May the 4th be with you, er, me!
Join me for a five-night Cinco de Mayo cruise to Bermuda on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, sailing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J., on May 4. You may even qualify for a complimentary cruise fare! Click here for more information.
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TIPS & IDEAS
(click on the links below) ► Atlantis Report #1 ◄ ► Atlantis Report #2 ◄ ► Atlantis Report #3 ◄ ► Atlantis Report #4 ◄ ► Atlantis Report #5 ◄ ► Links (an easy way to navigate the Total Rewards website) ◄ ► 2018-19 Seven Stars deadlines ◄
► Making the most of your annual NCL cruise benefit ◄ ► Your Annual Retreat: Tips to make it better, easier ◄ ► Insider Guide: Atlantic City ◄ ► Insider Guide: Las Vegas ◄ ► Total Rewards – UK ◄ DOWNLOAD NEWSLETTERS, SPECIAL REPORTS & OTHER DOCUMENTS (click on the links below)
PODCASTS & VIDEOS
(click on the link below)
 ► Interview with Craig Shacklett, CEO, URComped.com - Feb. 16, 2016 ◄
► "Gambling With An Edge" Interview - Feb. 16, 2016 ◄
► "Gambling With An Edge" Interview - Sept. 29, 2015 ◄
NEWS ABOUT NON-TOTAL REWARDS PROPERTIES
(click on the link below) ► Benefits to using your card at non-Total Rewards casinos ◄ Why this website? Insider Tip To claim any or all of your five annual Seven Stars $100 Celebration Dinner vouchers, simply tell your server how many vouchers you want to use. In Atlantic City go to the appropriate promotional kiosk, or at Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel and Caesars Windsor stop by the Total Rewards Center first. While you can redeem your vouchers at any time, try to wait until the day you're going to use the voucher(s). Even though a lost or damaged voucher can be replaced, it can be time-consuming and you might not be able to get it on the day you want to use it. While the vouchers are supposed to be good at any Caesars-owned restaurant – and an advance reservation is recommended, if for nothing else to confirm that the restaurant accepts the vouchers – note that some states do not allow a casino to accept a voucher printed at another out-of-state casino. Consequently, it's best to redeem the voucher(s) at the location where you will be using it. [Diamond cardholders, follow the same procedure for your annual $100 Celebration Dinner.] Ask many Seven Stars cardholders and they will admit they most likely learned more about the program and its benefits from another Seven Stars cardholder. Too many hosts and other employees are woefully undereducated about the program and its benefits. Since the site was launched, even several Caesars employees (who obviously wish to remain anonymous) claim they have learned more from this website than from Caesars itself. Seven Stars cardholders, as well as Caesars players in general, say they appreciate the objective opinions, tips and other information the site contains. Even several travel agents who send many clients to Las Vegas (and other locations featured here) say they find value in the comments shared on the site. NOTE: Because much of the information about individual casinos (see left) comes from various sources, if anyone sees incorrect or out-of-date information, please email sevenstarsinsider@gmail.com.
Seven Stars – The basics
Seven Stars is the highest tier level in Caesars Entertainment Corporation's Total Rewards® program, requiring 150,000 or more tier credits in a calendar year. Seven Stars is preceded by Diamond, Platinum and Gold. Diamond cardholders are required to earn 15,000 to 149,999 tier credits in a calendar year; Platinum, 5,000 to 14,999 tier credits; Gold is the entry-level card available to anyone eligible who signs up. Starting in 2013 Caesars began to recognize Total Rewards cardholders who earned at least 40,000 or 80,000 tier credits,, but not enough to achieve Seven Stars. As of Jan. 1, 2018, these Aspiration levels have been discontinued. To view more information about Seven Stars, click here.
As an enhancement to encourage greater play during a "promotional day" (generally, 6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m. the next; however, click here to find a list of casinos that use a different schedule), Total Rewards offers Bonus Tier Credits:
> Earn 500 Tier Credits, receive 125 Bonus Tier Credits
> Earn 1,000 Tier Credits, receive 1,000 Bonus Tier Credits > Earn 2,500 Tier Credits, receive 5,000 Bonus Tier Credits > Earn 5,000 Tier Credits, receive 10,000 Bonus Tier Credits Note, though, that while tier credits are earned during a calendar year (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31), tier benefits are available Feb. 1 through Jan. 31 the following year. [One exception is the Seven Stars Experiences (see below).] Note, too, that a Diamond cardholder earning Seven Stars status, say, in August 2018, would be eligible for all the Seven Stars benefits – including the Annual Retreat and Celebration Dinner(s) – through Jan. 31, 2019, plus all the Seven Stars benefits again through Jan. 31, 2020.
Just earning 150,000 tier credits in a calendar year does not automatically grant you Seven Stars status. You must be invited to join! Also, once you achieve 150,000 credits, it can take a couple weeks to get your credentials. The reason for the delay is that Caesars checks to make sure you don't have any outstanding financial obligations to the company, and that you don't have any complaints for disruptive behavior. Caesars marketing efforts to the contrary, Seven Stars cardholders who want the best treatment (at their tier level) are still better off staying and playing at one property, or, if applicable, at least one property in each of Caesars two major "hubs" – Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Those who travel a great deal and play at different Caesars properties around the country will find themselves besieged with offers from those properties after one visit – even though they may never intend, or have the opportunity, to visit them again. Meanwhile, special offers from casinos they may play at more frequently, slowly disappear. Seven Stars Signature Experiences
Upon earning 250,000 tier credits, cardholders receive one Experience Credit. For every additional 250,000 tier credits they earn through Dec. 31 they receive an additional Experience Credit. These credits can be used to book one or more Signature Experiences. All Experiences must be booked no later than Jan. 31 of the following year, and completed no later than June 30. You cannot carry over credits from one year to the next or combine credits earned in different years.
Seven Stars Signature Events
Four separate Signature Events took place in 2018. The Lake Tahoe and New Orleans Events were Elite Signature Events, limited to cardholders who earned 500,000 or more tier credits during 2017 or earned 500,000 or more tier credits during 2018 and prior to these events. Those cardholders with 500,000 or more tier credits also could attend all four Events; all other Seven Stars cardholders could attend only one – either the Atlantic City or Las Vegas Event:
*must have earned 500,000 or more tier credits during 2017, or earn 500,000 or more tier credits in 2018 prior to the Events in Lake Tahoe and/or New Orleans, to be eligible to attend these Elite Events.
Seven Stars Companion Card
At a minimum, among other benefits, the Seven Stars Companion Card entitles the designated individual (who does not need to be a player, but must register for a Total Rewards® card) to Seven Stars/Diamond/VIP hotel check-in; jumping to the head of the line (behind any other Seven Stars cardholders already in line, of course) at restaurants, gift giveaways, etc.; and admittance to Diamond and Seven Stars Lounges – restrictions may apply, e.g., must be 21 or older in the United States, 19 or older in Canada. Note, too, that the companion does not need to be a legally recognized spouse; it can be a friend, relative, same-sex legally recognized partner, etc.
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