AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card are not available through this site. All information has been independently collected by AwardWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers.
All information about Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has been collected independently by AwardWallet
I just returned from my first trip to Atlantic City, a journey I undertook for research purposes both in the gambling and award travel arenas. Atlantic City had my attention because I've been reading for some time about all of the resort/casino status match opportunities available in the East Coast gambling town. The below information is a summary of all the match opportunities I undertook as well as Award Travel 101 member Derek Teay who graciously took his time to compare notes and summarize all the opportunities he undertook during the same week I was in town.
Status Match Primer
Before starting your Atlantic City status match round, you need to know a few basic principles about these status match opportunities:
- Many of the casino resorts in Atlantic City are part of larger nationwide loyalty programs like Caesars Rewards and Mlife. Make sure you know which resorts are associated with each program, which we will cover below.
- Status matches typically only apply to new accounts with each casino. If you already have an Mlife account for example, the Borgata most likely will not upgrade your existing account. This means you need to be strategic about when you open an account with the resorts/award programs in Atlantic City.
- If you can bring along a spouse or significant other, be strategic about your match strategy. Ensure you can use all your free nights during the offer period while also considering whether to double up on all the offers. It could make sense for only one of you to match this year to enjoy elevated benefits through September (when the casino loyalty year typically ends) and then your significant other match next year (assuming these generous offers are still around) to give yourself another year of tier status.
- You must have your driver's license to sign up for most of the programs as they want your address, but some have reported having success with a passport.
Gain Initial Status
The easiest way to begin and to maximize a status match run to Atlantic City is to earn Caesars Rewards Diamond status. This is the highest status you can earn without gambling and will allow you to be matched to the highest possible matched status at other properties without involving a casino host. The easiest way to earn Caesars Rewards Diamond is to earn Wyndham Rewards Diamond status which partners with Caesars Rewards. Once you earn Wyndham Diamond, you can match that online to Caesars Rewards. At that point, you are set to enter any of the Atlantic City casinos discussed below and start the match run.
You can earn Wyndham Diamond status through Wyndham's ongoing status match/challenge offer. This means in order to start this whole domino effect, you must have hotel status with at least one chain. The following hotel statuses will qualify you for Wyndham Diamond:
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite or higher
- Hilton Honors Gold or higher
- Choice Privileges Diamond
- Best Western Diamond Select
- Hyatt Globalist
- IHG Platinum Elite or higher
- Radisson Rewards Gold or higher
- Omni Select Guest Black
If you have no hotel status at all, there are a variety of credit cards which will earn you one or more of the above statuses—just for holding the card. If you only care about qualifying for the Wyndham Diamond match, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers automatic Hilton Gold status with an annual fee of $95.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Another low-cost option is the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card which offers automatic Platinum Elite status with an annual fee of just $99 each year. If you're looking for a top-tier card with a huge range of benefits, including Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Gold, The Platinum Card® from American Express is an excellent pick.
Once you have your qualifying elite status, submit a screenshot of your credentials to Wyndham and wait for your status to be upgraded. The Wyndham offer is technically a challenge, so if you want to hold Wyndham Rewards Diamond for longer than three months, you'll need to stay 14 nights in 90 days. Once your Wyndham Diamond status shows up—typically 48-72 hours after submitting your credentials—head to the Caesars Rewards site to match your new Wyndham status to Caesars Rewards Diamond. Your Caesars account will be upgraded within seven business days of submitting the request.
This means you'll want to start the Wyndham status-match process at least 10 business days before your planned departure for Atlantic City, allowing 3 days for hotel status to be matched by Wyndham and 7 more days for an upgrade to Caesars Diamond. If you don't already have one of the hotel elite statuses listed above, you'll want to apply for a rewards card like the Amex Platinum, IHG One Rewards Premier Card, or Hilton Surpass at least a month ahead of time. With Caesars Rewards status in hand, it's time to head to the city to start your match rounds.
