update?

  35. This is such an incredibly valuable post — thank you so much for compiling all of this information in one place. Have you seen any data points on what counts as a “new” member to Hard Rock? I did a status match when they first opened, and haven’t been back in at least three years, and when I try to log into my old online account, there seems to be no record of it. I am wondering if a player falls off their books after a long period of inactivity.

  36. Data points for Atlantic City 9/8/22:

    Took MGM Gold to Hard Rock. They matched me to Rock Royalty. That came with $50 slot play and two free nights.

    Took Rock Royalty to Ocean. They gave me Prime which has the free 7 day MSC cruise, two nights at Wynn, and two nights at Ocean. I also got a pass to their lounge which is basically a buffet that I could use for 72 hrs and bring a guest (including that same day). I had lunch there. Food was okay.

    Then I went to Ballys and showed them all my cards (including Caesars Rewards Diamond). They told me that they could use any of them to match since they’re all high tier cards. They matched me to Superstar. I had heard a rumor that that included a free cruise. It doesn’t. The perks aren’t great unless you stay at their hotel. It also came with a one time lounge access pass but their lounge is only open on the weekends.

    And that’s it!

  37. Re ur Sept 14 update re Borgata no longer offering perks with a match – I have searched and can’t find any notice anywhere by Borgata or MGM of this change. How was this change released? Is this change just for land-casino matches only? Trying to find addl info.

    • It was never a published benefit and went away sometime after MGM took over. I attempted to find out when it ended and nobody would acknowledge it ever existed nor comment on the record. Not even their Twitter responded to a request for comment.

        • I think you are indeed confused 🙂

          You still get all MGM perks. No resort fees. Match to Hyatt Explorist. Free parking. Everything.

          You simply no longer get a free night a slot dollars with the match which only Borgata gave and was not an MGM offer.

          • Hi Dave!

            I recently attained Paramount at Resorts in AC and was wondering when would be a good time to tier match to Caesars’ diamond status. I’d ideally like to rematch to Diamond (if it works) next year using MGM’s Gold tier (and rematch the gold tier using Hyatt Explorist), but with all the expiration dates coming up I’m getting a little confused.

            My end goal is getting the 2 Complimentary nights in Las Vegas from Ocean’s Prime card!

            Should I jump on the merry-go-round now or should I wait until a certain month?

            Thank you!

          • To start, are you sure you can match Paramount to Resorts to Caesars Diamond? If so, you have two options. Wait until Feb next year to match to Caesars (with the risk they may not be matching!) to get the full year of it since while you can rematch MGM you can no longer rematch Caesars yearly. If your goal is Ocean Prime and the cruises/Wynn rooms, then match now, get MGM Gold, bring to Hard Rock and bring Hard Rock to Ocean ASAP.

  38. Yes! I’m fairly certain the Paramount tier will match to Diamond (I guess I’ll find out for sure when I do it!) My big dilemma is whether or not it’s worth it to tier match now and only have the Diamond status for a few months instead of potentially matching in February to have it for a whole year. Do you find more value in just matching ASAP and going through the steps to get Prime or do you find more value in keeping the Diamond status active longer?

    Thank you for your help so far!

  39. This page is a valuable resource. Will anyone who has recently been there please confirm is the expiration date is printing on the cards from Hard Rock? I am seeing conflicting comments.

  40. 1) Any data points on the Carnival Free Cruise? IE: Which statuses match the highest program to get the free trip?

    2) You mentioned in the IG video at the top you get (2) free cruises, were you including the carnival or is there another one?

    • Afraid I don’t know about the Carnival tiers. As for the ‘two’ cruises, if you match early enough in the second half of a year, you can take a cruise by Dec 31 and another one Jan-June

  41. Hi Dave,

    Thanks for all this helpful information. I matched to most of the South Florida Casinos listed in the post on December 23 2021 and had some luck at the slots. Any data points on if I can match again prior to December 23, 2022? Is it possible to get free play or is this one time free play when matching? TIA.

  42. Hi I just received gold status for MGM life from my stay in Vegas. When should I match over to Hyatt? What month? Also, I was told gold expires 12/31/2023 instead of the following 2/1/2024. Will this affect the merry-go-round?

  43. I already have MGM Gold and Hyatt Explorist. When my MGM Gold expires in February, I can rematch using Hyatt and then when Hyatt expires I can rematch using MGM Gold right?

  44. I got the Wydham biz as my on ramp, and then matched to Caesars and then went to AC to get the MLife Gold. However, when I completed the status match form for Hyatt (I am only a member with Hyatt) instead of elevating my Hyatt status to Discoverist, it downgraded my MGM status to Sapphire to match my low level Hyatt tier. I’ve spoken to several customer service reps and they keep bouncing me back and forth. I do not live near AC and made a special trip to the casinos for this, specifically with Hyatt status as the overall goal. Anyone else ever have this happen and manage to get it resolved?

  45. Can’t say I’ve ever heard this happen to anyone. You went to the Hyatt site (ultimate URL which requires login is https://world.hyatt.com/content/gp/en/rewards/other-partnerships/tier-match.html) and matched from there? It should have sucked in your MGM level and upgraded Hyatt accordingly. Only way I could see what you describe happening is if you tried to match on the MGM side and that could have sucked in your lower status from Hyatt but STILL that shouldn’t have downgraded your MGM status. I would stick with calling MGM here as they will be able to see your previous status and that it shouldn’t have been downgraded.

