MGM has announced some big changes to its Mlife rewards program as of February 1, 2022, when the program will be rebranded as MGM Rewards. Readers more focused on hotel loyalty programs than gambling will be excited to see that MGM is planning to waive resort fees for those with Gold status or higher. As long as Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can continue to match to Mlife / MGM Rewards Gold, that should make for very cheap Hyatt mattress runs in Las Vegas (and improved uses of Fine Hotels & Resorts credits).
Tier benefits refreshed for MGM Rewards
MGM has kept its same 5 membership tiers, but they have significantly enhanced benefits. While still perhaps not quite as intriguing as Caesars or Wynn, I find the improvements exciting since I actually prefer staying at MGM properties when I go to Las Vegas – both for Hyatt points / elite credit and because they have the properties / casinos that I like.
New benefit highlights include:
- Pearl or higher: complimentary tickets to MGM Rewards concerts
- Gold or higher: waived resort fees, access to exclusive tier appreciation events and experiences
- Platinum or higher: Tier Achievement Travel Credit to Las Vegas (Platinum+), , advanced suite upgrades for up to three nights (Platinum+), and 4 p.m. late check-out (based on availability; Platinum+)
Really, the star of the show here as far as I am concerned is waived resort fees. Those can really add up on a Las Vegas stay.
For instance, just last week when I was making some Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings to use up my Platinum card credits for 2021, I booked a couple of nights at Delano Las Vegas. The nightly rate was $109, but with tax and resort fee, that came out to more like $160 per night thanks to a resort fee that came to around $45 with tax.
Not paying that resort fee will save me $90 over each of the two-night stays that I booked (I booked a couple) and it means that my Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings each came out to $240 for a two-night stay (assuming that this benefit applies on FHR bookings — see the yellow callout box above). After the Platinum card credit, I’ll pay a net $40 for two nights with a $60 breakfast credit each morning and a $100 resort credit that can be used at a bunch of the restaurants at Mandalay Bay. To be clear, those are Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits, not Mlife benefits — this just illustrates how much better of a deal those stays will be without the resort fees.
During my searches, I also saw nights where Bellagio came out to around $200 with taxes, so that would be close to net zero for a single-night stay if you’re not paying the resort fee.
I am referencing no resort fee because World of Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can currently match to Mlife Gold. Thanks to the status match-go-round it has been possible to keep that match alive back and forth for years.
While a waived resort fee will be nice for those of us burning Fine Hotels & Resorts credits, it will also come in handy for very cheap Hyatt mattress runs. A number of times in the past I have booked a cheap stay at Excalibur even when staying elsewhere just to earn cheap Hyatt elite nights.
For example, just now I looked at my Mlife account for offers and found that I had an offer for up to 3 complimentary nights at Excalibur. While I don’t think complimentary nights are technically supposed to count for Hyatt elite status, in the past I’ve had them post when mixed with paid nights (clearly YMMV and I haven’t done this in a few years). If that worked, a stay like this would make for a nice little mattress run:
In addition to the benefits listed above, MGM is also trumpeting the fact that gaming and non-gaming customers will all be able to earn and redeem points in the new system. My take on that is that those who spend money will be recognized for their contributions to MGM’s coffers whether the money is flowing in from gambling or not. That makes sense to me given the rise in recent years of luxury Las Vegas Strip properties without a casino. It makes sense to also reward those who come to Las Vegas primarily for luxury resorts and entertainment or now professional sports.
Bottom line
Overall, I’m pretty excited to see MGM add the ability to get resort fees waived for elite. This has been something very valuable about the Wyndham and Caesars partnership, but I have still preferred to stay at MGM properties both because I like earning elite credit and I just prefer some of the MGM properties (though in fairness I haven’t stayed at many Caesars properties). This will really enhance both my planned Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations and the ability to mattress run cheap nights at the lower-end properties. I would much rather see resort fees go away altogether, but I am happy to see a path to having them eliminated.
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hello, as a frequent and long-term member of MGM rewards I can tell you that this change is terrible just about for everyone. You used to get 25 points for ordering things in the hotel like meals etc. Now you get four. That is an 80% decrease in points spent at the hotel!!!
Also, the slot points have been drastically diminished On this trip I literally received half off the points I did just before the change to MLife and I played almost the same amount.
They mention how you get a $600 airfare voucher, etc but what they don’t tell you is almost no one is going to really make it that used to make it before. They calculated that in order to make Platinum status on slots alone you would have to spend $300,000 in one year
Just spoke to Nomad and said FHR no longer counts as booking direct.
