Get Automatic Status & More with the New M Life Rewards MasterCard

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – The Hyatt Credit Card

If you like to visit Las Vegas and are interested in earning benefits through MQM's M Life program, this just-announced card could be worth a look. The M Life Rewards MasterCard offers complimentary low-tier elite status, bonus points on select purchases and more.

The card was just announced today, and you can currently apply for it online, though you'll need to create an M Life Rewards account if you don't have one already. Here are the main benefits:

• Automatic upgrade to Pearl status
• Priority hotel check-in at M Life resorts
• 3x points and tier credits at M Life Rewards destinations
• 2x points and tier credits on gas station and supermarket purchases
• 1x points and tier credits on all other purchases
• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees

In addition to these perks, you can earn 10,000 points when you spend $1,000 in the first three billing cycles.

Is It Worth It?

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The biggest perk here is complimentary Pearl status, the lowest elite level, which would otherwise require 25,000 tier credits to earn. As a Pearl member you'll get complimentary self-parking at Las Vegas resorts (a savings of about $10 per day), a buffet line pass at Las Vegas resorts and a 10% bonus on Points and Express Comps when you hit the casino. The added benefit of priority hotel check-in at M Life resorts is usually only available to Gold elites and higher, so this is a nice cardholder perk.

For those unfamiliar with the M Life Rewards program, you can use points for FreePlay (as credits toward games at casinos) and to cover dining, rooms costs and at eligible entertainment venues at a value of 1 cent per point. In addition to earning points with this card — note those 3x and 2x bonus categories — you can earn them by playing slots or poker machines. Of course, not everyone who visits Vegas gambles, and that's where tier credits come into play. You earn these on pretty much every purchase at M Life resorts; you'll earn 25x points at properties in Las Vegas (before the card bonus) and fewer points per dollar at other destinations. Tier credits are what qualify you for M Life status (the next-highest level, Gold, requires 75,000), so if you're more after perks like hotel discounts and buffet line passes than gaming rewards, these will be more important for you — and they're definitely easier to earn, especially considering that the credit card category bonuses earn you bonus tier credits as well as points.

That said, spend at M Life resorts and signing up for the M Life Rewards MasterCard aren't the only ways to earn status within this program. Hyatt Gold Passport has partnered with MGM Resorts since mid-2013, offering reciprocal benefits and automatic status depending on your level in either program. If you're a Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum member, for instance, you can enjoy Gold membership in the M Life program — higher than the automatic Pearl status you'll get with the M Life Rewards MasterCard. Plus, you can get complimentary Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum status simply by holding the Hyatt Credit Card (with a $75 annual fee that's waived the first year), so this could be a better choice if you don't think you'll spend enough to get the bump to M Life Rewards Gold with the M Life Rewards MasterCard.

Bottom Line

The new M Life Rewards MasterCard looks like a solid option for those who enjoy jaunts to Vegas, thanks to no annual fee and valuable perks like priority hotel check-in, automatic Pearl status and bonus categories that help you fast-track to higher status levels. It's not the only way to get M Life status and benefits — since Hyatt offers its members various benefits for stays at MGM resorts — but it could be a good option depending on how frequently you'll be visiting Sin City and how much you'll spend at eligible properties.

Are you considering signing up for this new card?