My Favorite Travel Hack - Hyatt, MGM Resorts, and Royal Caribbean

This will benefit you a lot if you use MGM Properties, Hyatt hotels, or go on Royal Caribbean cruises. Hyatt has hotels worldwide, and MGM has resorts in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Atlantic City, Detroit, Macau and elsewhere. Click here for a complete list of MGM properties.

The hack involves getting the Hyatt Credit Card.

Benefits directly from Hyatt

2 free nights after minimum spend

• The 2 free nights can be used at ANY Hyatt hotel. For instance, I plan to use mine to stay at the Paris Park Hyatt before Steemfest. Rooms there frequently cost $1,000+ per night.
• The minimum spend to qualify for the 2 free rooms varies depending on the promotion they are running, but you usually have to spend $1,000-2,000 within the first three months.

Automatic Platinum status in Hyatt’s loyalty program

• This gets you free premium wifi (significantly faster than their standard wifi)
• Preferred room at check-in based on availability
• Early check-in and late check-out (2pm)
• Other less notable perks

1 free night every year
Good at any category 1-4 Hyatt hotel.

Note: This credit card has an annual fee of $75 (waived the first year). This fee is offset by the 1 free night per year. The free night can be used at any category 4 or lower Hyatt hotel. For example, you can use it at the MGM Grand Las Vegas on a busy holiday weekend, which would otherwise cost $250+.

If you pay off your credit card balance in full each month, you will never pay a penny in interest.

Additional Benefits

Although the perks from Hyatt are plentiful, believe it or not, they aren’t the main reason I got this credit card. Hyatt and M Life (MGM’s reward program) have a relationship and offer matching tier status. Hyatt Platinum gets you M Life Gold status

My Favorite M Life Gold Benefits

• Reduced room prices through mlife.com
• Free room upgrades (based on availability)
• Skip the check-in line (the line can sometimes take 1-2 hours)
• Free valet parking (otherwise $18/day)
• Skip the line at pool parties and nightclubs
• Skip the line at buffet and cafe
• A comprehensive list of benefits here

With all these line skips, you will have a much more enjoyable Vegas experience, especially on weekends. In a single trip, you can spend 1+ hours waiting in line to check-in, hours in line for clubs, and hours in line for buffets.

In addition to the benefits listed at that link, M Life gold gets you a lot more. We go to Vegas frequently and are treated like royalty at MGM properties when I show my M Life Gold card. For instance, we went to Moorea Beach Club at Mandalay Bay, and they told me it’s $30 for guys to get in. I showed them my Gold card and it got me in free. It didn’t stop there, though. Without asking, they then ushered us to seats that would have been $100 each, and brought us a bucket of bottled water. All for free.

Always show your Gold card at MGM resorts. You’ll be surprised by the things it gets you (that aren’t advertised benefits). For example, skipping an hour-long line, free entry, better service, free drinks, or the ability to take in drinks to places where outside drinks are not allowed.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Benefits

Having Gold status in M Life gets you some benefits on Royal Caribbean.

• Exclusive cruise offers
• Entertainment tour
• Lounge access
• Priority check-in
• Welcome gift
• Complimentary specialty dinner
• 5 complimentary on-board drink vouchers

If you have any other tips or questions, please let me know in the comments.