  46. Hey an update. South Florida portion is not as good anymore. Gulfstream only matches diamond to their win level now which takes away the $200 freeplay at Hialeah (just $20 for new players) and bumps casino Miami down to $150 freeplay. Also called Miccosukee and they aren’t doing any matches or freeplay.

    • Thanks – updated the above though I was not clear about the Hialeah going down due to Gulfstream as Hialeah was matching to CZR Diamond. I updated as you said but maybe you can clarify.

  47. wow…never knew about these Ocean Prime benefits…never been to AC and on West Coast so if I did see anything related to that, I likely ignored it.

    Never been a member of Hard Rock or Ocean of course….so if I can make it to Atlantic City with my Mlife Gold (Freshly reminted)..I get free nights at both places after joining / matching + Wynn Las Vegas for 2023/24?

    I can see organically being near Atlantic City in 2H 2024…but who knows by then….to visit this year would require a special trip.

  48. Indeed Caesar Diamond to MGM yield only Pearl status (for half a year). However, I can confirm that Caesar -> Hard Rock -> Ocean -> MGM works! MGM will give matched status only for 6 months.
    Should be enough as my target is Hyatt status.
    I was a bit nervous as Hard Rock Status expires at the end of February. Last year MGM refused to match in January with Caesar Diamon which expires at the end of the month. Luckily, Ocean accepted my expiring card and gave me their Prime so I could close the loop.

  49. anyone been upgraded from Wyndham—>Caesars yet? I have WBE and older Wyndham card both giving Diamond. Still waiting….registered Feb.1

    • Did you eventually get upgraded to Caesars Diamond? If so, how long did it take. I applied for the upgrade on March 4th and it still hasn’t upgraded.

  50. When does Hard Rock Status normally reset? Is it just at the beginning of the calendar year? I am heading to AC next month and was going to do the status match, but I wasnt sure how long the status would last for. Also, has anyone heard of hard rock being lenient on the 90 days requirement for the 2 free nights? I am planning on going back to AC in July and I was really hoping to use the free hard rock nights, but that would be more than 90 days after…..

  51. Hi! Just wanted to add a data point. For South Florida, Hard Rock Seminole is matching Caesar’s Diamond to Hard Rock Unity Icon (Seminole, Hollywood FL). And that Hard Rock Icon card can be matched to Casino Miami for $150 in Free Play.

  52. 1. Is the Hard Rock Atlantic City still using the Wild Card program or have they moved to Unity now?
    2. Will Ocean match Unity Icon or ONLY Wild Card Rock Royalty?

  53. So I went to Atlantic City last weekend to do the status match merry go round (since Oceans put on their website that anyone who matched after March 1st would automatically have their status extended through 2024). While there I went by Live! Philadelphia just to see what they would match to. When you go to their rewards desk to status match they do not instantly upgrade your status, instead they take a picture of all of your status cards and say they will get back to you within a week (you do get $10 freeplay as a new member).
    I just checked my Live! Rewards status online for Live! Philadelphia a couple days ago and it looks like I was matched to Black Rewards (not sure which of my statuses got matched to that as they took a picture of all 4 of my status cards).
    Looks like with the new status levels, Black Rewards only gives you two free nights at the Baha Mar after you pay for two nights (instead of the 3 free nights you could previously match to). There are other perks though like $300 birthday celebration dinner, $200 reimbursement for Live! partner travel and complimentary 3 night stay at the Hilton at Resorts World Las Vegas. The Jade tier level is where the real Baha Mar and Norwegian Cruise would have been nice. Will be interested though if the $200 reimbursement and free Hilton stay are not too hard to use.
    Also, just as a note: they only give you the basic card when you sign up. You have to go back to the casino to pick up your new Black Card Once you are matched.

    • Thanks for this info!!!! A 4 for 2 at Baha Mar isn’t terrible. And 3 nights in Vegas perfectly compliments the Wynn nights from Ocean. They are across the street from each other 🙂

    • Thanks for this info. Do you know if you get the perks of the black card status at Live! Philadelphia if you do not go back to pick up your card? I could make the stop to sign up but will not be in town long enough to pick up my card. Much thanks!

    • Thanks for the tip Andrew. Can I ask which cards you shared with them for the match? Just wondering if there’s any particular strategy there on cards to use, or even not use.

    • Hi! thanks for this! any update on using your free nights at RWorld in Vegas? Also what level of cards did you give them for matching? Thanks 🙂

      • @Matt – A match at RW LV does not come with free nights. If you mean the match from Philly LIVE!, that’s no longer available so if you haven’t done that yet it’s too late.

  54. Do you know what’s going on with the Wyndham earners biz card? It matched me Diamond with Caesar’s last year but this year I submitted the form over and over beginning of February and they never matched me. Now I go to the form to try yet again and the form is gone and instead there is a page saying new sign ups can get Diamond status by showing another loyalty card with high status (even cards like mgm gold said it would match to Diamond). Well I’m not a new sign up so that’s not going to work. Am I not getting matched this time???

  55. Hard rock status expired in February. Do you have to wait a year as inactive to rematch? Or can it be done at any point?

  56. The Atlantic City Caesar/HR/Ocean/MGM/Hyatt match worked, but MGM is set to expire Jun 2023. Are we expected to rematch from Hyatt -> MGM Gold on Jul 1st?

