Las Vegas is one of the best vacation destinations in the continental United States.
Vegas has something for everyone. Whether you enjoy gambling on slot machines, partying at clubs, or just being lazy by the pool or at the spa, Vegas can accommodate you.
Regardless of what you want to do in Vegas, there are ways to do it for cheap or even free. It might be hard to envision a “free” vacation (after all, nothing in life is free!) but I will explain a few different strategies for minimizing the amount you have to spend on your Vegas Vacation.
Get Free Airfare
There are a couple of ways to get your flight to Vegas for free or almost-free. The first way (and my personal preference) is to sign up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard and spend $3,000 within the first 90 days. When you do this you will get 40,000 miles, which are equivalent to $400 that can be spent on any travel-related expense.
As a bonus, each time you redeem your rewards for travel expenses you get 10% back. If you spend all $400 on travel expenses you would get the equivalent of an additional $40.
This may seem like a lot to spend within 90 days, but if you put all your bills on it you should be able to make it work. If you record all your expenses like I do you might be surprised just how much you spend each month on recurring monthly bills and payments.
Save Money on Hotel Bookings – or get them Free
Hotel prices really depend on where you stay. I’ve found that hotels really aren’t all that expensive, especially if you split the cost of the room with one or more people. With that being said, there’s no reason to pay for something if you can get it cheaper – or free! Here’s some tips:
- Avoid Major Sporting Events and Conventions – You will want to avoid major events like Super Bowl weekend, March Madness (opening round in particular), and large conventions. It’s all about supply and demand; if hotels can count on big crowds for events they will naturally raise rates.
- Weeknights are your friend – There’s no getting around it: hotel rooms are more expensive on the weekend. If you can stay Sunday night through Thursday you will get a better rate than Friday or Saturday night.
- Get your hotel room FREE – A few weeks back I shared a fun little travel hack that helps you get up to 3 free Vegas hotel rooms a month. I know people who have cashed in on this deal multiple times over the past year or so, and there’s no sign that the perk will be discontinued. Check out this post for more details.
As you can probably already tell, planning ahead is your friend when it comes to saving money on a Vegas getaway. The further you plan in advance the easier it is to take advantage of promotions and deals that drastically reduce the cost of a Vegas trip.
A few additional travel hacks to minimize what you spend in Vegas
Here are a few additional tips that can help you save money while you’re in Vegas.
- Get Free Drinks – Most if not all casinos will offer free alcoholic beverages to people who are playing slot machines and table games. If you don’t care for gambling and just want free drinks, play the absolute cheapest slot machine and play slow. Table games offer great odds for the player and can be a lot of fun, so consider playing Blackjack or other table games.
- Keep your Food Costs Low – There are plenty of inexpensive places to eat in Vegas, and you definitely do not have to go to a sit-down restaurant every meal. When I was in Vegas we went to a couple of nicer sit-down places but typically ate at some of the inexpensive fast food joints like McDonald’s, Subway and Chipotle.
- Get into clubs for free – This should be common knowledge but groups of girls who are looking to go clubbing in Vegas should not have to pay to get in. There are hundreds of promoters in Vegas whose job is to get clubs filled and, as you might expect, girls are their primary targets. Guys may be able to get into clubs free as well, especially if it’s a new or less popular club, but should expect to pay at the more popular clubs.
Hopefully you are able to save some money on your next Vegas vacation using one – or all – of these tips. Even if you don’t use these tips, there are always creative ways to pay for travel that will make it more affordable.
Will you take advantage of any of these tips next time you visit Vegas? What’s your favorite thing to do in Vegas?
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Photo by David Stanley
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I went to Vegas and it was a blast! We of course got into all the clubs for free, and most Casinos give you free drinks for being on the floor. We even went on a hike in the beautiful canyons that are near by. Very unique, fun vaca.
We are going to Vegas in ten days….and our trip was almost free! Our flights were paid for with Southwest points and we’re only paying $87 per night for our hotel. We could’ve stayed free with hotel points from the many programs I belong to, but I didn’t want to waste them in Vegas when I could stay somewhere so dang cheap.
