Travel Tips
Travel Tuesday: The Venetian Surveying Guests on Possible Rewards Credit Card
Late last year, I had a chance to cross another Las Vegas Strip property off my list with a stay at The Palazzo at The Venetian. Whether because of that or because I opened a players club card with them as well, this week The Venetian sent me a survey regarding a potential rewards credit card they’re apparently considering launching. So, for Travel Tuesday, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what this Vegas casino might have up its sleeve.
Before we get there, though, there’s actually been some interesting activity in terms of casino co-branded credit cards. Back in April, MGM debuted its MGM Rewards Iconic Credit Card — a premium card that joins its no-annual-fee offering. Meanwhile, rival Caesars has the Caesars Rewards Visa Signature card… which is probably due for a refresh.
Anyway, onto The Venetian’s card plans. Throughout the survey, the core structure of the proposed card remained clear. That includes:
- 3x Rewards points on purchases with The Venetian Resort
- 2x Rewards points in other bonus categories (details to be determined)
- 1x Reward points on all other purchases
- Automatic Venetian Rewards Sapphire Tier status
- No annual fee
As for the details that Venetian is soliciting feedback on, the first set of options involves those “bonus categories.” Basically, these are likely to be more “everyday spending” categories, with some of the picks floated including Gas/EV charging, groceries, dining, flights, hotels, entertainment, streaming services, and more. Personally, I put Entertainment near the top of my ranked list as it’s a pretty broad category. Then again, it’s pretty much moot since 2x categories aren’t very competitive due to the existence of 2% flat rate cards.
Anyway, the rest of the survey pitted different card mock-ups against each other, asking respondents to choose between the two. For example, one version of the card might include four “bonus categories” compared to two for the other. However, the latter might have a larger anniversary bonus for a lower spending requirement (points for this bonus ranged from 10,000 points to 20,000 for annual spending requirements varying from $0 to $10,000).
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the potential card, as highlighted by the surve,y is an Annual Room Upgrade of up to $250. Some of the proposed versions offered this perk up to twice per year, while others had one or none.
The strangest part about this part of the survey is that some of the comparisons included an option that was clearly more lucrative with no downside — although some did require me to consider the trade-offs of what was being proposed.
Lastly, the survey asked guests to prioritize other perks the card could offer. Some examples here included tier credit earning via spending opportunities, airport lounge access, no foreign transaction fees, an annual spa credit, a monthly streaming service credit, and more. Other options featured were a bevy of on-property priority access opportunities at check-in, the rewards desk, dining venues, and pool seating.
Overall, looking at all of these survey elements, it’s hard to know exactly what Venetian will end up doing with their upcoming rewards card. While the basic structure and some perks (such as automatic status) seem set, there are some really intriguing perks being floated here. Then again, the specifics of some benefits, such as the Annual Room Upgrade, aren’t clear and could make a huge difference in terms of this card’s appeal.
Personally, while I don’t anticipate applying for this eventual Venetian Rewards card myself, I am interested to see what it looks like in its final form. If they do manage to work some of the perks mentioned into a no-annual-fee card, it could prove to be a worthy card for Vegas fans. But, until we get some more details, I’m not holding my breath.
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