Caesars Rewards ends card-earned Wyndham status match: How I'll still enjoy discounted stays at Atlantis Paradise Island

I was disappointed when Wyndham updated the terms and conditions for its status match with Caesars Rewards on Nov. 13. Starting Feb. 1, 2025, members will no longer be able to match the elite status they've earned by holding a Wyndham Rewards Visa credit card to Caesars Rewards.

As a cardholder of the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card — which offers complimentary Wyndham Diamond status as a perk — I've enjoyed waived resort fees and parking fees in Las Vegas several times through this status match. However, I usually stay at the Rio Hotel & Casino when visiting Las Vegas to earn inexpensive tier-qualifying nights with World of Hyatt. So, I rarely use my Caesars Rewards status perks in Las Vegas.

The information for the Wyndham Earner Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

While I don't often use my Caesars Rewards status perks, this doesn't mean I'm not sad about the upcoming change that will no longer let me match the status I earn via a Wyndham Rewards Visa credit card to Caesars Rewards. After all, my husband and I have enjoyed several inexpensive stays at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas due to Caesars Rewards' partnership with Atlantis.

I initially thought my discounted stays at Atlantis would end with the Nov. 13 changes. However, there are still several ways to stay at this property without paying full price.

Why I love staying at Atlantis Paradise Island

I first stayed at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas over 25 years ago. My parents and I had such a great stay that we returned annually for a few years. So, long before I knew anything about status matches or hotel loyalty programs, I formed fond memories of Atlantis.

The resort was very different 25 years ago. The Beach at Atlantis — which may eventually reopen as Somewhere Else — has remained closed since the coronavirus pandemic began, as have the pools and lazy river between The Beach and The Coral.

My family stayed in The Coral over 25 years ago, and it's where I've stayed the most on casino comp stays through Caesars Rewards' partnership with Atlantis. In addition to The Coral — the most budget-friendly lodging option at Atlantis — you can stay at The Royal, The Cove, The Retreat or at vacation rentals in the Harborside area (all of which have opened in the last 25 years and since been remodeled).

Related: Here's why your whole family will love Atlantis

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Last week, I spent four nights at The Coral at Atlantis on one of these casino comp stays. You have to show four hours of rated casino play during your stay, but I lost less than $100 (despite playing longer than required) and enjoyed complimentary drinks while playing in the casino.

You must also pay $64.90 in resort fees per room per night and $7 in gratuities per person per night on your comp stay. I usually avoid paying resort fees, but at least you get access to a pretty awesome water park and resort grounds with these fees.

During my stay, I enjoyed a great view over the resort grounds from my room's balcony each morning. I spent my days floating in the Rapids River, riding down the tube slides (The Surge is my favorite) and watching the marine life. Most evenings, I walked to local restaurants and then tried my luck at the smoke-free Atlantis casino.

I'd briefly thought this might be my last Atlantis Paradise Island stay for a while, as I'll certainly visit less if I don't have access to discounted casino comp stays through Caesars Rewards' partnership with Atlantis. But, by the time I was at Atlantis last week, I'd already formed a plan to continue visiting Atlantis Paradise Island annually without breaking the bank.

Related: I don't gamble, but I used a casino status match to get a cheap cruise

Earn Wyndham status via stays

Starting Feb. 1, 2025, Wyndham Rewards elite members won't be able to match any status they've earned by having a Wyndham Rewards Visa credit card. But when my husband and I first stayed at Atlantis on a casino comp stay after matching his Wyndham status to Total Rewards (the precursor to Caesars Rewards), he hadn't earned that status through having a credit card. Instead, he'd stayed at Wyndham properties frequently enough to earn Platinum status.

I love my Atlantis stays and appreciate that Wyndham Rewards still uses a three-tier award chart that starts at 7,500 points per night (6,750 points per night for Wyndham Rewards Visa cardholders after a 10% discount). So, I checked how difficult it would be to earn Wyndham status through stays and was thrilled to find you only need to stay at Wyndham properties 15 nights per calendar year to earn Platinum status or 40 nights to earn Diamond status.

The exact details of what members with each Caesars Rewards elite status tier can get via the Atlantis partnership vary each year. The new offerings will be announced around Feb. 1, but they usually don't change much from year to year. Here's what Caesars Rewards elite members could get this year at the Gold, Platinum and Diamond tiers:

• Gold: Play $25 and get $25 of free slot play; special casino rate starting at $150 for stays of up to four nights in The Coral Tower
• Platinum: Complimentary four-night stay in The Coral Tower (with discounted rates for up to two additional nights) for stays in January, May, September or October; buy two nights in The Coral Tower at $150 per night and get two complimentary nights for stays during other months
• Diamond: Complimentary four-night stay in The Coral Tower (with discounted rates for up to two additional nights) for stays in January, February, May, June, August, September, October, November or December; buy two nights in The Coral Tower at $150 per night and get two complimentary nights for stays in July; buy two nights in The Coral Tower at $200 per night and get two complimentary nights for stays during other months

I'll likely wait until the new offerings are announced in 2025 before making serious plans to earn Wyndham status. But assuming the offerings don't change significantly, my husband or I (or perhaps both of us) will aim to earn Wyndham Platinum status through stays in 2025. Then, we should be able to match our Wyndham status to Caesars Rewards and unlock a complimentary Atlantis Paradise Island stay during select months.

