Regular readers have seen us talk about how a players card tracks your play and rewards you based on that play. But many of us spend outside the casino – in fact, the majority of resort revenue in Vegas casinos today is earned outside the casino altogether. So what about that spending?
Does the casino factor in all your spending in the casino? Does dining, stores and slots play in figuring out your rewards points?
Cynthia B,
While every casino program will work differently, many casinos factor non-casino spend into tier earnings. They’ll usually encourage players to show their tier card, sometimes for discounts, so they can track everything you do.
Their goal is simple – they want to be able to rate the customer across all their spend in the casino – marketing departments realize that they operate very diverse properties with all sorts of amenities that attract customers, so it helps to track it all.
When it comes to players and whether they take advantage of non-gambling spending tier credits and discounts, a bit over half you do, and another 13 percent said sometimes, at least according to a recent poll on Brian Christopher’s YouTube page. But a third of you said you don’t take advantage of it at all.
When it comes to the tiers, many casino companies will give you credit for your non-gambling spending. The earnings rate will be different, but it ensures you get credit and it gets tracked. Some casinos will have you show your card at a register; others will ask you to bring receipts to the players club desk. But there’s generally a process when you do so.
This can sometimes factor in to your casino offers – those who utilize the hotel may see hotel discounts or even comps factor in to their offers. More spend overall and more tier credit earnings overall may lead to offers that take that increased spending into account.
So it definitely makes sense to present your card, get your purchases recorded, take advantage of those discounts when offered, and overall give the casino a more complete picture of what you do while there. Otherwise, you may be giving up some of the potential perks by leaving some of your spending history out of the equation.
