MGM Resorts | Mlife Rewards MasterCard

I received a pre-approved offer for the Mlife Rewards MasterCard and pulled the trigger after ZorkFest (2017, Atlantic City). If you’re approved for the card, you get Pearl Status, which gets you free self parking, buffet line passes and a 10% bonus on Points and Express Comps in Las Vegas and free self parking, no line pass and a 10% bonus on Points only, at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

Pearl is only their second tier level, but Mlife has parking fees, even for hotel guests. The line pass could be worthwhile if you earn a free buffet in Las Vegas through myVegas and if you’re planning to play at a property, a 10% bonus on all the points and/or comps you earn in Las Vegas could help take the sting out of an initial big play session.

You get 3x Points and 3x Tier Credits per $1 spent at Mlife rewards destinations, 2x Points and 2x Tier Credits per $1 spent on gas & supermarket purchases and 1x Points and 1X Tier Credits per $1 spent everywhere else. If you spend $1000 in the first three billing cycles you get 10,000 Points, which is worth $100 in Free Play or Express Comps. Points can be converted to Slot Dollars right at a slot machine or converted to Express Comps at the Mlife desk.

Gold status and above allows you entry to the Amphora Lounge at the Borgata in Atlantic City, but you must pay $12.50 per person in COMPS. You cannot pay in cash.  If you received an elite tier through a status match and don’t play that much, you could convert your 10,000 Points to Express Comps for the lounge. You could also earn Points through Spend on the credit card, at the 1x, 2x or 3x rates listed above.

This is not an overly generous offer, but with no yearly fee and no foreign transaction fees this is an opportunity to build a relationship with Mlife and earn some perks before even stepping into a property.

Related: Living the Mlife: An Introduction

For me personally, other than branching out to the Golden Nugget Atlantic City, I play almost exclusively at the Borgata. The Borgata expects a lot of play but Mlife at Borgata still has the same earnings rates for all video poker, regardless of whether it is full play or not, so depending on promotions, the play itself can be close to break even or better, if you value the comps there. I do not get treated exceptionally well at the Borgata for my low roller play, but when I consider my status match to Mlife Gold, myVegas rewards and frequent point multiplier days, it’s still the best deal in town. Yes, this is even though their computer system is completely fouled up and I’ve got to keep close track of my numbers and have them manually adjusted every time I play there. There is nowhere else in Atlantic City, where you can play 9/6 Jack or Better and get a decent earn rate, so even though the Borgata is hoighty-toighty, play there gets the most bang for my buck!

I don’t have the financial means to pay for hotel rooms and fancy dinners in Las Vegas and be credited 25 tier credits per dollar spent, so I thought I would supplement my actual play with every day spend outside of Mlife properties, on my new Mlife credit card, but after thinking it over, my limited Spend Budget might be put to better use.

I can pay a $14.95 fee and charge my 2018 condo dues, in one lump sum, on the Mlife credit card but I can probably get better value somewhere else, like putting that on my Southwest Airlines credit card, where points are worth at least 1.43 cents each. Or, open a new credit card and meet the Spend requirement for a bonus by charging this bigger bill on it.

This is not to say that I regret getting the Mlife Rewards Mastercard. I get the $100 sign up bonus (which is a decent reward, at 10% of the Spend requirement of a card with no annual fee) and no yearly fee also means there’s no opportunity costs for keeping the card. But, now that I’ve gotten more into the Miles and Points world through ZorkFest, I realize it is sub-par for every day Spend, but worth it for Mlife Spend at 3x Points and Tier Credit. So, I will limit it to only Mlife Spend and save big bills for a nice juicy credit card bonus! Maybe one that gives Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Rewards. I haven’t decided yet.

Editorial Note : While TravelZork does have advertising affiliate links, the credit card links in this article are the best offers we know of and link directly to the card provider website. TravelZork receives no affiliate commission for the Mlife credit card enrollment.