      • Remember that “Lifetime MGM Rewards Gold Status Match” applies with Royal Caribbean Emeralds & above. You just need to re-request the Status Upgrade annually.

        Florida Casinos
        Calder Casino, Miami Gardens, FL, just sent me a flyer: “WE MISS YOU!, Come back to Calder & get your Tier Matched Again!” “Plus we will give you another $300 free play!” Black VIP Tier includes, increased Comp earnings, VIP Lounge, VIP Parking.

        Big Easy Casino, Hallandale, FL, (when they offer Status Matching) to Black VIP Card. This includes, $300 Free Play, one Daily Meal, Premium Bar Drinks every 1/2 hour, VIP Lounge, VIP Parking, Bottle of Wine when upgraded, Special weekly Status Promos.

  57. Do we have a page that record all the expire month for each Reward?

    Caesar expires on Jan.
    MGM expires on Jan.
    Hard Rock expires on Feb.
    Ocean Prime expires on July.
    Philly Live expires ?
    Philly Parx expires ?
    Philly Rivere expires ?

    So is it March the best month to re-match?

  58. I tried doing the Live Philly Match with Hard Rock Rock Royalty and they said they don’t match it with Black anymore, just Platinum. They don’t have the 10 day cruise either for Black. This was on 4/23/23.

  59. Just got back from Atlantic City matched Caesars diamond to Rock royalty, ocean prime and finally mgm Gold. Was done on may 6th.

  60. Florida Casinos on 5/22/2023:
    – Went to Gulfstream first to match Caesars Diamond to their Champions Club Triple Crown.
    – Hialeah matched from Gulfstream, but only $20 free play now. They said I can get “the other” $180 after I earn $100 slot dollars or I should come back in two weeks again. Not sure if I still need the earned slot dollars when/if I come back in 2 weeks. Sounded like they might give it if you are not a one-timer.
    – Casino Miami also matches from Gulfstream and still gives $200 free play.
    – Also went to Diana Beach Casino since they have decent Video Poker machines. No matching here but new players get up to $1000 free play based on some scratch off ticket. Mine was only $15 but I somehow got lucky on a slot machine with that. Unfortunately, you can’t use the free play at video poker.

  61. Has anyone done the Hard Rock status match recently since Sean’s May 8th post? I am headed to Atlantic City the first weekend in June where my wife and mother in law are planning to status match their Caesar’s status to get the free cruises. I am a little worried though because when I called the hotel about my reservation they referred to me as an Icon member instead of Rock Royalty, and when I asked about the status match the CSR seemed to indicate that they werent doing it anymore. Wanted to confirm that they are still doing it before we head up there.

    • @Allan, Mohegan Sun doesn’t match. Foxwoods will match only if you haven’t stepped foot there in 5 years and would not tell me what would match to what (please feel free to try and report back if you haven’t been!) and AFAIK RW NYC (and RW Catskills) does not do any status matching. Again, if you find differently, please comment back 🙂

  62. Trying to use Oceans AC free cruise before June 30 expiry this year. Called their casino department they were able to find my member number and details but said no cruise certificate was attached to my account and to email in to support. Anyone have this issue and was able to get it resolved?

  63. Just wanted to add a more recent data point for those still looking to do the matches in Atlantic city that they are still indeed all doing the status matches. I just got finished taking my wife and mother in law to Atlantic City using the Oceans free nights as well as the Hard Rock Free nights. I signed them both up for the Wyndham business card and matched their Wyndham Diamond status to Caesars Diamond status a couple of months ago (this was originally to get the free cruises). this Weekend they matched Caesars Diamond -> Hard Rock Rock Royalty (they haven’t actually switched over to Unity yet) -> Oceans Prime -> MGM Gold (and in turned that into Hyatt Explorist). The Ocean’s reward desk confirmed that starting July 15th they should be able to book the MSC cruise and that their status was good through June 30, 2024. Very successful weekend and glad everything worked smoothly without any issues (my wife previously came up with me in March when I did my matches and we were not successful in combining our MGM status so that she could share my gold status. Didnt realize that didnt work in AC….)
    So hopefully that should mean that the status matches should be good through the rest of the month for anyone looking to do them this month. We will see what Oceans and Hard Rock look like next month to see if the train keeps on moving!

  64. For those of you reading this, as of June 10, 2023, the Atlantic City status match route is still working. But not for long!

    I accidentally let my Hyatt Explorist status lapse – so I went with the Wyndham Business Earner Card to get Wyndham Diamond Status. I then matched to Caesars Rewards Diamond online.

    In Atlantic City, I went to Caesars first to get the physical Diamond card. Hard Rock next, who matched me to Rock Royalty (no mention of Unity coming up soon). Then to Ocean, who matched me to Ocean Prime. Note that Ocean matched me through June 2024, but I believe they aren’t matching to Prime after June 30th, 2023. Then I went to Borgata and got matched to MGM Rewards Gold. Bear in mind, MGM isn’t matching after June 30th either, so I was warned I would only have Gold until June 30th.

    Note that if you’re in Atlantic City and you DON’T have Hard Rock status, do not park at Hard Rock’s self park garage. Hard Rock charges you to park on ENTRY, not on EXIT. I paid $30 to park, but I was able to show my receipt at the Players Club and get the $30 put back on my card as free play.