We did a number of these things when we went to Vegas in January which meant the trip was basically free for us. The weekend thing is a big one to watch for. We stayed Sunday – Thursday ourselves for that very reason and it meant our points could go further.
I’ve been to Vegas four times now and I always have a blast. It’s the cheapest vacation I know. Next time you go, try the buffet of buffets pass. If you can time it to get 4 meals in your 24 hours, it’s totally worth it for $50.
I am amazed at how easy it is to go to Vegas for cheap or free. I haven’t been there in years, but would definitely use these tactics if going again.
Love this post! I am going to Las Vegas this week, and it’s always one of my most frugal vacations. There are just so many things that you can get for free when you are there!
My budget for Vegas maxes out at $100 for the weekend and once l blow that ( usually the first half hour) I am at the 2 cents slots. They give you just as many free drinks as they givemy big time gambler friends! Good tips!
Never been to Vegas but hope to go at least once with the wife at some point in the future. Will not be taking the kids on that trip. Seems like it’s a very affordable destination if you know what to do and look for.
These are great points DC! Out of just about any city you could visit, I think that Vegas does have the most flexibility as far as saving money and it definitely makes sense to do your research and planning so you don’t miss out on any of those money saving quirks that the city has to offer.
I was in Vegas 10 years ago and the biggest savings was on the Hotel Room. We stayed Sunday to Thursday.
This is great. I haven’t been to Vegas in years, so I’m hoping to plan a trip for next year. Thanks for all the tips!
Great tips…I’ve only been to Vegas once but would like to go back. The flight and room are usually not too expensive. I think they want to lure you in to spend money there. But I’m not a big gambler and there are pretty affordable entertainment options there.
David, I love this! Before I even read it I knew I was sending it to my boyfriend, who has a soft spot for Vegas. On the other hand, I have never been! I’ll keep this post in reserve though, if it should come up! Thanks for sharing the tips.
Wow, didn’t know you were a Vegas fan? Care to join me in late June with a few buddies to show us around?
Would have been handy to know these tips before we booked in but I get the feeling it would have only been for US citizens anyway :)
Mrs Snarkfinance Last time I was in Vegas my friend and I played blackjack for over six hours straight. We got free drinks the entire time and it was definitely a fun vacation.
Holly at ClubThrifty Wait weren’t you just on vacation?!? Just kidding ;) It’s nice you got everything covered besides the hotel. I think whenever you can get ANY part of a trip covered you are doing something right.
FrugalRules I enjoyed your posts about Vegas in the past, including the one today. It’s tough when you work full-time and have to factor in PTO. I know I would personally rather NOT go Sun-Thurs and would prefer a Thurs – Sun trip instead.
brokeandbeau Don’t worry, I remember your post about the unlimited 24 hour buffet and definitely will consider doing that with my wife when we go!
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer It seems like an ideal place for a quick getaway. If you’re like my wife and me we’d actually probably end up having a fairly “low key” vacation to Vegas and would spend most of the day out by the pool and probably lay low at night and walk around the strip. Definitely makes for a frugal vacation!
SenseofCents Oh it must be time for your bachelorette party! I remember you mentioning how you used rewards to pay for everyone’s flight. That’s definitely a huge perk for everyone going and would make the trip super cheap for those who don’t have or don’t want to spend much money.
Kemkem Amazingly I won $350 within minutes of getting to Vegas. I put $10 down on one number on roulette and was up $350! I couldn’t believe it! Then I slowly lost it throughout the weekend. I also have benefited from the free drinks they hand out while you gamble : )
Brian @ Luke1428 Definitely not a place to bring kids. I don’t even know why you’d want to go unless you were 21, nor would it be a place I’d want to go on a ‘family’ vacation. I think if you plan your trip right it can be a cheap – even low key – vacation.
blonde_finance Thanks Shannon! I think planning ahead is key. For example the free hotel rooms and buffets through myVegas slots. That takes at least a few months of planning to cash in on.
Raquel@Practical Cents Makes sense! Unfortunately for many people who don’t get a lot of PTO, taking 4 days off of work for a Vegas vacation just isn’t in the cards. Probably why Thursday through Sunday is so much pricier.
