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The Status Match Merry Go Round™

I&#;ve written a number of times in the past about what I call the Status Match Merry Go Round. For those that have never read any of my posts about this before, the Status Match Merry Go Round is a series of status matching opportunities that, by the time all is said and done, will have grant you status in half a dozen programs, many of which you&#;ll be able to keep year after year.

In this article, I lay out the strategy of the Status Match Merry Go Round, step by step.

General note: Now that Hyatt and MGM have parted ways, the Wyndham to Caesars Diamond via the Barclays Wyndham Earner and matching in Atlantic City from Caesars to Hard Rock to Ocean Prime is the main match sequence left right now.

Before you read ANYTHING ELSE about the state of the Merry Go Round in Atlantic City, read this Jan 30, post.

I&#;ll be dialing into this in the coming weeks and rewriting this all for what is available as of early Q2  

Latest Updates:

April : People loved the simple Las Vegas guide right below this, that I made one for Atlantic City. Atlantic City Status Match Merry Go Round &#;

April 15, : Do not miss the new Las Vegas Status Match Merry Go Round &#; only available until May 31,  

April 2, New match to Wynn Platinum through May 31, in Las Vegas only.

Feb 17th: MGM Status Match Challenges are back through June 30, .

Feb 15th: Founders Card will no longer match to Caesars Diamond following the program year. I&#;ve never thought FC provided enough value to ever discuss here and so I still won&#;t&#; (HT: Miles to Memories)

Feb 7, Fontainebleau Tier Match Returnsthrough June 2,

Jan 30, Read the recap of the state of the Status Match Merry Go Round in Atlantic City as of Jan 30, before going further in this post.

January 18, Updated South Florida section

January 10th, SUPER IMPORTANT &#; Read this before you even think about heading to Atlantic City for Hard Rock / Ocean

January 5, : Hard Rock Atlantic City switches to Unity on Jan 9th,  

January 1,  Turning Stone in Upstate NY is no longer a Caesars Rewards reciprocal match partner.

December 15, New Las Vegas status match opportunity at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas &#; WOW &#; this may already be DONE. Reports are that it was a one day only thing.

July 27th, MGM is no longer matching at all. There was a rather crazy MGM Status Challenge which expired Sept 30,

July 14, As anticipated, the MGM and Hyatt Reciprocal match is dead. The links to match are gone.

July 11, : Hyatt and MGM Cut Ties. Friday July 14th is your LAST DAY to match between Hyatt and MGM (either direction) if you haven&#;t already. You can still status match Ocean Prime in AC to MGM Gold through July 31st, however, you won&#;t be able to match that to Hyatt after July 31st and your status will still expire July 31st, rendering that useless, unless you have never had a Caesars card in which case it would be useful (for those two weeks) to get MGM Gold and match to Caesars Diamond which would be valid through Next January.

Once the dust settles in early August I&#;ll make some significant updates to this post (probably essentially rewrite it). 

July 1, Ocean changes benefits for &#; new 10 Day MSC cruise and Resorts World LV stay &#; loses Wynn. Now requires 18 months of inactivity to re-match.

June 20th, : MGM Extends current matches to July 31, from June 30th. Existing matches were extended, new matches still possible.

May 31, Wyndham Matches are BACK &#; but as a Challenge. 

May 5th, : Live! in Philly no longer matches anything in the Merry Go Round to Black. It&#;s now only Platinum.

May 1st,  Removed Rivers in Philly; cruise no longer being offered.

Mar 23, Added the SoCal / Las Vegas &#;On Ramp&#; to the Status Match Merry Go Round™

Mar 16, Added in the LIVE! match in Philadephia

Feb 8,  CAESARS Diamond to MGM Gold is now dead.

NOTE: Caesars no longer matches to MGM Gold

Note there is one remaining route on the Merry Go Round if you are near Atlantic City and have/can get the Wyndham Business Earner card or complete the Wyndham Diamond status challenge which is:

• Atlantic City: Wyndham Business Earner Card (or Wyndham Diamond status challenge) >> Caesars Diamond >> Hard Rock ICON>> Ocean Prime >> MGM Gold. You do need to do this all in person after getting the Caesars match… (You do match Wyndham to Caesars online, though you need to get the card in person.) Note that MGM only does a Status Challenge giving you just 3 months of status.