    After June 30th, 2023 – I don’t know what the route will be in Atlantic City – as it seems like that’s when this current arrangement ends.

  65. Resorts World has a new loyalty program. MGM Gold matched me to Prime (2/4 levels). No clue if that’ll be worth something ever.

  66. Looks like Genting Rewards no longer has an “A-lister” tier, perhaps it’s been revamped?

    I wonder if they are still status matching.

    In any case, probably time to update the piece WRT that program. And thanks so much Dave for all you do to keep it current!

    • Whoops, didn’t see veeRob’s post right above mine, giving a valuable data point on this. Apologies and thanks! Will try to update with my own data point from MGM Platinum ASAP.

  67. I read Steve’s response above and wanted to confirm is this is true, will Ocean AC be stopping the status match to prime after 6/30/2023?

    Also side note, I was there a week ago and was told the rematch can be completed after 6 months of inactivity (rather than 12 months) but assume this was a mistake from the representative as the website still says 12 month.

  68. I am Diamond + with Royal Caribbean and used that status to get MGM gold status. This past June 2023 while in Las Vegas I used my MGM Gold status to get the Hard Rock (Unity) Icon status. This weekend 7/10/23 while in Atlantic City I went to the Hard Rock in Atlantic City and used my Hard Rock Unity (Icon) status to get the Atlantic City Hard Rock (Rock Royalty) card. I then went to Ocean Casino and signed up for their players club and got their (Prime Card) I was told that after August 15, 2023 I can book a free cruise on MSC. Happy Happy
    PS, I already had a Hard Rock A C card from signing up two years ago and they just discarded my old information and updated it from theUnity Card.

  69. Dave, have you come across this Princess casino match before? I know that like Holland America, Princess is also owned by Carnival (the signup pages even look very similar). I just happened to stumble on this and didnt know if it was an old match and people didnt get a free cruise or if it was a new one. I just finished my Holland America cruise but I havent taken my Carnival cruise offer yet. I havent decided if I am going to try it and which casino statuses it would be worth submitting (I think I did Caesars and MGM for Holland America, but I wasn’t sure if Ocean’s status would be better):

    https://oceanplayersclub.com/princessmatch/

  70. Looks like MGM to Hyatt match is dead as of July 14, 2023. How does this impact the merry-go-round or is Caesars Diamond alone enough to get it all done?

  71. No matter what I try, every time I try to add my casino cards to Holland America, I get an error that the file size is too big, even though it is always below 5 MB. I don’t know what else to do. I tried a jpg and a PDF

  72. I did all this in AC mid June. From my Wyndham Business, I have Caesars Diamond. Also have MGM gold from matching Royal Caribbean Diamond. Went to Hard Rock and got their match, as well as $50 free play. Then went to Ocean and received the Prime match, free entry to the lounge, AND a five year anniversary t-shirt. Lounge was great by the way – good drinks, buffet for dinner, etc. After July 15, I called Resorts World and booked 2 nights in September, plus will receive the $100 free play and $100 food credit – no issues at all. Room is in the Hilton section and the only requirement is that you have to go their rewards desk and complete a sign up for the Resorts World program. I’ll be looking to book one or two MSC cruises but I have not called them yet to inquire.

  73. I did the matching circle in AC April 2023, unfortunately Ocean now it seems is 18 months of inactivity to repeat. My wife and sister just approved for Wyndham business cards last week and submitted for match to Caesars Diamond. We’ll all be in AC in 6 days, any way to match in person from Wyndham to Caesars onsite at the casino in AC if the online request doesn’t get completed? Hate to waste the opportunity, our AC trips are rare. Thanks

  74. I did my 2nd time match from Rock Royalty to Ocean Prime on 12th Aug. Did not have to wait for 18 months of inactivity as my inactive days were only 12 months. So not sure the 18 months time span is being followed strictly.

      • Hello Dave – It has been said in this forum that the 2 nights comp stay at Atlantic City for Ocean Prime members is only when you match the first time from Rock Royalty. That is also not true. I could book 2 nights after my second match.

        • Hi Salim, I must have missed where that was said but it would be a simple confusion. You get the free nights at Hard Rock one time only but can rematch without them. Ocean gives full benefits on rematch (now 18 months from last activity although a handful have people have reported getting matched back sooner.)

    • Do you mind sharing what your 1st match date was to Ocean Prime if they went ahead and did your 2nd one on August 12th? If they’ll rematch after my April 2022 original match it would save me a 2nd day long trip to AC!

  75. Dave (or anyone),
    Can anyone confirm that you can book an MSC cruise in 2023 and then again in 2024 (before July 1). The brochure from Ocean says valid once per calendar year, but just talked with a rep at MSC and she said you can only use once. My main interest is something in Europe in May/June 2024 but I was also going to use my 2023 if available out of Miami in Oct.

    • I have this same question. I am using my Oceans cruise in November, but I was also eying a Europe cruise in may/June. It was my understanding that the oceans cruise was once per calendar year so we should get two cruises for our first year, but I have seen some conflicting comments since and I can’t seem to get anyone to confirm one way or the other.

  76. FL dp

    Gulf stream – Match to Triple Crown status from caesars diamond (NO PROBLEM)

    Hialeah – Showed Gulfstream card they said they do not match. Got $20 fp for signing up and if you earned 100 points you would then get 180 more fp. Couldn’t find any vp machines so this was a waste of time. Rewards desk rep had no idea what the earning rate was to get the 100 points.

