My Atlantic City Status Match Adventure — Update: New Casino Tier Match Opportunity and Total Rewards Diamond Fails to Deliver

My Atlantic City Status Match Adventure — Part 1: What’s Still Working and What Is Not

My Atlantic City Status Match Adventure — Part 2: Total Rewards Diamond Benefits IN DEPTH!

My Atlantic City Status Match Adventure — Part 3: MGM M life Gold Benefits IN DEPTH!

My Atlantic City Status Match Adventure — Part 4: Hard Rock Casino Wild Card Benefits and Summing Up

I’m in Atlantic city once again, and I have some good news and bad news. Let’s begin with the good news first because the bad news was just my experience, which may have no bearing on you. There is a new (but oldish) casino tier match opportunity.

Ocean Resorts Atlantic City is offering casino tier match again.

Ocean Resort Casino is proud to introduce the Ocean Premier loyalty program where moving up matters. An easy to understand program that rewards your play with valuable incentives such as preferred access, free parking, ascension gifts at every level, remarkable comps, suite upgrades and much more! Players also earn tier credits and comps when they play.
Room offer valid until May 23, 2019. Tier Matching promotion ends March 31, 2019. 

Here is the complete list of the casinos and statuses that Ocean Resort recognizes for their tier match program, but just to save some time: if you’re Total Rewards Diamond, you’ll get Ocean Premier Platinum. It’s not as good as the casino tier match in the summer when you could match TR Diamond to Hard Rock Casino Rock Royalty and then Rock Royalty to Ocean’s Black. That deal is history. The new one gives you $75 free play and 2 free nights that are valid 7 days a week. Pretty nice considering that a weekend room in Atlantic City can go for $300+.

Platinum status gives you decent benefits (asterisks mean “subject to availability” and yada-yada-yada).

• Complimentary Self and Valet Parking

• Platinum Tier Celebration Gift (I don’t know what it is — I suspect it may be that $75 free play).

• Player’s Club Lounge Access (with a 10 Comp dollars co-pay)

• Rollover Tier Credits

• Room Upgrades**

• Complimentary Show Tickets*

• Priority Line at Hotel, Events, Ocean Premier Rewards Center*

You must use your $75 free play the same day (actually until 6AM next day), and you must use your free room by 05.23.18.

The funny thing is that while I wasn’t upgraded (due to the new members only clause) my cousin Timmy, who goes to Atlantic City maybe twice a year (and that’s in a good year), got his Platinum card without a hitch.

Why it’s a good deal

Aside from the perks, this is probably the most beautiful hotel in Atlantic City. Yes, I did call Revel Hotel and Casino (the Ocean’s infamous predecessor that ended up in bankruptcy 4 months after the completion) “a huge, cold, devoid-of-any-human-touch-and-emotions, gray mass [that] would be right at home on the moon!” That’s true, but it’s still gorgeous. Like a snow queen, you know. Finding class in Atlantic City is kind of tough. Sure, there is Borgata, but it’s too far away; I prefer the boardwalk.

Yes, the service at Ocean Resort can be hit or miss, and the occasional stains on the carpet and furniture might be annoying. But, on the bright side, you won’t pay extra for the ocean view, because every room has it. And it has huge, floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy it. You can’t argue with a view like this.

Having said that — don’t get me wrong. Perks and free money help a lot, especially in a casino city. That’s a given! 🙂

Total Rewards Hiccups

Two of the most valuable benefits of the Diamond tier are a $100 Celebration Dinner and complimentary stay at Atlantis, Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Caesars screwed me up on both.

First, Timmy and I invited a couple of friends for a dinner at Guy Fieri’s Chophouse at Bally’s. The dinner was fine and the bill came out to $227 for 4 people when the waitress came back and said that Timmy wouldn’t be eligible for the Celebration dinner for another 2 weeks (we had tier-matched the day before the dinner). My card was fine.

There is nothing in the fine print or whatever print that I’d seen that would suggest to me that the benefit wouldn’t be immediate. Timmy and I went to the rewards center, and asked them to show me where I could find this disclaimer. Nowhere, they said. It should’ve been explained to you when you received the card. Huh?

It wasn’t! The whole process took about a minute, and the clerk didn’t say anything except, perhaps, “thank you” and “here you are.”

Needless to say, this outcome was embarrassing, and I’m not quite sure if there is anything I can do about it.

Then, Timmy and I tried to book a stay at Atlantis. This time around, Timmy’s card (remember, he tier-matched 2 days ago) was fine, but mine didn’t have the Diamond status reflected in my account. WTF?

All my adventures with casino tier-matching began last month, so I’m kind of inexperienced about it, but there is a cautionary tale in it. Don’t assume your new status will work “out of the box,” and verify that you have all your benefits set and ready to go before you step out of the casino.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!