Resort Rundown
Below is a list of current Atlantic City casino/resort status match offers as of February 2019. Let's start with the benefits of the newest status you just acquired:
Bally's Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah's Resort Atlantic City (Caesars Rewards Diamond)
Match specific offers: None
Notable Status Benefits: A complimentary Atlantis Bahamas stay (based on tier credits as well), a $100 celebration dinner, free self or valet parking, no resort fees, priority lines, a guaranteed room with 72hr notice, and lounge access for Diamond Elite members that have earned at least 25,000 Tier Credits in the previous or current year. See all benefits here.
Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa (Match to Mlife Gold)
Match specific offers: $100 Bonus Slot Dollars or Match Play, Complimentary night in classic room, full details here.
Notable Status Benefits: Priority lines, priority check-in, a 20% bonus on points earned from slots, and Royal Caribbean cruise onboard benefits. See all benefits here.
Ocean Resort Casino (Match to Ocean Premier Platinum)
Match specific offers: $75 in free play, two complimentary nights valid any day of the week
Notable Status Benefits: Premier lounge access (with $12.50 in comp dollars), free valet and self parking, room upgrades, priority lines. See all benefits here.
Hard Rock Hotel Atlantic City (Match to Wild Card Rewards Rock Royalty)
Match specific offers: Two complimentary nights valid any day of the week, $100 bonus free play, two tickets to comedy club, one-time entry for you and one guest to Fresh Harvest Buffet or Legends Lounge
Notable Status Benefits: Priority lines, priority hotel check-in, room upgrades, access to buffet or lounge for you and a guest for $10 comp dollars per person, free self and valet parking, and complimentary show tickets. See all benefits here.
Bonus Match: World of Hyatt — Once you have Mlife Gold status from the Borgata you can take advantage of the Mlife/Hyatt partnership and match to Hyatt's Explorist status, which is just below top tier Globalist.
If you happen to be a regular gambler and have a higher status like Caesars Seven Stars it may be possible to match to Mlife Platinum (rarer) or Ocean Premier Black according to many reports. There is also plenty of gambling around Atlantic City in Pennsylvania and Delaware where you may be able to further match those player's club tiers as well. The total route starting at Harrah's to pick up your Diamond card then going to Borgata, Ocean and Hard Rock will cover 2.9 miles.
One last bit of information for any of our readers that are veterans: a few of the casino loyalty programs have special cards which give you additional benefits on top of your casino tier level. As an example, Ocean gives veterans a free night each month (good Sunday-Thurs nights) and 10% off all food and beverages. Be sure to bring your VA or state-issued Veteran's ID to sign up for the benefits when you match your status.
Here’s a chart recapping the above strategy for maximizing status matches in Atlantic City:
Bottom Line
Right now, there's plenty of value to be had in “free play” and tier benefits that will make your trip to Atlantic City more enjoyable. If you're headed to Vegas after your northeast trip, Mlife Gold and Caesars Rewards Diamond will also make your trip out west much more enjoyable and hopefully yield further match opportunities on the strip.
If you're aware of any other casinos in Atlantic City offering tier matches please let us know in the comments and either link the information or shoot us an email with the details. Happy status matching.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Why do only mention Atlantic City and not Las Vegas?
Because the author put this into practice in person in Atlantic City! Many of the same strategies can be put in place in Las Vegas. But policies vary by casino location. So, make sure to have a plan.
so its april 2021, looks like wyndham still doesnt have any status matching opportunities. I been checking the last few months but nada. I am marriott titanium and ihg plantinum. Any other way to get status? Ultimately looking for status match at mlife, will would do ocean or hardrock too.
Thanks!
Golden Nugget Matches tier credit for new members and active members. You can also visit Golden Nugget Las Vegas. Which a good place to enjoy.
Does matching from Wyndhym to Ceasars give get you any benefits when using hotels in Las Vegas?
I always have IHG Platinum, so can I re-match status every year to Wyndham and then match to Caesars Diamond, or is it a one time match only and cannot be done every year? If it’s a one time only, then it would be best it seems to wait until after 1 Jan 2020 to get Caesars Diamond for the whole year of 2020?
I’m not 100% sure on this, but I believe the match is one-time only. You’d be correct that it would be better to wait until the next qualification period so you get to keep status for the entire year plus the following calendar year.
