Before Mlife supplanted the My Borgata Rewards loyalty program at the Borgata, there was much fanfare about all the exciting new benefits which Borgata customers could reap from being in the Mlife family, but nothing was mentioned about Spend Credit.
When I went to the booth to ask what the rate of Spend Credit was going to be (just assuming there was going to be one), on transition day (June 7th, 2017), I was told that there were no immediate plans to have a Spend Credit. What? Credit for Spend is one of the innovations in casino loyalty programs that MGM pioneered.
Related: MGM Borgata Mlife Comp Earn Rates
Could it be because the computer system cannot handle it? The transition from My Borgata Rewards to Mlife has certainly not been smooth and is fraught with problems, but why are there no future plans to give Tier Credit for Spend, as Mlife does at all their other properties?
Spend is not listed at all, for any MGM properties, in the MLife Rewards Tier Benefits overview online, where perks are broken down by region.
WHEN YOU GO TO TIER BENEFITS, THEY ARE BROKEN DOWN BY REGION AND YOU’LL SEE THE HEADINGS:
Spend IS listed in the General Facts on the Live the Mlife FAQ section on the Mlife site but Borgata and MGM National Harbor aren’t included. (MGM National Harbor is not included, though their hotel brochure lists Tier Credit for Spend, but not how much. I phoned MGM National Harbor and was told, that you earn 8 Tier Credits per dollar Spend (which is the same as it is at Beau Rivage, Gold Strike Tunica, and MGM Grand Detroit) and this was confirmed in a response I received (November 13, 2017) to my email inquiry: “Every $1.00 earns 8 Tier Credits on non-gaming spend at Regional properties. This includes spend in the hotel, dining and entertainment. However, you will not earn on retail purchases, tax or tip.”
For more information, refer to the Mlife Rewards section, HOW DO I EARN TIER CREDITS.
In the press release about the transition, Mlife stated that the Borgata was going to use the same earning terms that Mlife uses (Points, Slot Dollars, Express Comps and Tier Credits), but the earn ratios, using the same language, are different at the Borgata than they are at other Mlife properties, in addition to no Tier Credit for Spend. Why force the Mlife earning categories on the Borgata, which makes the program completely confusing and in my opinion, needlessly complicated, while not really changing the earn rates from that of My Borgata Rewards that much? Why integrate the Borgata into the system, but operate Mlife differently than at their other properties?
And there are changes and earn rate differences that I can’t make sense of—the Tier Multiplier for Points at the Borgata earns a miniscule amount, even for a player that cycles millions of dollars through machines. The coin in amount required to earn status at Borgata is much higher than it would be in Las Vegas, even without Spend Credit, although the overall benefit earning (Comps, Points and Slot Dollars) is a bit higher at the Borgata.
On Purpose? NO Spend Credit at Borgata Atlantic City?
Could it be that there’s a purposeful reason that there’s no Spend Credit at Borgata? Is the result of the transition from My Borgata Rewards to Mlife being a muddy mess a coincidence? If you live near Atlantic City and want a Vegas-style experience, nothing comes close to Borgata. The Borgata has no competition. In Vegas, if you wish to have a world-class experience, you can go to Wynn, Venetian or Caesars Nobu, so maybe MGM needs to offer something extra to lure patrons to their Vegas resorts.
Spend Credit only earns towards Tier Status. Why don’t they want more people earning Tier Status with Spend in Atlantic City? Wouldn’t that promote more loyalty? I would certainly use Spend to earn Tier Status if the earnings rates were decent. The Borgata is a really nice property with great restaurants and a decent spa. I could see myself upping my spend on those things if there was value there.
Does Mlife not want some Millennials, who pack the clubs, pay for rooms and may not gamble that much, to be able to earn status? Why? Doesn’t more spend lead to more profit for MGM?
The only extra benefit that is clear to me, now that the Borgata is in the Mlife program, is to take advantage of the benefits at properties outside of Atlantic City, especially in Las Vegas and add them to Borgata specific Mlife benefits. Why did MGM make playing in a different market, the only real change? I don’t know and that makes me wary of planning anything long term with Mlife. Why put my eggs in one basket and then have them change the program next year, after I’ve specifically made a trip to Las Vegas to earn status? Hopefully, the Hard Rock will be opening in AC on schedule and add much needed competition (and economic stimulus) to Atlantic City.
What do you think about this?