Jan 18, Updated South Florida casinos

Jan 12, MGM nationwide tier match extended

Oct 12, Updated the cruise offer section to include the MSC match and the Carnival match. See the Ocean Prime section and the following section.

Sept 14, Borgata no longer offers any perks with a match, even for first timers. You do still get Gold, though. Hard Rock no longer offers any perks if you have ever had a Hard Rock Wild Card before at any level, but you still get the match to Rock Royalty.

July 20, Ocean Prime no longer works for the Baha Mar match. That eliminates all Merry Go Round Options as Hard Rock Rock Royalty is no longer accepted either.  H/T Reader EL in the comments.

July 1, MGM Nationwide Match Renewed through Dec ; Ocean Prime Match is Renewed.

March 31, Added a new &#;side match&#; for Bally&#;s in Atlantic City

Mar 15, Caesars has ended the practice of &#;matching and re-matching&#; meaning that if you matched from Wyndham to Caesars and back to Wyndham, they will not let you match back again. If you have the Wyndham Business Earner credit card, you can still re-match.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The first step has changed. While Wyndham matches had been paused they are now back as a status challenge. 

If you can&#;t do the status challenge, you can still use the Wyndham Business Earner card on-ramp!

Also &#; Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City is now matching new and inactive members to Prime status which includes a free annual cruise (no port fees) and two nights at Wynn.

Here are a few of the posts I&#;ve written going all the way back to July of

Without question, these have been some of the most popular and widely shared articles I&#;ve written. In the MilesTalk Facebook group, I love when people post pictures of their various successes. Makes my day.

The phrase Status Match Merry Go Round™ comes from the fact that (at least as it stands now) you simply need to find a way onto the Merry Go Round and then, once there, it keeps going and going for you.

I&#;ve gotten some feedback that some people have lost track of how this all works, as my info has been spread across various posts. So, I&#;m bringing this &#;full circle&#; today with a start to finish guide.

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Why Should You Care About the Status Match Merry Go Round?

In short, because it will confer a variety of statuses on you for relatively little effort and much is repeatable year after year once you get on the Merry Go Round.

I&#;ll summarize all the programs and tiers involved:

What are the Primary Benefits of Each Status in the Status Match Merry Go Round?

Wyndham Diamond

Wyndham doesn&#;t really have a super exciting footprint nor program, but you will be entitled to early check in, late check out, and suite upgrades when you stay at a Wyndham property. I list this first, however, because it&#;s the primary &#;on ramp&#; to the Status Match Merry Go Round.

Caesars Diamond

While some people report better room offers at Caesars casino properties, that&#;s not a reliable benefit. Nor are upgrades. But what is reliable is this:

&#; Free Parking at Caesars casinos/hotels

&#; Skip the Line at most restaurants (I&#;ve saved hours on line with this perk)

&#; A free four night stay at Atlantis (Also see:Free Atlantis Stay via Caesars Total Rewards Diamond: What To Expect with Room Fees, Food Costs, and More)

&#; A free $ &#;Celebration Dinner&#; each year including status renewals (renewal dinner only if you have earned Wyndham Diamond status, which includes the Wyndham Earner Business card method). Some members seem to need to get Tier Credits in a year to use the benefit while others do not.

&#; Free monthly show tickets.

&#; Waived resort fees

&#; Diamond Lounge access (requires $10 in comps per person)

&#; Taxi Queue line cut

(Current MGM Status Challenge until June )

Hard Rock Atlantic City ICON

When it is your very first time matching to ICON (this includes the former Rock Royalty) at Hard Rock Atlantic City, you&#;ll receive:

• Two complimentary nights, valid any day of the week
• $50 Bonus Free Play

Ongoing benefits include lounge access for a $10pp fee (in comp dollars), free self or valet parking, priority line at buffet. Priority checkin and 12pm check out. Free car wash once per month at Rocktane. 

