For the past month or so, we’ve been looking at Vegas Strip-adjacent options for visitors who want to save money. There are plenty of deals for eating, drinking, and gambling just a few minutes away from the main tourist corridor.
Caesars and MGM Rewards are the most popular loyalty programs since they have multiple properties in Las Vegas and around the country. This makes it easier to earn and redeem rewards in Vegas.
Those dedicated to the Vegas Strip may not realize that these aren’t the only multi-property rewards programs in town. One has properties just a few minutes from the Strip and around the U.S. Another has a slew of casinos spread throughout the Las Vegas Valley as well as one just minutes away from the Strip.
Boyd Rewards has three casinos in downtown Las Vegas, seven more across the Valley, and more than a dozen nationwide. Station Casinos has seven full-service casino resorts, 10 non-hotel casinos, and a couple of taverns scattered around Las Vegas.
There are plenty of options for visitors who want to explore casinos near and far from the Strip. Each rewards program has positives and negatives. While one works best for me, the other might be more appealing to you.
Boyd runs Gold Coast and The Orleans, while Station Casinos has Palace Station just off the Strip. Boyd also has those three casinos downtown for anyone who prefers that area.
One of my favorite things about contributing to TravelZork is that most readers are already well-versed in rewards. It makes my life easier when I don’t have to explain the basics and can get straight to the info without feeling guilty that I missed something. Chances are good that anyone reading this will do their own deep research.
With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the rewards programs for each casino operator.
Boyd Rewards Gambling Only
Gold Coast and The Orleans are Boyd’s Strip-adjacent casinos. The other full-service properties are:
- Aliante
- California
- Cannery
- Freemont
- Main Street Station
- Sam’s Town
- Suncoast
Boyd Rewards has five tier levels, similar to most casino loyalty programs. Tier Credits are earned based on the game played, denomination, and time spent playing.
- Ruby: 0 – 749 Tier Credits
- Sapphire: 750 – 14,999 Tier Credits
- Emerald: 15,000 – 49,999 Tier Credits
- Onyx: 50,000 – 199,999 Tier Credits
- Titanium: 200,000+ Tier Credits
There’s one major difference between Boyd and most reward programs. Ruby members do not earn Boyd Points that can be redeemed for meals, drinks, freeplay, etc.
The overall tier benefits are fairly basic, and perks like cruises and quarterly room comps don’t start until Emerald. Additionally, each property has additional perks of its own. You can find the menu at the bottom of this page.
For example, the downtown casinos have a VIP Lounge for Emerald members and above. The local casinos offer perks like movie premiere invites and expedited valet.
Earning Boyd Points is pretty straightforward:
- Slots and Keno earn 1 point per $1 played
- Video poker and Multi-games earn 1 point per $2 played.
1,000 Boyd Points = $1 for free play or retail.
In addition to earning Boyd Points and Tier Credits in casinos, online gamblers can also earn from Stardust Social Casino. Each 99 cents spent earns 150 Boyd Points. $4.99 spent earns 1 Tier Credit.
You can find more information here.
Station Casinos Boarding Pass Is All-Encompassing
Palace Station is the only Strip-adjacent property for Station Casinos. Here are the other full-service casinos around Las Vegas.
- Boulder Station
- Durango
- Green Valley Ranch
- Red Rock Casino
- Santa Fe Station
- Sunset Station
Boarding Pass is the more robust of the two off-Strip casino rewards programs. It even improves on what some Strip programs offer. That said, the significant perks don’t kick in until the fourth tier of the five-tier system.
- Preferred: 0-999 Credits
- Gold: 1,000+ Credits
- Platinum: 40,000+ Credits
- President: 100,000+ Credits
- Chairman: 300,000+ Credits
Guests can earn Tier Credits across all Station Casinos properties, and it’s fairly easy for anyone who stays at the hotels, bets on the ponies, plays poker, or grabs a steak instead of other types of cuisine. Here are a few highlights:
- $1 pari-mutuel (horse racing) wager = 10 Credits
- 1 hour of live poker = 100 Credits
- $1 steakhouse spend = 20 Credits. Regular restaurants are 10 Credits per dollar
- $1 hotel room spend = 50 Credits
More traditional earning rates at 1 Credit per $1 video poker and 3 Credits per $1 for slots. You can see the full list here.
Earning points to redeem for free play, dining, etc., is quicker than with Boyd Rewards.
- Slots and sports: $1 Coin In = 1 Point
- Video poker: $2 Coin In = 1 Point
- Parimutuel: $1 Wager = 20 Points
- Live poker: 1 Hour = 1,000 Points
Points can also be earned by playing bingo and live keno. Every 1,000 Points equals $1 for comps, cashback, or free slot play. Station Casinos also offers frequent multiplier days. It all adds up quickly, whether you’re chasing status or stacking points for comps.
You can find more details on Boarding Pass here.
My Two Cents
I’ve lived minutes from both Boyd and Station properties since moving to Las Vegas. These days, I’m about equal distance from Station’s Red Rock and Durango casinos, and I’ve visited the latter more than any other casino this year.
I enjoy these properties and spend time eating, drinking, and gambling at each. Just last week, I had another great dinner at Mijo inside Durango.
Before meeting friends for a drink in the sportsbook, I played some slots and video poker since I had a 10x multiplier. Earlier in the week, I spent a couple of hours working in the hotel lobby while sipping delicious Vesta coffee.
When I go to a Boyd property, it’s almost always to eat. Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast is usually the pick, though sometimes we’ll stop at Suncoast since it’s nearby.
I rarely gamble at Boyd properties since points don’t start until the second tier of the rewards program. My gambling budget is spread across so many properties that my status fluctuates everywhere. Not being able to earn enough points for a sandwich or a good cup of coffee feels like a waste, so I don’t bother. I can earn one or both of those in a normal gambling session at one of the Station properties.
The Strip-adjacent hotels have all seen updates recently. Boyd finished renovating all of the rooms at Gold Coast this year and is now working on The Orleans. Palace Station had a full property-wide facelift a few years ago. It’s muuuuuuuuch nicer than the casino I visited when I first moved to Las Vegas.
Palace Station also comes with all the Boarding Pass benefits, including the $6.99 all-day burger special, and it’s a quick drive to the north end of the Vegas Strip.
If I were choosing a Strip-adjacent rewards program to invest in, it would be Boarding Pass. It’s easier to earn points from gambling and retail spending. You also get a property close to the Strip, along with premier resorts (Durango, GVR, Red Rock), about 20 minutes away.
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Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He's the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. He learned about gambling at a young age working down the street from a bookie who took action on anything from the mainstream sports to the last three digits of the purse for certain horse races. Yeah, that's a thing. Today Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant which allows him to work anywhere there's a wifi signal. This allows him to work from the sportsbook at Red Rock Resort or the food court at The Venetian where you’ll find fast and free wifi. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.