    Casino Miami – Showed Gulfstream card and got $200 (NO PROBLEM)

  77. UPDATE: Ocean rematched 8/26/23 into Prime from Rock Royalty even though my last match was April 2023. Wanted to provide this data point since new members now must wait 18 months to rematch, but that doesn’t apply to existing old members

    • So they rematched you after just 4 months?! Are you saying they told you that someone that had a card before they changed to 18 months can now rematch anytime? I mean it used to still be 12. I’m not sure you didn’t just get super lucky. Would love more data points!

      • I originally matched for the first time April 2022. Super bummed when I saw they switched to a 18 month rematch time requirement, up from 12 months previously. Went with family members today (almost 16 months) to AC for their matches, Ocean rematched me. So I’m saying that those who matched BEFORE the change to 18 month inactivity period requirement may be grandfathered in with just a 12 month timeframe.

  78. Adding a data point for Hialeah Park Casino: they give you $20 in free play and will match the status from gulfstream, however they now require you to reach 100 “points” in the casino in order to get the additional $180. I spent 45 minutes and $70 in the casino and ended up with just 27 points for my efforts. Ended up leaving – not worth it

  79. I last matched to Ocean Prime in Dec 2022, and was wondering if there were more data points of people re-matching after short timeframes. Was considering a trip to AC this weekend, but it would be primarily for this status match! Thanks in advance.

  80. Hi all, has anyone had DPs of matching Hard Rock Royalty to Ocean Prime post-June 30, 2023? Steve from the comment above mentioned this matching path expired by then.

    • I was just in atlantic city last week 9/23 to do this merry go round. Got Rock Royalty card by status matching from MGM Gold at Hard Rock Atlantic City. Then went to Ocean and got the Ocean Prime card from showing them my Rock Royalty card. So it does very much still work.

      • Thanks. I can confirm that I was able to do the status match from Rock Royalty + parking pass + one time Avila Lounge access (with one guest) + a free T-shirt when I did this two weeks ago. Still alive and well!

  81. Just did the South Florida part of the Merry-Go-Round today and can confirm that as their website now states, Gulfstream Park would only match my Caesar’s Diamond card to their lowest tier level, Place. I ran up to Hard Rock Hollywood to get my Unity card from my Hard Rock AC status instead. This way, it matched to Win status at Gulfstream and got me the birthday month free play, and could be used for the free play offer at Casino Miami.

  82. A lot of things to look forward and anwers to find out October 1:

    1. Will there be a merry go round with MGM and Marriott status and will there be online links that work in light of the hacking?
    2. Growing chatter on MGM redit boards that demand MGM to allow current status to be kept at the current level for 2024 due to many not earning their points and/or that MGM staff told customers not to put cards in the machine which caused some to loose out on 20,000 tier credits per visit.
    3. Will the Hard Rock Mirage be a path to a rematch to MGM since Unity doesn’t expire until 2/28/24 and MGM expires 2/1/24??
    4. The Rio is now a Hyatt property and it does not waive resort fees and does not tier match even for Caesars Diamond card holders according to its website riolasvegas

  83. @steve

    1) We’ll find out but don’t be surprised is any MGM / Marriott details are delayed now. Also, don’t expect any sort of matching. It’s possible but I don’t expect it. I expect sharing of elite benefits without an actual match.

    2) That would be great.

    3) Remember MGM only even had a status “challenge” now, not a match. We’ll have to see what 2024 brings.

    4) Rio is not yet operating as a Hyatt brand hotel, thus no benefits yet,

  84. Rio October options does not look good. I will quote a post from the New Rio’s gaming officer from another board:

    “Tier Matching has ruined loyalty programs around the city.
    However, offer matching will be done. A person who gambles an appropriate amount (offer match or not) will receive everything they could possibly need, regardless of tier.
    But we can’t simply hand out our top tier loyalty benefits upfront to everyone who shows up with a loyalty card (that they possibly only have because they matched it somewhere else) without the required amount of activity.”

    In other posts he is silent about whether those who booked as Diamonds will get resort fee waived and likely only if they gamble enough.

  85. Here are a couple of data points. I was in AC and got Hard Rock Royalty while there but when i went to Mirage to get the Unity card they said i was no longer Rock Royalty and the best they could do was match my Caesars Diamond to Hard Rock Unity Legend status. Got $50 in food and beverage credit, Another data point is that i called the phone number in the Ocean Casino travel benefits and booked 2 nights comped at Resorts World at the Conrad for a Friday and Saturday night on what seems to be a busy weekend, I had some comp rooms from MGM and there was no availability fully comp for this weekend but Resorts World booked no problem.

  86. We have MGM status challenges to look forward to hopefully. And the MGM-Marriott linking of accounts has been postponed to “Early 2024” according to Marriot’s website.

  87. Hi Dave, thanks for updating this guide. I was able to get a Caesars diamond match from my MGM gold this summer. I’m a bit confused on how to maintain the status for Caesars through next year as I’ve read somewhere that we need to earn the status for next year instead. Is it still possible to rematch Caesars next year and apply the old merry go round principles if we continue to have MGM Gold and Hyatt Explorist?

