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Las Vegas is one of our most favorite travel destinations, and with proper planning, it is also one of our most affordable travel destinations.
Every time we return from a trip to Vegas, I have the same conversation with my mother, “How can you afford to go there?” And I tell her, very matter-of-factly, “I can’t afford not to go there!”
Las Vegas offers so many discounts and completely free services, it almost seems silly not to go! For a fraction of what similar trips cost, we can have a luxurious weekend in Las Vegas.
“How can I make that happen?” you ask. Keep on reading and I’ll share my secrets with you.
I know what you’re thinking, and no, this isn’t one of those long-con sales pitches with a call to purchase at the end before any of the real details are spilled. I’m not going to try to trick you into buying a timeshare. And I’m not going to make you sign up for anything. I’m just sharing all of my best secrets on how we save hundreds of dollars on our travel to Las Vegas every year.
Free Flight to Las Vegas
Free flights are the main reason we are able to travel as often as we do. Oftentimes, the flight is half the expense of our trip. Being able to use points instead of dollars was a game changer for us.
I’m not here to sell you anything, as promised, but I will share that we signed up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa a few years ago and have not once regretted our decision to sign up. This card does come with an annual fee, which I have found pays for itself in no time. We rack up points on every purchase, and get anniversary points every year. They make it so easy to keep getting free flights, so we keep taking them!
We got ours a few years ago and have not once regretted our decision to sign up. This card does come with an annual fee, which I have found pays for itself in no time. We rack up points on every purchase, and get anniversary points every year. They make it so easy to keep getting free flights, so we keep taking them!
In addition to the Rapid Rewards Visa, you can also earn Rapid Rewards points by joining their Diner Rewards program, or by joining their Rewards Survey program. Both are free to join and don’t require any annual fees.
The Diner Rewards program syncs up with any credit card (no Rapid Rewards Visa required!) It allows you to earn points on purchases made at partner restaurants. Additionally, you can score extra points for reviews!
The Rewards Survey program has limited enrollment, but once you’re in, you are able to complete market research surveys to get Rapid Rewards points. Surveys take anywhere between 5 – 50 minutes to complete, and you can earn between 2 and 100 points per survey depending on the complexity.
Free Rooms, Shows, Buffets, and Slots!
The biggest secret to is one you may have already heard of, and if you haven’t you will soon be converted into a fan. My Vegas Slots is a phone and Facebook app that allows you to win real, free rewards for your trip to Vegas. (Download for Android or iOS)
You are only able to redeem three My Vegas rewards per account per 30-day period. There are rumored ways to get around this, but no official word from My Vegas on how to unlock more slots. We only have three reward slots unlocked each, and have no problem making this work for our visit.
Free Rooms in Las Vegas
There are two ways to get free rooms during your stay in Las Vegas. The first way is through the My Vegas App. A two-night comp’d stay, when available, will cost you right around 200,000 points. There are black out date restrictions on this reward. Be sure to check the calendar before committing to this reward.
The other way to get free rooms during your stay is a little more up to chance. Once you enroll in the free MLife rewards program (which you will need to do in order to redeem any of these rewards) you will start receiving emails with offers for discounted and eventually comp’d rooms. We receive monthly offers that have ranged anywhere from $39 per night rooms all the way to three comp’d nights. If you haven’t got an offer you like, hold out, another one is just around the corner.
See Related Post: A Sneak Peek at the New Park MGM Resort in Las Vegas
Free Shows in Las Vegas
There is a very easy way to get tickets to free Cirque Du Solis tickets through the My Vegas app. Free show tickets are offered all the time. It is easy to get tickets to see shows like Zumanity or Ka, and more difficult to get tickets to see Beatles’ Love. My husband and I are able to book these rewards separately. We are still able to select seats right next to each other without any trouble.
While there are no black out dates to these shows, there are certain shows that only run on certain nights of the week. Be sure to check the show schedules to find which one will fit with the dates you travel to Las Vegas.
Free Buffets in Las Vegas
While you can redeem reward points for a completely free buffet, we find it more beneficial to redeem the rewards for buy-one-get-one buffets. Instead of using up two of our collective six rewards slots, we only use up one, which means we get more meals during our stay. For the two of us, it makes more sense to spend $25 on a brunch for two that will keep us full for the whole day, than use up our reward slots early on completely free meals, only to have to pay for us both later on.
There are free and bogo buffets at every MGM owned Resort, and you’re able to use these rewards to try new buffets, or return to the same one over and over.
Free Slots in Las Vegas
This is one of my favorite rewards to redeem during our stay because I love to gamble but hate to lose money. With the FreePlay reward, I get the best of both worlds. On the My Vegas app, you have the choice between a $25 or $50 dollar FreePlay reward. There is a catch that comes with this reward, however…
To receive the FreePlay reward, you do have to pay for a hotel room at the casino you are redeeming it at. For the $25 reward, you must pay for at least a one-night stay. For the $50 reward, you must be staying at the hotel you redeem it at for at least two nights.
