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Caesars Rewards ends card-earned Wyndham status match: How I'll still enjoy discounted stays at Atlantis Paradise Island
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
November 26, 2024 • 11 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Starting Feb. 1, 2025, you can no longer match Wyndham Rewards status earned through a credit card to Caesars Rewards for discounted Atlantis Paradise Island stays.
Wyndham status earned through hotel stays can still be matched to Caesars Rewards, allowing access to complimentary or discounted Atlantis stays during select months.
Alternative options for discounted Atlantis visits include earning Caesars Rewards status directly, redeeming Marriott points, or booking nearby hotels like Comfort Suites Paradise Island with Choice points.
Resort fees and gratuities apply to complimentary stays, and access to Atlantis amenities is included with these fees.
What to consider
Wyndham Platinum status requires 15 nights per calendar year, while Diamond requires 40 nights.
Caesars Rewards status can be earned through casino play, hotel stays, dining or entertainment spend, with tier credit bonuses available for high daily activity.
Award stays at Comfort Suites Paradise Island incur a service fee per person per night, even when using points.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of Caesars Rewards elite tier benefits at Atlantis and step-by-step guidance for maintaining discounted access after program changes.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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.
KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
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.
KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
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).
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.
KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
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.
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.
KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
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.
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.
King bedroom at The Linq Hotel in Las Vegas. CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT
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.
CAESARS PALACE/FACEBOOK
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.
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.
MARRIOTT.COM
Meanwhile, five-night stays at The Royal start at around 200,000 points.
MARRIOTT.COM
And five-night stays at The Cove start at around 280,000 points.
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.
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.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
