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The retail value of the rewards I redeemed from my wife's My Vegas site and from mine, and used in just three Vegas October days, totaled over $700. I was amazed that I could book two cirque shows within the narrow three days that Elizabeth had open in our schedule around meeting her brother and his wife. I know some of it was luck, but some of it is also the structure of the program that just seems to want to work with us.
It also helped that I knew rewards were refreshed at 7 AM and was waiting and ready at that time to buy tickets.
Added to that was the ease at getting the tickets once purchased.
Right after buying any award, I just called the MyLife number and locked up my seats. Then I just had to stop at an M Life counter when I got to Vegas and pick up the tickets.
We ate our free Bellagio lunch buffets and went to redeem the O tickets, and we got the Zumanity tickets for the following day at the same time, so that we did not have to worry about getting them before the 4PM deadline on the day of the Zumanity performance, or worry that somehow we did not have what we needed, or arrange a busy schedule around another MLife counter visit.
Before Zumanity we had a buffet at Aria and liked it so much that we went back again a few days later, using a 2 for 1 reward off the MyVegas site, and so I managed to capture a total of 6 rewards.
I copied confirmation numbers, but they told me one number was not right. It did not matter. They could access the tickets by checking my account. It is a very good idea to connect your MyVegas account to your M Life card before you go to Vegas. If you don't have an M Life card, call and ask and you can sign up for one on line.
I was going to try to get one more buffet just to see if MyVegas would let me add in a fourth reward in spite of the rolling 30 day rule, but actually my poker buddy Wild Bill and I had so many food offers from poker and coupons that it just was not needed.
Compared to the rigmarole required by the Eastside Cannery to redeem freebies on their Webpass site, My Vegas is a dream. To get one free buffet, one 2 for 1 buffet, 2 drinks, and a hat (under $50 value total ) at Eastside Cannery I had to call a local Vegas buddy with a printer and talk him through my site so he could bring printed vouches with him when we met for breakfast the next day.
Printed vouchers must be shown at the Player's Club and translated into printed coupons with 7 days of buying them with points, and the schedule of our first week was just too packed for me to bring them and redeem them this trip.
Once they are redeemed, then we have a month to use them, but it means that within the first 7 days of the trip we have to get out to Eastside Cannery and do the paperwork.
It also means we are limited to those rewards that are still current when we do.
I generally plan a trip that catches the end of one month and the beginning of another (so that I can get monthy promotional room rates and free play at the Four Queens and the D twice on the same trip.)
Later in the month many of the rewards at the Eastside Cannery are gone. At the beginning of the second month, I am in Vegas with no printer.
You can read my frustration with this program on a post from my last trip
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2013/05/eastside-cannery-webpass-disappointment.html
In contrast, The My Vegas freebies, worth a great deal more, were done efficiently and all electronically, and I had 90 days from purchase to redeem the buffets. So once I purchased the buffets at home, I could use them any day I decided on my trip.
And there never has been much of a line at M Life counters. At Eastside Cannery counters there is generally a long wait, especially when the kiosks are broken down and all other business must be accomplished in a Player's Club line as well.
Because M Life could all be done electronically the last reward (Aria 2 for 1) from my wife's site I actually bought at the last minute while I was in Vegas. This would be impossible at the Eastside Cannery site because I would need a printer. With everything electronic, no printing was needed, and effortlessly we had a last minute 2 for 1 at Aria bought the morning we used it.
I'm not saying to avoid the Eastside Cannery. The rooms are fine. The VP is full pay. In fact, the JOB is the best in Vegas, 9/6/90. However, when using Eastside Cannery Webpass promotions, get all the details required for redemption before you plan a purchase using points.
It also helped that I knew rewards were refreshed at 7 AM and was waiting and ready at that time to buy tickets.
Added to that was the ease at getting the tickets once purchased.
Right after buying any award, I just called the MyLife number and locked up my seats. Then I just had to stop at an M Life counter when I got to Vegas and pick up the tickets.
We ate our free Bellagio lunch buffets and went to redeem the O tickets, and we got the Zumanity tickets for the following day at the same time, so that we did not have to worry about getting them before the 4PM deadline on the day of the Zumanity performance, or worry that somehow we did not have what we needed, or arrange a busy schedule around another MLife counter visit.
Before Zumanity we had a buffet at Aria and liked it so much that we went back again a few days later, using a 2 for 1 reward off the MyVegas site, and so I managed to capture a total of 6 rewards.
I copied confirmation numbers, but they told me one number was not right. It did not matter. They could access the tickets by checking my account. It is a very good idea to connect your MyVegas account to your M Life card before you go to Vegas. If you don't have an M Life card, call and ask and you can sign up for one on line.
I was going to try to get one more buffet just to see if MyVegas would let me add in a fourth reward in spite of the rolling 30 day rule, but actually my poker buddy Wild Bill and I had so many food offers from poker and coupons that it just was not needed.
Compared to the rigmarole required by the Eastside Cannery to redeem freebies on their Webpass site, My Vegas is a dream. To get one free buffet, one 2 for 1 buffet, 2 drinks, and a hat (under $50 value total ) at Eastside Cannery I had to call a local Vegas buddy with a printer and talk him through my site so he could bring printed vouches with him when we met for breakfast the next day.
Printed vouchers must be shown at the Player's Club and translated into printed coupons with 7 days of buying them with points, and the schedule of our first week was just too packed for me to bring them and redeem them this trip.
Once they are redeemed, then we have a month to use them, but it means that within the first 7 days of the trip we have to get out to Eastside Cannery and do the paperwork.
It also means we are limited to those rewards that are still current when we do.
I generally plan a trip that catches the end of one month and the beginning of another (so that I can get monthy promotional room rates and free play at the Four Queens and the D twice on the same trip.)
Later in the month many of the rewards at the Eastside Cannery are gone. At the beginning of the second month, I am in Vegas with no printer.
You can read my frustration with this program on a post from my last trip
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2013/05/eastside-cannery-webpass-disappointment.html
In contrast, The My Vegas freebies, worth a great deal more, were done efficiently and all electronically, and I had 90 days from purchase to redeem the buffets. So once I purchased the buffets at home, I could use them any day I decided on my trip.
And there never has been much of a line at M Life counters. At Eastside Cannery counters there is generally a long wait, especially when the kiosks are broken down and all other business must be accomplished in a Player's Club line as well.
Because M Life could all be done electronically the last reward (Aria 2 for 1) from my wife's site I actually bought at the last minute while I was in Vegas. This would be impossible at the Eastside Cannery site because I would need a printer. With everything electronic, no printing was needed, and effortlessly we had a last minute 2 for 1 at Aria bought the morning we used it.
I'm not saying to avoid the Eastside Cannery. The rooms are fine. The VP is full pay. In fact, the JOB is the best in Vegas, 9/6/90. However, when using Eastside Cannery Webpass promotions, get all the details required for redemption before you plan a purchase using points.