A couple of weeks ago I matched my Marriott Gold status to Wyndham Rewards Diamond. Here is the offer, and, yes, it’s still available at the time of writing! I strongly recommend getting it. Yes, you’re getting it for 3 months only, but it might work out for you beyond that period (more about that in the next post).
Both Marriott Rewards Gold and Hilton Honors Gold will match you to Wyndham Diamond
Next I embarked on my own Atlantic City Status Match spree. Some things worked out fine, while others didn’t. This is going to be a series of 3 or 4 posts where I will thoroughly review the benefits of casino status matching. You might be interested in these opportunities even if you’re not a gambler – I’d even say, especially if you aren’t.
Wyndham Diamond to Total Rewards Diamond
Scored! Since Barclays recently denied my Wyndham credit card application, I don’t have a lot of interest in Wyndham Rewards. But I was very interested in getting status in Atlantic City casinos and, to some extent, Vegas ones. Not that I gamble a lot (I don’t), but Atlantic City is just a 2-hour drive from my home, and both my wife and my mom happen to love the place. Yes, even my mom, despite a very traumatic experience.
Unlike my Marriott to Wyndham match that took a week (and a gentle Twitter reminder), my Wyndham Diamond to Total Rewards Diamond match got through in about 3 days. So the first thing I did when I embarked on my Atlantic City status match spree was going to Caesars to pick up my Diamond cards. I got there after 9 pm, and the Total Rewards center was closed. So I went to the cage cashier, and she handed me… 2 Gold cards (the entry level tier). Whaaat?
I said thanks but no thanks, I’d rather have my Diamond cards. She couldn’t find anything about me, so she told me to come back when Member Services was open. Fortunately, I remembered the old HUCA rule that I adhere to almost religiously. Applying the telephone HUCA rule to the next cashier in full view of the first one made me feel bad, but I was tired and wanted to get it done already. The second cashier miraculously found my information in less than 10 seconds and printed my Diamond cards in less than 30.
Total Rewards Diamond to M Life Gold
Scored! From what I know, Borgata is the only casino that offers a tier match from competitors – I’ve seen reports about people flying to Atlantic City especially to get the match. Fortunately, Borgata was just a few minutes’ drive from the Tropicana where I was staying, so I made my way to the M Life desk and got my match in less than a minute. The clerk was well aware of the procedure and didn’t ask any questions at all. Unfortunately, I’d already had an account with Borgata so I didn’t qualify for their “new member” perks.
Total Rewards Diamond to Wild Card Rock Royalty
Scored! Rock Royalty is the Hard Rock Casino top tier. I was done in less than a minute, but my card didn’t work right away and kept showing the Premier tier wherever I tried. I had to come back to the Wild Card Services and talk to a supervisor to straighten things out.
Total Rewards Diamond to Tropicana Anything
Failed! A very friendly representative said they weren’t matching tiers at the moment. When I asked if there was a chance, she said yes, it’s very possible since they’d just been bought by another company (Eldorado Resorts). So I’ll be monitoring, I guess.
Total Rewards Diamond to Resorts Anything
Failed! They claimed they don’t match, never have, and never will (OK, I took creative license with the last one).
Wild Card Rock Royalty to Ocean Resorts Black Card
Failed! I ended my Atlantic City status match adventure at Ocean Resorts (former Revel) where I stayed for another 2 days. Ocean Resorts is the nicest hotel and casino on the Boardwalk, IMHO, and I was hoping to score the highest Black Tier due to my newly minted Rock Royalty card. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough because they’d stopped status matching at the end of September. However, they did give me a Gold card (the second tier out of 4), which, from what I understand, had nothing to do with a match (quite honestly, I just don’t know why they gave it to me, but I wasn’t throwing it back).
So, all in all, my Wyndham Diamond match got me 3 tier matches with real, money-saving benefits. Not too shabby, I’d say.
Photo by: Marco Verch
NEXT: My Atlantic City Status Match Adventure — Part 2: Total Rewards Diamond Benefits IN DEPTH!
Hey Andy,
Great write-up! Very informative, thank you.
1 update: Ocean Resorts is now matching again until march 31st, but it looks like Rock Royalty now only matches to Platinum.
Quick question though… did you sign up for all of these loyalty programs (just to have all of your info on file) prior to your visit to Atlantic City or do you just get everything established when you status match (say to Borgata, Hard Rock, or Ocean)?
Thanks!
Hey Andy, great write-up!
Should I be signing up for the loyalty programs prior to requesting the status match or can they sign me up and match the status while I am in Atlantic City? I am not sure which method is preferred and makes things easier (I know you missed out on the “new member” perk since you were already a member of Borgata.
Hi Joel,
There are no downsides to signing up for the program during the match. I wouldn’t sign up for Ocean and Borgata beforehand anyway. Ocean matches new members only, and Borgata, as you know, gives better bennies to new members.
Can you use the benefits right away? Like the slots credits and free nights?
I believe so.