The Rewards Sitch, 2021.

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Getting incrementally closer to a Vegas again.

Little less than 2 months out. No changes to the arrangements, aside from less days on the calendar between then and now. With the first trip of the year closing in, I need to start mapping out my rewards strategy.

Trip one of the year will definitely be almost 100% Identity play. I'm only 5600 points out from Gold so a solid VP/slots trip in April should get me there. 2 comped nights a year, comped resort fees, early check-in, late check-out, it's the best mid-level rewards package you'll find on the strip. Once I get to Gold it's not a crazy stretch to Platinum which adds on room upgrades, airport pickup, annual resort credit, etc.

There's nothing in the Mlife world that compares to that, it's a crazy point jump from where I am (Gold) to the next level. Like, unattainable. So this year may well be the last that I focus on Mlife at all, rewards-wise. With the Mlife CC I'm guaranteed no less than Pearl, but if I'm getting comped nights at Cosmo by the middle of the year I may just drop the CC and pick up a rewards card that would work with Cosmo (Marriot Bonvoy?).

I'm admittedly getting great room rates and decent resort credit from being in Mlife, but if I'm getting similar deals through comped nights once I reach Identity Gold then there'll be no reason to split play between the two like I'm doing now. As it stands the great thing about Identity is your points don't expire as long as you earn points regularly (not a problem for me since I'm in Vegas 4 times a year). Mlife, they all go away at the end of the year and you have to start from the bottom on your tier again. So I'd have to really kick ass on Mlife the last 3 trips to even keep Gold for next year.

The wrench that could be thrown into all this is Cosmo is continually rumored to be sold. MGM has kicked the tires, Hard Rock Seminoles, and others. Right now it's in the hands of a REIT which is no doubt just waiting to unload it for a nice profit. If that happens who knows what happens to Identity. I could dump Mlife for Identity this year just to have to start over with another program if Cosmo flips. You would think they would grandfather players into the new program, but who knows.

All this comes down to where I want to stay and play. The answer to both those questions is Cosmo. Mlife has my picky ass down to really just Aria as a suitable shack up spot, for reasons recorded in previous posts. That being the case, while Aria is nice, Cosmo is awesome. Pretty simple math. If I'm not going to continue with trying to keep/gain status with Mlife then there's no reason to play there or rack up points with the CC.

No rush on any of this, Let's get through the April trip staying at Aria and playing next door, then we'll see if I want to do a full transition after that. 



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