However, if we keep our Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card, we may have issues matching the Wyndham Platinum status we earn through stays to Caesars Rewards. After all, our Wyndham status would show up as Diamond (which we got as a perk of our Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card) instead of the Platinum we earned through stays. So, we may need to close our Wyndham Business Card and drop to the Wyndham Platinum status we earned through stays before matching our status to Caesars Rewards.

Related: Which Wyndham Rewards credit card is right for you?

Other ways to get discounted Atlantis Paradise Island stays

Here are some other ways you may be able to enjoy discounted Atlantis Paradise Island stays even after the Feb. 1, 2025, changes.

Earn Caesars Rewards status

You could forgo earning Wyndham status and instead earn Caesars Rewards status. To earn Caesars Rewards status, you must accrue tier credits each calendar year by playing in Caesars Rewards casinos, staying at participating hotels, dining at participating restaurants and buying tickets to select entertainment venues.

For example, you'll earn one tier credit for every $5 you play on most reel slot machines and one tier credit per dollar on hotel room rates booked directly with Caesars Rewards, resort fees, participating restaurants and participating retail outlets.

Platinum status requires 5,000 tier credits per calendar year, and Diamond status requires 15,000 tier credits. So, if you earn your status by playing slots, you'd need $15,000 of slot coin-in within a calendar year for Platinum status.

However, you can also earn tier credit bonuses based on the total number of tier credits you earn in a day. If you earn 2,500 tier credits in a day, you'll get a 5,000 tier credit bonus and earn Platinum status in one day. And if you earn 5,000 tier credits in a day, you'll get a 5,000 tier credit bonus and earn Diamond status in one day. As such, you could earn Platinum status with $7,500 of slot coin-in within a day or Diamond status with $15,000.

Of course, when placing bets, your luck could be much better or worse. As such, you won't want to place any bets you aren't willing to lose.

Related: How to earn free cruises and perks with casino loyalty programs on land and at sea

Redeem Marriott points

You can book three lodging options at Atlantis Paradise Island with Marriott Bonvoy points. Specifically, you can redeem Marriott points to stay at The Coral, The Royal or The Cove.

Marriott Bonvoy uses dynamic award pricing. However, five-night stays at The Coral start at around 160,000 points.

Meanwhile, five-night stays at The Royal start at around 200,000 points.

And five-night stays at The Cove start at around 280,000 points.

I searched for five-night stays, as Marriott's "Stay for 5, Pay for 4" perk gives you a night free on stays of five nights or longer. If you need more points to book your stay, check out our guide on earning Marriott points.

Related: Ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions

Other options

Finally, you might occasionally find good deals or promotions when booking directly with Atlantis Paradise Island or via a premium credit card hotel booking portal, like American Express' Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Edit by Chase Travel.

And if you're primarily interested in visiting Atlantis Paradise Island instead of staying there, you can book day passes to enjoy the Aquaventure water park, pools, beaches, marine habitats and more. Atlantis prices day passes dynamically, but on dates that I checked, they start at around $190 per person.

Some nearby hotels and resorts offer complimentary access to the Atlantis grounds, including the Aquaventure water park. One popular option for award travelers is the Comfort Suites Paradise Island since you can redeem Choice Privileges points. Stays at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island come with complimentary access to Atlantis Paradise Island facilities — including the Aquaventure water park — as long as you book before your arrival date. However, beware of the service fee of $46.50 per person per night levied even on award stays.

Related: How to earn Choice Privileges points — from hotel stays to credit card rewards

Bottom line

Hotel loyalty programs and partnerships change frequently. So, while I've enjoyed matching card-earned Wyndham Rewards status to Caesars Rewards and unlocking discounted stays at Atlantis Paradise Island, I figured the partnership or its benefits would eventually change.

Luckily, earning Wyndham Platinum status through stays of just 15 nights per calendar year is a feasible way to continue earning Wyndham Rewards status, which I can match to Caesars Rewards even after the changes on Feb. 1. However, I'll be disappointed if I have to close my Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card, which offers complimentary Diamond status, to successfully match my Platinum status to Caesars Rewards.

And even if I can't get discounted Atlantis stays through the Wyndham and Caesars Rewards partnership, I can still redeem Marriott points for Atlantis stays or Choice points for Comfort Suites stays nearby. In short, there are plenty of ways to visit or stay at Atlantis Paradise Island without paying full price.