Free parking (and drinks) and avoiding resort fees on the Las Vegas Strip with elite status & matching

I first visited Las Vegas 25 years ago. Back then, Vegas casinos used things like inexpensive buffets and free afternoon entertainment as loss leaders to bring customers in the door. These days, a slice of pizza in the food court at a Las Vegas Strip casino can cost $12.99 (I had sticker shock at Caesars Palace last week and ordered Uber Eats instead!). Las Vegas has become a very expensive city to visit. Still, we have recently spent about a week and a half at Las Vegas strip casinos and have not yet paid for parking, and have also scored numerous free drinks (without gambling) thanks to my previous pursuit of Caesars elite status and current status match opportunities in Las Vegas.

Elite status and status matching for free valet parking (and no resort fees when booking direct)

Parking in Las Vegas has become a luxury that costs around $20 per night for self-parking or $40-$50 per day for valet parking at most strip casinos (some may allow for in-out privileges to visit other casinos from the same family without paying the parking fee separately at each, others don’t allow in-out privileges for non-overnight guests). Treasure Island notably offers free parking, but it is otherwise hard to find on the Strip.

We had complimentary valet parking up and down much of the Las Vegas Strip. We used it many times, including:

• Throughout our 4-night stay at Caesars Palace (pro tip: the Nobu Valet, also known as the Colosseum Valet, tends to be much less busy and therefore very quick to retrieve your car).
• The day we spent using the pool at the MGM Grand
• At Park MGM for free valet when we went to a WNBA game at the T-Mobile Arena (which sits directly across from the Park MGM valet drop off!)
• At Cosmopolitan during a 3-night stay there booked via Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and again on a different day when we went to the nearby Arte Museum Las Vegas
• At Horseshoe Las Vegas, when we attempted to go to BattleBots (note that the lot at the BattleBots arena is operated separately and is not free for Caesars members, but there is one “nearby” (it’s a long walk around the arena to get to it, but easy enough when it isn’t 110 degrees outside).
• At Aria, when we went to dinner one night at Toca Madera in the Shops at Crystals
• At Flamingo, when we went to eat one night to use up some Caesars Rewards credits and use Diamond Plus drinks
• At Palazzo/The Venetian during our stay there as an elite member.

We found the convenience of complimentary valet parking to be huge. Some may only value free parking based on the savings as compared to the cost of self-parking, but the time and energy spent walking from self-parking really adds up over the course of a week or more. Las Vegas casinos are huge, and we got plenty of steps in over the course of the week, so we were happy to save a few with complimentary parking.

Some visitors won’t plan to drive much in Las Vegas, but as a family, we always prefer having our own car over rideshare.

Still, the cost of parking could have easily doubled the cost of having a vehicle for the week. Thanks to elite status and status matching, we haven’t paid for parking over the course of our week and a half in Las Vegas.

Caesars free valet parking with Diamond Plus status

At Caesars Properties, those with Platinum status and above get complimentary valet and self-parking. Platinum status is one of the intro bonus benefits of the Caesars Prestige Card, though regular readers will know that I made my way to Diamond Plus status with my Diamond-in-a-day run in Lake Tahoe (and prior spend on the credit card).

We spent our first four nights in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, and thanks to my Diamond Plus status, we didn’t pay for valet parking.

It might be worth noting that I didn’t have my Diamond Plus card on me when we arrived since I hadn’t earned Diamond Plus until after my trip to Lake Tahoe, but that didn’t matter. Upon arrival, we valet-parked and got a ticket to scan when picking up our car. Later, I printed my Diamond Plus card at a kiosk in the casino. Then, when you scan the valet ticket to request the car be brought around, you simply select a button at the valet machine indicating that you have a player’s card. When you swipe the player’s card, it takes off the valet parking fee. You can put a tip on a credit card at the same kiosk if you wish. Suggested amounts start at $3, but you can enter any amount you want. We typically tipped at the $3 starting point.

Note that we didn’t pay resort fees on room nights we booked directly through Caesars, though we did pay the resort fee on nights booked via 3rd party (we booked 2 nights direct and 2 nights via Bilt; we were charged the resort fee on the Bilt booking despite keeping the same room for all four nights).

