I’m just back from a family trip to Las Vegas. I have some thoughts about taking kids to Vegas, but will save them for another day. We are fortunate to have a ready-made babysitter when we visit Sin City, so Deal Dad and I enjoyed 24 hours without the kids. By double dipping Chase and American Express hotel benefits, We were able to get maximum fun for minimum out of pocket.
Faux Celine Dion from Divas Las Vegas: a terrific but decidedly non-kid friendly show.
Today I want to share something I’ve never considered before this trip: double dipping Chase and American Express Hotel benefits.
My Real Life Example
Deal Dad asked me to go all-out for our rare reprieve. He also asked me not to utilize casino hosting as he didn’t want us beholden to a certain number of gambling hours. With the deal I found it was easy to oblige.
I found the best package through the Chase Luxury Hotel Collection (LHC). We have the Chase Sapphire Reserve but a number of other Chase cards also qualify for access to Chase LHC.
For our dates the Aria quoted a strip-view corner room rate of $238 including taxes and resort fee. The rate included early check-in, late check-out, an amenity (we received candy), and $160 in food and beverage credits. I was happy with that deal, but realized after booking that I could double dip it with another one.
The Double Dip
American Express offers came to the rescue with a $60 off $300 purchase at MGM Resorts. To utilize the deal, I just gave my American Express card at check-in. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me earlier: utilize the booking engine of one program and pay with the other.
The only “problem” we had was trying to get our bill to $300 since we had such a high F&B credit. We ended up enjoying dinner and drinks, a midnight snack, brunch, and pool drinks the next afternoon. Even with our full F&B enjoyment, I still “needed” to hit up the gift shop before leaving to get over $300.
The total bill came to $314 after we purchased souvenirs. I then promptly received an email from American Express letting me know we qualified for the $60 credit. We also receive 2,416 Hyatt points and one stay credit, although for me this holds limited value.
The bottom line: a night at Aria with $234 in room credit came to a net total of $254.
With those kind of rates who needs the casino?
Another way to utilize benefits in Las Vegas: use the Founder’s Card to jump to Caesar’s Diamond status. With Caesar’s Diamond we received a $100 dining credit and two show tickets. I definitely recommend Divas if you are wondering where to use your show benefit.
Have you double dipped benefits from two credit cards on the same stay? Share your stories in the comments.
Good job on stacking!! Thanks for confirming we get stay credit for booking Hyatt/mlife through LHC. I’ve always wondered, but wasn’t sure. At what point did you give your Hyatt number to make sure you get stay credit? During check-in? I’m guessing the stay credit posted quickly? Did the reservation appear in your Hyatt account prior to check-in? I’ve never been to Vegas so I need to one day!
Hi AC,
The stay and points posted within a week. You can (and should) connect your Mlife and Hyatt accounts pre-checkin.
Nice to hear you had a good time in Las Vegas. Aria is one of our favorite hotels.
Glad you mentioned the Total Rewards program – I think it’s much better than mLife. At the Diamond level you get access to their lounges for drinks and food, no resort fees, free valet parking – in addition to the $100 celebration dinner credit and 2 free show tickets per month as you mentioned. We stayed at the Bellagio last week and had dinner at the new Gordon Ramsay Hells Kitchen restaurant at Caesar’s Palace (partly paid using our $100 Total Rewards Diamond celebration dinner credit).
I’m glad you could get in to HK as the nearest reservation for us was three weeks out. Was it worth the hype? We ended up using our credit for a family meal at Paris buffet. (Not as good as Aria’s brunch, but it fit the bill.)
It was very busy. Even with a reservation we were waiting 20 minutes to get seated.
However, once the service started it was immaculate. The general manager, waiter and other servers were great. Food was outstanding. We had the prix fixe menu: Scallops or Caesar Salad, Beef Wellington and Sticky Toffee Pudding. PS. Reservation was made via Open Table.
I have heard raves on the sticky toffee pudding.
How much of that $314 would you have not spent if you did not feel forced to spend $300 to save $60?
Hi Sharon,
Valid question. Since this was a rare couples getaway, I’m inclined to let the math slide in favor of the poolside drink.