Read more: Hard Rock Atlantic City: Rock Royalty Trip Review (note: from and out of date)

Ocean Atlantic City Prime

Access to the Player&#;s Lounge ($10 comp dollars per person), free parking (including valet or specially reserved Prime self park spots).  

First time and 18 month inactive Ocean members also get 2 free nights Sun-Fri., a free one time pass to the lounge (valid for 72 hours) plus free nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a free 10 day (anywhere but China) MSC Cruise each calendar year. Must be a new member or inactive for the last 18 months. 

Read More: Ocean Resort Casino Atlantic City Match to Prime

South Florida Casinos

These are pretty much pre &#;cash&#; plays &#; bonus slot dollars for matching.

Resorts World Las Vegas

They should be status matching; charts are unclear

One Thing to Note about the MGM Match:

(It&#;s dead)

How Does One Take The First Step in the Status Match Merry Go Round?

Right. That&#;s why you&#;re here, isn&#;t it? To find out how this all works.

When I did my first ride on the Status Match Merry Go Round, I did everything I&#;m sharing with one exception. Back then, a Founders Card membership was the easiest way. Not wanting to pay for Founders Card as I didn&#;t (and still don&#;t) see value in it, I won my Wyndham Diamond in a charity auction for about $ It&#;s been well worth it.

But now, it&#;s so much easier, thanks to the Wyndham Business Earner. 

Step 1: Wyndham Diamond

Once you have that Wyndham Business Earner card (or, worst case, a Founders Card which grants Caesars Diamond), you will be Wyndham Diamond automatically.

Step 2: Caesars Rewards

Now that you have a nice shiny Wyndham Diamond card, you are entitled to an automatic match to Caesars Rewards Diamond. You can do this online here.  Wait for your account to update at Caesars. It could be the next day or it could take a week.

You&#;ll be automatically eligible for that Atlantis stay now and the $ Celebration Dinner credit is in your account to redeem in person.

(Update: It seems not everyone is still getting the $ Celebration Dinner unless they earned status or got it via the Wyndham Business Earner Card; YMMV)

You can use this status for Step 4 below now that Step 3 is dead.

Step 3: MGM Rewards

Until June 30, , you can take a Hard Rock Icon card (see Step 4 below) to an MGM property for 3 months of MGM Gold status. It&#;s a status challenge. Read more about the MGM Gold Status Challenge (not a full match!) here.

Step 4: Caesars to Hard Rock to Ocean Prime &#; Atlantic City

As of March , Hard Rock in Atlantic City only is matching Caesars Diamond to ICON status. It&#;s also rematching those that have previously had ICON status, unlike other Hard Rock locations. This could change at any time.

Bring your Caesars Diamond to Hard Rock to match to ICON and then bring your ICON card next door to Ocean Casino Resort to match to Ocean Prime.

Matches from March on are valid until June , however, if you match between March and June , you&#;ll need to pick up a new card sometime after July 1, valid until June (a March &#; June match will show June as the expiration date until you pick up that new card).

Currently, Ocean Prime comes with 2 yearly nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a yearly free night cruise (no extra fees) on MSC Cruises, valid anywhere but China. Requires just a $ deposit pp given back to you as onboard credit.

This status will become ICON level when Hard Rock AC moves over to the Unity program.

See: Free nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a free 10 day (anywhere but China) MSC Cruise each calendar year. Must be a new member or inactive for the last 18 months.

I&#;ll repeat the benefits from above:

Hard Rock Atlantic City ICON

First time members

• Two complimentary nights, valid any day of the week
• $50 Bonus Free Play

Ongoing benefits:

Lounge access for a $10pp fee (in comp dollars), free self or valet parking, priority line at buffet. Priority check-in and 12pm check out. Free car wash once per month at Rocktane. 

Ocean Atlantic City Prime

One time free access to the Player&#;s Lounge ($10 comp dollars per person thereafter), free parking (including valet).  First time Ocean members also get 2 free nights Sun-Fri. Also: Free nights at Resorts World Las Vegas and a free 10 day (anywhere but China) MSC Cruise each calendar year. Must be a new member or inactive for the last 18 months.