    • @Jen – with all of the recent changes (and MGM/Marriott Bonvoy pushed to early 2024), you have few options. Your Caesars will expire Jan 31, 2024. The only way to keep rematching that is to get the Wyndham Business Earner credit card.

      Remember also that Hyatt and MGM broke up, so those will no longer renew from each other.

  88. This could be useful for 2024 if the Merry Go Round doesn’t revive itself.

    https://youtu.be/U8MSWh6Kt6w?si=J2pCz01Gl-NqWBuv&t=381

    A video of a poker player reports that each MGM poker room can grant Gold tier independant of actual tier points but based off of hourse played. Then look at at the commends since the video provides incorrect information but the comments section states that one commenter asked Mandalay Bay poker room and was told it is 150 hours and that this can be combined from all properties. Therefore on a 1/2 poker table with 8 players and about 20-25 hands per hour, if one just folds each hand (other than the blind and the big blind) then it should cost about $3 per hour which would be about $450 total if one just folds as much as possible to get to the 150 hour amount.

  89. Having acquired the Wyndham Earner Business this year to stay on the Merry-Go-Round, I am a bit concerned with the takeover attempt of Wyndham by Choice. Thoughts?

  90. I live somewhat near vegas. Is the status match merry go round still worth learning about to get any benefits ? I took a look at article and it seems a lot of things are removed/canceled now unless you are willing to fly to atlantic city to do some matching.

  91. Hello all. I am in Vegas right now for one more day. I went to Resorts World and they were going to match me to their highest level, Imperial. I didn’t take it as there were no offers for free play, cruises, hotel stays, etc. I already have Caesars Seven Stars, MGM Platinum and matched today at Mirage to Icon status. They gave me $300 in food and beverage comps, which can be converted to $171 in freeplay.

    My question is, will it really help me to have Resorts World Imperial status? I want to wait till the future in case they have better matching deals possibly.

    I currently live in Europe for military and can’t get to Atlantic City for the cruise offer that I really want.

    Are there any other status matches in Vegas that I should know about with my cards and/or military status while I am here?

    Thank you!

  92. You should have taken the Imperial because there could be a theoretical possibility it could rematch to MGM status or challege MGM offer on or after February 1, 2024.

    But I am having a terrible time with FNBO trying to get approved for the MGM card. I have no negatives on my report and was denied for no reason. Should I wait 30 days and reapply because I need this prior to February 1, 2024.

  93. Hey everyone, I’m just reading up on all of the comments. I have Wyndham Diamond and in turn, have Caesars Diamond. I have a few questions seeing that there are some new gray areas with the most recent changes over the last few months especially with the PA matches getting nerfed a little bit. Would you still say in December of 2023 it is wroth the trip to PA to get all the status matches? I am mainly looking at them for the free nights in Las Vegas and the hotel comps/cruise comps.

    I also have a question about the MGM gold match from Ceasers Diamond. If I was to match to MGM gold using the Diamond Status with Ceasers do I have to gamble a certain amount to keep that gold status? To my understanding I do but what if I do not within that 90 day window? Will I be blakclisted from trying to match to MGM gold again in the future or is there a certain cooldown in between matches?

    Thanks so much for all the data points I appreciate it. I started a little google sheets document with the current info I could come up with. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Co49rIFX0HIzDWmOPrUC8hcFG-TeDp1-EU3zn1sc52o/edit?usp=sharing)

  94. @michael – a few things

    Currently, no, PA is not worth it.

    Also, regarding MGM, two things. A) they stopped matching after the hack. B) they no longer match from Caesars. Most people don’t have a required card for that match anymore as they really caught on.

    That said if you did do the 3 month match and then didn’t qualify, no, it wouldn’t hurt you at all. Since they only did this for a short time we don’t have word on timing for a repeat challenge match.

    Hope that helps!

  95. Hey Dave thanks for the response, why exactly would you say PA is not worth it? Just because of the recent change with the Rivers Black status or are the rest of the status matches also worse now?

  96. Hey Dave,

    From recently readings it seems that this the order in which you have to match:
    Caesars Diamond > Hard Rock Royalty > Oceans Prime > MGM Gold

    Can you confirm that this is still accurate and up to date?

  97. Hey Dave,

    Awesome resource here! Some new data points since I just did a match in AC over the weekend.

    * Matched Hard Rock Icon to Oceans Casino Prime with no issues. I tried to take a 5 year old son into the Ocean’s lounge, but was rejected, so my wife and I alternated access into the Lounge (free pass valid for 3 days).
    * We WERE NOT able to tier match to Bally’s. The rewards guy said that they stopped matching ever since they divided from Ceasars. I got stuck with a $25 parking fee since I left empty handed. Was trying to get the $100 credit mentioned above.

    A couple of questions:

    * Would I be able to match my Oceans Casino free MSC cruise offer to Holland America for a free cruise with them? If so, would they match 7 days, including in Europe? I’d like to combine with my MSC cruise to do a Europe trip of MSC cruise + Holland America cruise.
    * Since my Hard Rock and MGM statuses are set to expire shortly, can I use my Ocean’s Casino Prime tier to match back to either of those programs? Anything else i should look to match with Ocean’s?
    * If I signed up for Hard Rock Unity, would Hard Rock Royalty (AC) be considered the same program or could I sign up for that as well?

  98. @Mike: I’m not familiar with all the matches that come from the MSC Cruise. Nick at Frequent Miler went down that rabbit hole and I’d check them out for that.