Even if you don’t earn high-level Caesars status via credit card spend or gambling, it can be worth simply spending your way to Platinum each year for complimentary valet parking and the complimentary Atlantis Bahamas stay.

Matching to MGM Gold for free parking at MGM properties

During our stay at Caesars Palace, I booked an overlapping stay at the MGM Grand. I did this because I needed a separate space from which to record a podcast episode in the early morning hours when my family would be asleep, and also because we wanted to spend a day enjoying the pools and lazy river at the MGM Grand. I had an offer in my MGM account for up to three complimentary nights; we booked two nights at the MGM Grand that overlapped with our first couple of nights at Caesars Palace. I spent the first night apart from the family at the MGM Grand, recorded the podcast in the morning, and then the family came over to the MGM to use the pool in the late morning.

On July 1st, MGM extended its status match challenge, whereby they’ll match status from some casinos and provide a challenge period where you get some of the MGM benefits (you need to earn status points within 90 days to extend elite status). Upon arrival at the MGM Grand, I went to the MGM Rewards desk with my Caesars Diamond Plus card to request a match to MGM Gold. That process only took a few minutes, and it gave me complimentary self-parking or valet parking at all of the MGM properties on the Strip.

It is worth noting that I have matched to MGM Gold in the past. I’m not sure if there’s a minimum amount of time before you’re able to match again, but I have matched in the past, and I was able to match again.

This provided waived resort fees on the two nights I booked at the MGM Grand in order to use the swimming pool. However, we also spent a couple of nights at Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, which were booked via Fine Hotels + Resorts®. The resort fee was not waived on the FHR bookings.

We also spent a few nights at Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, where we enjoyed complimentary valet parking as well.

Matching to Venetian Rewards Ruby for free parking at Palazzo/The Venetian

Near the end of our time in Las Vegas, we spent a couple of nights at Palazzo Las Vegas (connected to The Venetian), booked via Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. I was glad when Dave Grossman of MilesTalk pointed out to me that the Venetian Rewards program offers a status match. Upon arrival at The Palazzo, we valet-parked to check in. Immediately after check-in, I headed directly to the Venetian Rewards desk and promptly matched my Caesars Diamond Plus status to Venetian Ruby status. That provided complimentary valet or self-parking at both Palazzo and Venetian.

We went to several places during the days we spent at Palazzo, so this match proved well worth it in terms of both cost savings and convenience. We would also avoid the resort fee on future direct bookings thanks to the match.

Caesars Diamond Plus drinks

Caesars Diamond Plus members and above receive up to 4 complimentary drinks per day (up to $25 each) at select bars and restaurants at Caesars properties. Here is the current list of eligible venues.

Keep in mind that you can use multiple at one time (buying a drink for someone else as well), the drinks do not need to be alcoholic, and in many cases, you can order drinks to go. This can add up to be a really terrific value, particularly if you’ll be in Las Vegas for multiple nights (and if you’re not otherwise getting free drinks by gambling).

During our stay at Caesars Palace, one night I walked down from our room to Nobu and ordered a couple of glasses of wine to go that were under $25 each, and I got them for free (I did tip the bartender). Another day, while I was playing in the World Series of Poker at Horseshoe, I walked over to Paris and got a delicious mocktail at Vanderpump Paris, an upscale cocktail bar and restaurant. Another day, we went to Gordon Ramsay Burger at Flamingo and got milkshakes for the kids and mocktails for the grown-ups. One night, when I was out walking, I stopped and grabbed a 32 oz virgin piña colada.

Nonetheless, we ended up with plenty of ways to use free drinks. We didn’t use them every single day, but I certainly felt like I got very good value out of this benefit without having to go out of my way often.

Bottom line

I couldn’t help but think that going after Caesars elite status a couple of months ago paid off in spades when it came to parking in Las Vegas. With daytime temperatures consistently at or around 110 degrees this week, walking the strip with two young kids wasn’t feasible. Rideshare would have quickly added up. Complimentary valet parking all over the strip, thanks to status and status matching was huge. We also avoided some resort fees and enjoyed numerous free drinks thanks to my Caesars status. While Las Vegas remains a very expensive city overall, we saved quite a bit on parking and resort fees during our recent stay in Las Vegas.

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