Bonus on this bonus! You can status match to MSC&#;s loyalty program before you book a cruise. Check this chart for what matches to what as of Hilton Diamond gets you top tier, for example.

Bonus Cruise!

And one more cruise bonus &#; on Carnival! You qualify in a way similar to the MSC status match, but in this case it&#;s more nebulous what will get you what.  I&#;d probably upload the Ocean Prime since it&#;s the highest tier.

I&#;ll also take a moment here to mention that IF you plan to actually gamble for comps, your first trip to a casino plays heavily into the comps you&#;ll initially receive, so play wisely and read this article from TravelZork before you go&#;

Step 5: Hyatt Explorist

Dead.

Hyatt and MGM parted ways in , so this part no longer exists. 

Step 6: Bonus Match to American Airlines AAdvantage Gold Status

Now also dead since you can&#;t get Hyatt status via the Merry Go Round anymore 🙁 

Step 7: Bonus Match to South Florida Casinos

As with most of the Merry Go Round, this once very lucrative match has been very watered down per Ben in the comments. 

Here is what is left:

Hialeah Park Casino

Now only gives $25 free play when signing up and then you must earn slot points on signup day and you will receive $ more free play. This is not even a match. 

Gulfstream Park Casino

Match to Win Level using Hard Rock Unity (Caesars Diamond no longer works)- no reported perks

Casino Miami

$ in free play for matching from the Gulfstream Win card. Caesars Diamond would not have matched to anything.

In case you are still not convinced about the above, Nick of Frequent Miler saw the post in the MilesTalk group and took his own detour to South Florida, confirming his findings.

Thanks to reader Luke for updated on these matches in Jan and Ben in Jan

Step 8: Bonus Match to Resorts World Las Vegas

Resorts World Las Vegas doesn&#;t publicize a Status Match, but they do have one. Two, actually. If you are a &#;real&#; gambler, they&#;ll match your offers (and status) &#; per Michael Trager of Travel Zork, but most of us on the Merry Go Round are more casual. So what about if you only have the &#;standard&#; cards the Merry Go Round offers? The answer will be your MGM Gold.

They&#;ve just changed their whole program over, so it&#;s not clear what matches to what now. Please report back! Note that it doesn&#;t seem like whatever MGM Gold matches to gives many perks. 

Step 9: Rivers Casino (Philadelphia)

Winford K. in the MilesTalk Facebook group discovered *another* Philly match that also gives a cruise!

Their Rush Rewards will match MGM Gold or Caesars Diamond to their mid-tier Platinum.

Updated: May 1, &#; This no longer results in a free cruise which the casino now states is only for earned status.

People are getting calls having the cruises cancelled 🙁 

Step Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Get up to $ in goodies if you match by June

Fontainebleau tier match details are here. 

Step Wynn Las Vegas

From April 1 &#; May 31, only, you can tier match Caesars Diamond to Wynn Platinum. See that page for more details. This is part of an entire Las Vegas Merry Go Round that you can do through the end of May

Step Want More Free Cruises?

You can take your highest status card and try for free cruises at both Carnival and Holland America. Different people get different deals. There is no roadmap of what matches to what but many are getting free cruises.

Step Round and Round it Goes

(See caveat below)

In January and February, you have homework. Come January, your Wyndham will drop to Blue Level. But you have your Caesars Rewards Diamond that you matched online. Login and check your Caesars Rewards. Still Diamond, right?

Now go ahead and go back to the Wyndham page and match. This will re-up your Wyndham Diamond status.

Then make a note for a few days into February. Your Caesars status will lapse Feb 1. But you can go back to the Caesars page then and re-up for another year!

Sadly, as of , this &#;match back&#; only works if you have the Wyndham Business Earner credit card or Founders Card &#; or get lucky! (some have)

See Why I call it the Status Match Merry Go Round™?

I&#;m sure you do&#; (although it used to be MUCH more of a full circle Merry Go Round than it is now after so many program changes that aimed to end it).

Did you do the Status Match Merry Go Round™?

MilesTalk Facebook group members love to post pics of all their new shiny cards and I&#;d love for you to let me know how it went for you as well. You can let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private group.

You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards. 

New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.