Since the value of a two nights in a hotel room is higher than a $50 FreePlay, it would seem like this would not be the most ideal reward to redeem. However, I love getting this reward because when we travel to Las Vegas, we are often there on Holiday weekends due to our work schedules. These weekends often fall on black-out dates for the free night stay. A little bit of extra money to play with is a nice perk when free rooms cannot be used.
Free Table Play (New!) in Las Vegas
New to My Vegas is a reward they are calling MatchPlay. With the MatchPlay reward, you are again required to stay at least one night at the hotel you are redeeming it at. However, it appears this one can be used in conjunction with the FreePlay.
For MatchPlay, you can get $15 or $30 towards free table play if you put down the same amount yourself. As the name implies, they’re matching what you bet. This won’t get you very far, but it’s good for a free hand or two on the Black Jack tables.
Update: Check out two more apps I love to use when we travel to Las Vegas that also make our trip more affordable! You might even have these apps downloaded to your phone already!
Three Apps that can Make Your Next Trip to Vegas More Affordable
Fly for free. Stay for free. Play for free. Eat for free. See shows for free. With so many ways to enjoy Vegas completely free of charge, can you really afford to not take advantage of a Las Vegas getaway?
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Three Apps That Can Make Your Next Trip to Las Vegas More Affordable
We love Vegas but we always end up spending a lot more than we plan to because everything can add up so quickly. Information you put together here is terrific!! I didn’t know you could even get free shows! We’ll keep all these in mind next time we visit. Thank you!
The free shows are our favorite perk of the MyVegas app! It’s easy to lose track of spending in Vegas, glad I could offer up some tips to help you get even more out of your next trip! Happy Traveling!
Awesome post! I’m checking out the app now. We just finished up a trip to Las Vegas where we had a free place to park our RV for the week, so lodging was taken care of. It would’ve been nice to have the free tickets to a cirque show though. Ouch! Those are expensive for a family of 5. Thanks for the tips!
Cirque tickets can be so expensive! I hope you are able to get a few comp’d ones next time around!
Your post caught my eye because I live in Las Vegas! I am getting the My Vegas Slots app (what a great tip!) to try and snag some free show tickets 🙂 It will also be great when we have visitors come in which is pretty much the only time we go to casinos. Although a free buffet or two might entice us to visit them on our own. Thank you!
Hi Dori! So glad I could help! Keep an eye on the fine print of the rewards, some of them are (unfortunately) not available to residents of Clark County. But your visitors are welcome to earn rewards, too, and they will not be limited by this restriction!
Just as an FYI for Vegas locals. The rewards on myVegas are not as great for locals, you have to live at least 150 miles away from Vegas for a lot of the rewards.
Thanks for the tip! For that same reason, it’s always a good idea to get rewards before you head out to Vegas, too. The rewards do change once you arrive.
Great article! I’m a Vegas resident as well! There are indeed some great incentives here, just a little preplanning is necessary. A great time to visit is when there are no “big” events going on here like: conventions, concerts, or sporting events. Not only is there less traffic but venues need to be filled because workers are getting paid if there is 1 customer or 1,000’s (think cruise ship – it sails with a full crew all the time). Another low cost incentive to LV is it’s surrounding natural sights like Red Rock, Mt Charleston, Spring Mountain State Park, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead.
Great Suggestions, Christa! I absolutely loved Valley of Fire and we’re hoping to see Red Rock on our next trip. Mt. Charleston and Spring Mountain are completely new to me, I’ll definitely look into those ones! Thank you!
We’ve been to Vegas a couple times and loved it! I will have to check out this app and start working on our next vacation! Thanks for the tips!
We love Vegas too! It’s so much fun! Start early earning points for your rewards! You’ll never regret having too many!
I’ve gone to Vegas 3 times already, thanks to myVegas. Actually going again next week. I am able to use 4 rewards because I’ve bought chip packages. We were able to score a 3 night comp at the Mirage, 2 tickets for Secret Garden, 2 tickets to Shark Reef and a brunch buffet at Cravings. Then the husband has 3 also. Which saves so much with our family of 5, that’s going.
Awesome finds! Especially that tree night comp! There isn’t an official amount that you have to spend to unlock an extra reward, but do you mind sharing how much you had to spend to get that extra space unlocked?
I have heard that Vegas is working to be more Family Friendly. I wonder if it is best for a romantic getaway or a family trip? I believe there is very likely enough for everyone but I enjoyed the budget conscious point of view you gave. Thanks.