Very informative! I took your advice and went down to AC last week with my Caesar’s Diamond player card and got exactly the following:
M Life (Gold), Ocean (Premier), & Rock Royalty (Wild Card)
Here is the best part! After receiving $100 comp from Hard Rock, within 20 minutes, I hit the major jackpot on a Piggy Bankin Lock It Link slot machine of $31,000+!!! I am so glad I came across your article!!~~ If I ever see you down at AC, drink and dinner on me! =)
Best of luck to all of you!~
I had a question, I just matched to Caesars Diamond, Can I go to the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City, and get matched to there Rock Royalty card, and use the two comp nights right away. Or should I book 2 nights before I go there? What’s the best way to go about this?
I can confirm there are NO extra benefits for status matching to Ocean. I found this out about 5 hours ago. You will get matched to the tier but no free nights and no free play or anything. The rep told me that ended back in March. Never been a member here.
I matched back to gold and received no extras either. I have had mlife for a long time, tho.
Hard Rock is still matching the offer here. Definitely choose the lounge option instead of the buffet. Not as many options but better quality and practically every drink is included. I had a pistachio martini and it was delish. I cashed out about $150 from my $100 free play. I think there was another $25 you could get at the promo kiosk for being a new member that I didn’t remember to redeem
Did you have a existing mlife account before going to the Borgata to status match?
Did you already have a existing mlife account before matching gold at the Borgata?
Have anyone try using a Golden Nuggets Elite ‘Trade Up’ card at either Caesars Total Rewards to get an Diamond Card, or Hard Rock Wild Card “Rock Royalty” at Atlantic City?
Thanks
Completed Ceasars status match at Hard Rock and Borgata on 6/20 for myself and my wife. Got 4 nights at the Hard Rock 6/24-27 and two at the Borgata 6/27-29 along with $400 in free slot play (100 p/P at ea. Hotel). Went to Oceans on 6/25 for status match and was told no more free night or free play. Just status match and free parking 🙁
Have anyone try using a Golden Nuggets Elite ‘Trade Up’ card at either Caesars Total Rewards to get an Diamond Card, or Hard Rock Wild Card “Rock Royalty” at Atlantic City?
Thanks
Has anyone had any issues with matching the mlife Gold back to Hyatt Explorist? Any advice on that piece of the puzzle? I have recently complete the whole trip in AC, and it was very smooth (and also won $ off of my free table match $$ at Hard Rock and Borgata), but the match to Hyatt doesn’t seem to be working.
Everything finally processed and I now have Hyatt Explorist due to the match from mlife Gold! This whole thing was fun, and worked like a charm. Good luck to everyone!
Sorry to jump on an old post. When you matched to Hyatt, was the match only to Jan 2020 or out to Jan 2021? Also, when does the mLife Gold expire? I am hoping to have a perpetual match back and forth with Hyatt due to staggered expirations between programs.
Does anyone know if you get the free nights on the day that you match?
Trying to go on memorial day weekend and would LOVE to be about to get a free night in AC 🙂
If I have opened an MLife card many years ago and haven’t used it in at least 3 years, am I going to have this problem? “If you already have an Mlife account for example, the Borgata most likely will not upgrade your existing account. ” How can I make sure to get a good MLife match? Is there a way to close my old account? I ultimately care most about getting the Hyatt match.
just did the above and it all works! pretty cool
If I am 7 stars at CET in AC, will they tier match me at Borgata?
This is a great article and a great promotion, I personally had the Total Rewards Diamond from Founderscard, status matched that to Wyatt before it expired and after expiration matched it back to gain TR Diamond back again for a year, looking forwards for my yearly trip to Vegas :).
After Caesar’s Diamond match, will Borgata match my Mlife pearl to gold? I don’t want to run down there to find they will not.
Thanks Bill, After reading further and chatted with members who went recently.
I have decided to status match only to Oceans as their new member perks seems to be expiring (2 comp nights) by May 26th.
So I will status match my Casers Diamond to Mlife Gold (1 comp night), then to Oceans P Platinum for their free lounges, free plays.