Any new data points here?
I have to book a 1 night stay. I have MGM Gold matched from Hyatt Globalist.
I see three booking options for an MGM property:
Ideally, I’d book through Amex FHR. The rates are mostly equivalent but you get all the FHR bennies. However, the resort fee stings.
Questions:
This seems rather complicated, but if anyone can make sense and track all this it’s Nick and the guys at FM 🙂
I paid a random person online to book a stay using their FHR credit and add me to the reservation for Conrad Resorts World. I also booked a second night using my business plat with points. My questions are whether they will give me $200 in credits for food, plus free breakfast both days? Should I try to tell them about the second night when I check-in for the first night? I assume I will need to charge the$100 to the room and then pay at checkout but since I don’t have access to the Amex plat that was used to book the first night, should I just give a different Amex card, and then use my own bus. plat at checkout?
“Significant Improvement”.
Read the whole terms and conditions. This is the biggest rip off ever.
Regarding the resort fees still showing up on the booking confirmation. I wrote to mgm and this is what they answered:
Thank you for contacting MGM Rewards. For Gold members and above, resort fees are only being waived for reservations after 2/1/22 due to the new program and it will not be waived until the time of check out with the front desk. Please be advised, this cannot be done via checking out on the mobile app, as it must be done manually. Please let us know if we can be of any further of assistance.
Any update on AMEX FHR now?
I just notice my tier points went down with this new MGM card. I’m a platinum card holder and just came back from Vegas January 31 2022. Any one know why they are dropping points?? I’m confused. I was above 279,000 now under 90,000.
I just went to Bellagio MGM Rewards Center to do tier match to Gold with my Caesars Reward Diamond card on Feb 1st (new year For tier credit). The staff told me tier match gold MGM account does not qualify for waived resorts fee until the mber earns at least 75000 tier credits. So in essence the staff is saying only MGM earned gold
Card can get the waived resorts fee but not tier match cardholders. whereas Caesars properties allow both earned and tier matched diamond members to get waived resorts fee. I hope that staff is wrong.
That explains why I am still seeing the resort fee’s popping up in July for 4 COMP nights at Luxor Tower Elite King.
I think that staff is wrong based on what MGM Resorts’ Vice President of Loyalty Marketing, Mansukhani, mentioned.
“One of the great differentiators between MGM Rewards and others in our industry is our loyalty partnerships. As a valued strategic partner, it was important for us to offer new meaningful benefits that had immediate value for our premium World of Hyatt members. Our research showed that many of our members wanted waived resorts fees and this benefit would be one of the most valued. We already have what we believe to be some of the best resorts in the world within the MGM Rewards portfolio, but we still want to give our Gold+ members even more of a reason to book their next stay with us. We believe that waiving resorts fees for World of Hyatt members will help give them another reason to stay with us every time, and show that we recognize their value.”
Source:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/mgm-rewards-launch/
Just looked on mgm app and logged in with gold status and the reservation when I try to book still shows the resort fees. I wonder if it’s an issue of the website or app catching up or if it will always show and just be waived at checkin
See post above he’s saying it has to to with tier matched and that’s what I am through Hyatt Explorist.
I did a mix of 3 free comps nights and 1 paid night at Mirage (through my Mlife account) in October 2021, and I only got 1 elite night credit. Then a recent stay at MGM in January 2022 (through my Mlife account), I had a mix of 2 free comp nights and 2 paid nights, and I received 4 elite night credits. It appears hit and miss now. In the past, I would have always gotten elite credit for all 4 nights.
I’ve booked a comp night with myvegas redemption code in April. Assuming that I maintain the Gold status, will the resort fee not charged? The booking is direct through mlife. My guess is that the fee will be waived but want to hear from others.
Where do you go to see the hotel rate by the month at MGM hotels. (Per your screen shot) When I go to MGM website, it makes me choose my check in and check out date. No option to see rates by the month.
I am a platinum member and did not pay any resort fees from Sept-Oct 2021 and I’ve stayed at about 4 MGM properties during that window.
Thanks Anon,
Did you have to request that they be removed?
Or were they proactively removed / omitted in recognition of your status?
I was gold i 2021 and didn’t pay resort fees on any of our 4 comp stays at the Bellagio in 2021. Made platinum for 2022 and am pretty excited about the new benefits, including airfare and dining credits.
Also: do you know of any additional benefits under the new plan to being an MLife member and also having the MLife Credit Card? Thank you