Quote Originally Posted by donkdowndonedied View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Dan Druff View Post

- Once earned, you keep your status until January 31, TWO calendar years later. For example, any status earned in 2016 will last until January 31, 2018. Therefore, it is not wise to earn Diamond or Seven Stars at the end of the year. Wait until the beginning of the next year to do it!
Love this stuff Druff. Keep up the good work.

I have a question about above quote from OP. It says it is not wise to earn at end of year, but if the status flips on Jan 31rst, then you should also not try this in the first month of the year? Is this correct? I'm planning on getting diamond but am trying to figure out if I should wait a month to start.

edit - Wow, I will have to rethink whether I want to bother. Resort fees being knocked off is nice, but meh. Previously I thought I'd get diamond then keep the option open for 7 stars because of the room comp. No surprise it was removed. Too easy to exploit.
Good question.

Total Rewards is very confusing.

The earning year starts January 1. So your tier credits reset to 0 on that date.

The benefits year starts February 1. So January is considered an extension of the previous year, regarding redeeming benefits (and you can't redeem new benefits yet!)

This also allows one to earn status every other January, and continuing with that status without interruption.

Regarding the end of the room comp, it wasn't as obvious as you think. It existed for about a decade. Supposedly it was abused really badly in Atlantic City, with some people becoming roommates in order to avoid the "2 days off" situation, and basically living together at Caesars AC the entire year for free. Sounds like a miserable existence, but that's what some people did.