Hope Bargota does not have resort fee and provide some comp food coupons
So do you make reservations ahead of time or just walk down the strip getting free rooms? How many rooms total can you earn if you’re a veteran?
Hi, I am heading this weekend and wondering if i can make use of one comp night at Bargota and save the remaining 2 nights at Oceans and 2Nights at Hardrock for later date (May be summer 2019) ??
Also can any one confirm is there any resort fees for these comp nights ?
After googling the Oceans resort, it looks like Hyatt seems to have bought it. (both Hyatt and Oceans are showing the same address).
Does this means they have two seperate customer services for “Oceans Premimum Platinum” and “Hyatt Explorist” status match..
Appreciate any clarifications or any recent data points in this regards.
Adding a comment with regard to Oceans Resort and its Hyatt Affiliation. As with most hotels, Hyatt itself does not own the property – but its a franchise agreement. For Oceans – there are two loyalty programs on site – Hyatt and Oceans Premier. There is no reciproical match for Oceans to Hyatt a – or Hyatt to Oceans. I had sent customer service an inquiry before staying there with this situation. Oddly, they say great idea – we have not thought of that before. However, if you do have Hyatt status – they do honor all the perks that come with the tier – for example 2pm checkout… hope that helps.
Thank you for providing all these status matching opportunities. I learned a great deal from the strategies listed in this article.
To update, I successfully received a match via Wyndham today. Thanks for the tip
So does all of this still work. Can you still get free nights at Caesar’s just from the status match? Thanks.
Yes, these strategies are still current
Yes – i can confirm these all are still current. I just did this exact plan this weekend. Perfect results!
Awesome, congrats on getting it done! And thanks for reporting back, it’s always a big help for other folks reading the post to see more recent updates from punters on the ground.
Thanks! This is a great strategy!
Is the mLife match still working at Borgata in March? Still debating whether the trip is worthwile.
AC is a great place to visit. I love the boardwalk and the great pizza shops and beach.
Do the benefits automatically show on your account or do you have to call to receive them?
This is a great post! I’d love to try to match Mlife using Hilton Gold.
Thanks very much for the tips! I’d previously matched Wyndham to Caesars Diamond but didn’t realize further match to MLife and Hyatt Explorist were possible. Thanks again!
Don’t usually go to AC but will have to investigate using Wyndham match if decide to go.
Great post! I’ve shared it with my friends.
If I have mlife pearl and ceasers diamond now, will Borgata give me mlife gold?
I am so ready to go to AC and lose all my money, LOL.
Great read, I might give it a try!
I definitely love those fancy hotels!
Atlantic City is still a thing? Only partly kidding, I haven’t heard anything about the city in the present tense in ages.
I wish I could justify a trip to Atlantic City for “research” 🙂
Went to Atlantic City last year … even this doesn’t convince me to go back…
Thanks for the info.
I will see if I have some benefit asking the match with Wyndham (depending on the stays I am having in the future).
Can you use the free nights earned with status matching to pay for the trip to Atlantis City?
Nice outline especially due to the Caesars properties in our area
I have M life pearl but i do not remember the last time I was in the Borgata. Will they still give me the status match?
I heard that the partnership between Hyatt and MLife is ending today. And no further matches will be available in the future. Is this true?
Yes; in person, you can match Caesars Diamond to Mlife Gold. Alternatively, if you have Hyatt Explorist status, you can match that, online, to Mlife Gold.
Oh, I’m taking advantage of this…
Nice, handy summary. Thanks! Never been to AC, but this may make it worthwhile.
A great benefit & a great way to promote Atlantic City. Seems everyone has fun there.
Even if I’m not a gambler, can I jump through these hoops and get the deal at the Atlantis and working my way on up to Hyatt status???
Very handy, thanks!
Thanks for the info! Actually thinking about planning a trip to Atlantic City, so perfect timing!
How long does the status at Hyatt, Borgata and Ocean last after matching? Also, is it better for me to do the match first and then ask m wife to do so next year?
I’d like to know the answer for that question as well. So if I’m not a gambler, would this be a way to fast-track getting eventually to the Hyatt status and being able to do it all online?
Useful info. I’ll pass this on to a friend who lives in Atlantic City who may want to take advantage of this.