    For re-upping, while Hard Rock retains their old program, you can rematch from MGM Gold or Caesars Diamond. They don’t (AFAIK) match from Ocean and MGM definitely does not, sorry!

    As of now, Unity is separate entirely from Wild Card – so you can do both.

  99. Have done the Caesars Diamond to Hard Rock Royalty to Ocean Prime match in AC. Going to Vegas in 3 weeks using both my and wife’s two free nights at Resort World that comes with Ocean Prime. Anything worth matching to in Vegas, any of those statuses from AC work? Thanks!

  100. Great resource, Dave! Just to confirm though: Someone CAN do a status match from Ceasars Diamond to Hard Rock Royalty (end goal: Ocean Prime) without being a new member? Recently was told new members only by a phone rep, but her general tone didn’t inspire much confidence it anything she told me. Just the same rather not waste a trip if something had recently changed.

    Also, is there ANY word or even credible rumors on future MGM Gold+ status matching?

    Thanks!

    • Correct about Hard Rock. They have matched me yearly since 2019. You just don’t get the extra benefits – only a card. Anything is always subject to change, though, and I can’t rematch until March due to Ocean’s new 18 month policy.

      And no, no credible rumors at all on MGM as of now.

  101. Looks like the Turning Stone match is dead. Can’t find any info on either site and the old links are dead. Glad I used it last year. I did match Hard Rock Unity Icon from Mirage Vegas match to match to Ocean Prime then match to HR Rock Royalty last week in AC. Hoping Caesars or MGM will match to one of those this year after I lose Diamond and Gold. Thanks for keeping all this info updated it’s appreciated.

  102. Very good information a lot will be learned on February 1 if matches are allowed and also on January 18 if the Sycuan-Barona matches go through.

  103. South Florida is completely dead as of Jan 2024

    Hialeah Park Casino only gives $25 free play when signing up and then you must earn 250 slot points on signup day and you will receive $175 more free play. No benefit for Caesars and no match of any kind. (An argument can be made that this offer itself is still positive EV but requires some of your own spend).

    At Golfstream Park, Diamond only matches to Place, below Triple Crown and Win, which now require Seven Stars and Diamond Plus respectively

    This then ends Casino Miami, which only offers $50 in free play with no eligible matches

  104. Should we be matching to MSC Diamond with Hyatt status before that expires? I am planning to match Ocean Prime on 3/1 and sail this summer.

  105. Seeing stories that the Founders Card on-ramp is now dead and not getting many confirmations of rematches to Caesar’s Diamond by Wyndham Business Earner holders, myself included. Any inside scoop?

  106. I have Wyndham Diamond Status via the Wyndham Business Earner card, but my Caesars match has not been approved after waiting 3 weeks. Today via online Chat with Cheryl K. at Wyndham, she told me
    “Your account is not eligible to Status Match to Caesars as your level with Wyndham Rewards was attained via the Mastercard Status Match program. To be eligible you have to have 40 qualified nights in Wyndham Rewards in the year in order to match.”

    • The chat is wrong unless they just changed the rules. I have my Wyndham Diamond Status via the Wyndham Business Earner card and had not problem matching to Wyndham Diamond this way in February. I just did the online form and it was approved. It did take some time, but I don’t think it was 3 weeks. You may want to try to submit it again or see if you can find a different agent to speak to.

  107. Going to Vegas in April for vacation and don’t think I’ll make it to Atlantic City anytime soon.
    I have Caesars Diamond via the Wyndham Business Earner card.
    I know my first step should be to go to Caesars and get the physical card.
    Is there anywhere I can do the Caesars Diamond > Hard Rock Rock Royalty > Ocean Prime in Vegas?
    Any other matches I can take advantage of while I am there?
    Thank you for your help with all of this!!!

  108. Mirage data point: Mirage also known as Hard Rock Las Vegas will not match if one has matched previously. Thus I am no longer an Icon but was given a Legend which is one tier down not sure if this is a consolation prize. But certainly not as good as last year when I matched to Icon.

  109. Caesars diamond only matches to icon legend at mirage but ocean prime from Atlantic City matched over to Icon status!

  110. While Oceans matches to the new Hard Rock Icon and above status at the Atlantic City Hard Rock, how do they know that it is the Atlantic City Hard Rock when the Unity program is common to all the Hard Rock properties? I guess I am wondering if I could get a status match to Icon in a different location, and then when in Atlantic City, match to Oceans.

  111. Vegas / Atlantic City Data Points:

    I was in Vegas and Atlantic City within last week. In Vegas at the Mirage, was unable to match Caesars Diamond -> Hard Rock Icon, they only offered Hard Rock Legend. I think that’s just the policy now for the Vegas location, you would need to be Diamond Plus to get Icon.

    Atlantic City matched Caesars Diamond -> Hard Rock Icon, with $50 Free Play and they mentioned a 2 days hotel stay. Expires Feb 28, 2025 ( 1 year) and no mention of once in a lifetime match, but they could always change that retroactively. I saw a sign similar to Vegas saying only Diamond Plus and above should match to Icon so I’m not sure how long this matching route will stay viable.