I don’t know much about status match opportunities, but thank you for the info. The Hilton Aspire card is looking to be a future card for sure with this info and so much more!
How long is the Hyatt Explorist match good for? I see the expiration are different for each of the cards in the article.
Awesome post! If only this could be done for Vegas…
Haha nice, now I need to visit Atlantic City.
Good info. I know some who have taken advantage of these matches. It’s not the greatest match in the world, but not terrible.
Thank you for the information. I’ve only been to AC once but it was late November so it was pretty dead.
Thanks. I love Atlantic City!
The article is a very interesting read.
To be honest Atlantic City makes me sad such a depressing city.
I’ve heard that about Atlantic City too
Totally interesting idea/concept.
I wonder what other types of things I should be checking matching status with/for… esp in Europe (where I live). Thanks for this post!
Almost makes me want to head to Atlantic City!
Wow. What a great article. Well done on maximizing the experience!
Great post! I’ve shared it with my friends.
If I have mlife pearl and ceasers diamond now, will Borgata give me mlife gold?
Atlantic city!!! How fun that is! Thank you.
Cant wait to do this but 6hr drive each way sucks
Great information! Looks like a trip to AC is in my near future.
Great article! Looks like I’m heading to AC in the near future!
Thanks for the chart. I’m visiting someone in Las Vegas in 2 weeks.
Now that I see from above responses tat it won’t work in Las Vegas, disregard (except for the thanks, which stays.
Thanks. interesting article
What an interesting challenge! I wish you had written this while I was working in Atlantic City. I’ll definitely bookmark it in case I go back.
Very neat! I used to go to Atlantic city a few years ago but haven’t thought about going again, perhaps I should! looks like they are eager to have tourists spend dollars there again. Thanks for the info, I had not thought of all the benefits of status matching there.
Note that Ceasars Diamond only gets you the free nights in Dubai if the status was earned, not matched.
Thanks for taking the time to contribute and add this important note. Not headed to Dubai anytime soon myself, but I’m sure someone here will see this and benefit.
Thanks for this heads up! Good to know.
You signed up for a new MLife account? I assumed you already had MLife gold from Hyatt match.
I believe what the chart is indicating is that MLife-Hyatt reciprocates. At least it has in my experience.
Yes; M-Life/Hyatt are reciprocal matches, and they can be done online, as can Caesars/Wyndham matches.
Nice overview however Caesars has updated their t&c and the dubai stay as well as the altantis stay are now only for people with “earned status” aka who have the tier points. Dubai states so clearly on the overview, Atlantis is more hidden but if you look up the other ways you can get caesars you’ll notice. However this is still valuable because of the Las Vegas no ressort fee and thanks to your article I know how to get it the other way round through Wyndham.
Q: the w status is only good for that short amount of time but the caesars diamond is for longer, as I can see on your card, correct?
That is so not true about Atlantis Bahamas requiring earned status and being “more hidden”. You should get your facts checked before commenting on everyone’s post here misinforming people.
Signed,
Someone who came back from Atlantis Bahamas since your post without earned status.
This seems like an amazing offer, especially a couple of free nights at the Hard Rock Hotel Atlantic City.
Thanks. Can some of the same strategies work in Vegas? Specifically the status match with Wyndham and then matching Caesar’s?
No, Only at Atlantic city.
Obviously, even if they don’t offer match, there are still tons of people around the world go to LV, however, Atlantic city need people to spend money there.
Status match from Wyndham to Caesar’s is online so it can be done anywhere. Sadly the rest does not work in Vegas.
Do you mean the different matchups? As far as I understand they should work if you do them and then have the status – to be then used in Vegas. You may get it in AC, but it should be usable in Vegas after that (f.e. Caesar Rewards benefit should apply everywhere not just AC)
Status match from Wyndham to Caesar’s is online so it can be done anywhere. Sadly the rest does not work in Vegas. As of now it can only be done in Atlantic City or Springfield, Massachusetts.
the wyndham status challenge should be able to be done without a stay in atlantic city and once you have it, caesars should be doable – and both of them are not AC status, but the program meaning it is valid in vegas as well