    Also in Atlantic City, matched Hard Rock Icon -> Oceans Prime which gave a T-Shirt, 3-day lounge pass (lounge only opens at 12pm, though), 10-day cruise (2 people, anywhere but China), and Vegas Stay (3 nights, bunch of credits). Card however expires June 30, 2024 (3 months). I was told if I wanted to do the cruise or stay after that date I would need to come back to renew/pick up a new card. So according to them I should be able to keep the status through June 30, 2025. (1 year, 3 months). Who knows how smoothly that will go.

    Summary: Definitely recommend going to Atlantic City first if you only have Caesars Diamond so you can get Hard Rock Icon. If I had done that first I could have matched Hard Rock Icon -> Fontainebleau Gold in Vegas for more Spa and Restaurant credits. I would ignore other DPs that were posted before March 2024 as the policies may have changed.

  112. Thank you MilesTalk. I wanted to give an update of my Atlantic City trip 3/1 to 3/3 2024 and my results. The following are the results of my wife and I on this trip, and we both did all the matches.

    -I matched to MGM Gold over the phone on 2/15/24 from my Celebrity Cruise Status from past cruise activity on Royal Caribbean.

    -Matched MGM Gold to Hard Rock ICON in Hollywood, FL in February. Card had expiration date of 02/2024. I had to go back to Hard Rock on 3/1 before my flight to Atlantic City to get the card with new expiration date, which is now 2/28/2025. They said this is a once in a lifetime match verbally. MGM indicates cruise offers quarterly but I do not have any info on this yet and when I spoke to Royal Caribbean, they said nothing there for me.

    -Flight for 2 to Atlantic City was $150 total for 2.

    -Hard Rock ICON gave me free Hotel Stay in Atlantic City for 2 nights for being ICON in Florida.

    -First visited Philly casinos to see if any value even though I was aware this might be dead, but first went to Live casino and they would not honor a match.

    -Then went to Rivers Casino and with my Unity Icon from Hard Rock, they matched me to Platinum. There is listed on their site that this qualifies me for the free MSC cruise, but I contacted MSC and the offer has not loaded yet, and I am not sure it will. I contacted Atlantis today and confirmed that they do have the offer for me for a free stay of 4 nights, which will cost $75 per day in fees.

    -Went to Atlantic city next and checked into hotel and spend Saturday doing all my matches.

    -Resorts match was a bust, as I had to earn 100 tier credits on that day in order to validate the match to their higher tier, which I did not do and thus couldn’t get free cruise offer.

    -Caesars – tried matching to Hard Rock ICON, and they did not, and said I needed my MGM Card, which I only had on the app. So had to go to MGM to get my card printed and back to Caesars. They did the match to diamond, but I needed to earn 25 tier credits to receive the $100 celebration dinner. Verified with Atlantis that my offer for 4 free nights from Caesars is in their system and yes I can use both Caesars and Rivers offers but on separate trips.

    -I matched online to Wyndham Diamond and it was instant from Caesars Diamond. (but I don’t think this will have much value to me).

    -I matched Hard Rock ICON to Ocean Prime. Access to their lounge for meals on 2 separate times b/c wife also had it. Tried confirming with MSC and offer not loaded yet. Called Ocean Today and they said offers will be sent after 30 days on each 15th and I need to check on 4/15 but they confirmed I will receive it. Ocean confirmed that my status will be good until 7/1/25 since I matched after 3/1/24 even though my card says expires 7/1/24.

    -I matched Hard Rock ICON to Bally Rewards Superstar. Website says free cruise annually, but not sure I will get it because I did not play to earn any tier credits at Bally which might be required to activate their offers.

    -I matched Hard Rock ICON to Golden Nugget, which also had some tier credit earning requirement to activate offers, so do not know if I will get free annual cruise with them as mentioned on their site.

    -I attempted to match to cruise offers with Holland America, Carnival and Princess. Princess told me that Hard Rock Icon was my best card and offered me a 3 to 10 day balcony cruise. Holland offered me a 7 to 12 day INSIDE cabin cruise (which I am still trying to see if they can improve it), no offer yet from Carnival, which might not come because I have history of Carnival cruises from 10 years ago. I also submitted my cards to Virgin to see what happens but nothing yet. I also submitted some offers to Virgin and Holland that I received from my casino offers from Royal Caribbean, but no update yet.

    I am sure there are some other benefits I missed describing because my goal was about getting the free cruises.

    I have been getting several free cruise offers from Royal Caribbean, because I had played hard on my last cruise to reach their Prime status (2500 Points) so that my offers would improve, and they have. I received an instant cruise certificate as well for my play on that cruise and booked a free 8 day cruise for April on Oasis Class ship (worth more than double what I spent to reach status). As well will receive an annual cruise benefit as well for this level.

    Previously I had the lowest level card at Hard Rock Hollywood, and they gave out Free Cruise certificates, apparently to all members (had to go in person to get it) last October. It said free choice of Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. I booked with both for free, but my level was very low so my room choices were not great, but it was still 2 free weekend cruises that I have used with only port charges and taxes.

    I know this is a ton of info, but I gained a lot of insight from this posting and wanted to share my results. I have only tried the casino offers for me so far and not my wife as I want to see my results and have more time with hers for a later time period. So basically the above is doubled. This worked for me because of Select Status from Celebrity Cruises, which was a match from Emerald Status on Royal Caribbean.

    I understand that all this will also work for someone getting on the path from the Wyndham credit card as well.

    I hope this is helpful to the readers.

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