TheWriteBudget No problem! Good luck taking full advantage of the saving opportunities.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Haha they definitely want to lure you in to spend money there. The one thing I didn’t mention in this post is how easy it is to spend money while you’re there. If you stick to a plan, though, you can definitely take a very cheap – or free – vacation.
theFinancegirl Hope he finds it useful! It’s a great place to go for cheap/inexpensive getaways, especially if you are only going for a few days.
mycareercrusade I definitely am! I wish I could head out there in June but I probably won’t be able to fit it into my schedule. It would have been awesome to meet up with you as I’m sure we won’t get many chances to meet as you are an Aussie blogger and I’m an American blogger.
While some of these tips, such as the flight, are definitely geared more towards Americans there are still other tips like free drinks and reduced price hotel rooms that will apply to everyone.
Vegas is definitely a fun city and it’s a really cheap flight for us in LA. It’s not an awful drive but since you really don’t need a car in Vegas, flying really just makes more sense in my mind. I find Vegas can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be. Sometimes it’s been a very frugal trip and other times … not so much but it is always fun! :)
@ShannonRyan Haha yes it can be as cheap or expensive as you want and it’s definitely a short distance from LA! I really like the fact that flying to Vegas from almost anywhere in the US is relatively affordable.
I’ve never been to Vegas, but would love to go! I’ll definitely be taking advantage of the tips…especially the free drinks! I enjoy a good game of poker and a drink….that’s an awesome perk!
Joshua Rodriguez When they legalize online gambling in the US we should get some pf bloggers together for a poker game! I love poker and would love to get a game going. Of course maybe a group of us will be at FinCon and will get a game going, though it seems like there isn’t as much time for stuff like that at a conference.
Vegas is still on my to-do list, it’s a VERY popular destination from where I live! I wish we got the credit card offers that you folks get. It’s on my short-term destination list to go to Vegas… I need some more online revenue first though!
I’m not a fan of vegas but Ive been there twice, once for a mellow bachelorette and once for a convention. I loved the second one because we ate at nice places on the company dime. Boom! But I would totally be one of those people at the cheapest slot machine pulling the thing very, very slowly for free drinks. lol!
Great post. Vegas is one of my favorite places to go. I will use your advice.
I love Vegas because you can do it really cheap. It’s not a bad drive from where we live, so that cuts transportation costs. My favorite thing in Vegas is just to people watch. I think the best was the naked guy running down the strip, soaking wet, with an American flag around his shoulders being chased by police. We’ve had so much fun imagining where he came from!
I’ve never been to Vegas, but some friends are living in there. Getting into the clubs sounds good and playing the absolute cheapest slot machine just to have a free drink is a good idea as well.
I went to Vegas a year ago, although I have been there before. We looked at at lot of the free stuff, and used the all day buss pass. We also ate at some of the fast food places.
We did get a cocktail upon arriving at the hotel. When I saw the bill, I though they gave me the wrong one. $25+ for two drinks is crazy.
Beachbudget Haha gotta love conventions that are paid for by the company! Playing the cheap slots isn’t a bad idea if you are getting free drinks.
Jason @ The Butler Journal It’s a great place to go to for a long weekend, glad you enjoyed the post!
Eyesonthedollar Wow, that’s not something you see every day! Haha. The people watching in Vegas is definitely a good time.
No Nonsense Landlord I paid something like $20 for two beers last time I was in Vegas! I didn’t care too much because I had just won $350 on roulette – my first bet in Vegas! You can’t make that up.
Clarisse @ Make Money Your Way Both are great ideas! That’s cool you have some friends who live there.
DC @ Young Adult Money mycareercrusade Mate it is a shame, would have loved nothing better than to share a beer or drink with you in Vegas ;)..
Keep it in mind, how far from Vegas are you? I would have though about making a trip but were only there for 2 days and heading to the Grand Canyon for one of them..
Would love to catch up one of these days though, when were both full time bloggers :)
Slick! Vegas is still on my “one day” list… I need to save some pennies to use on show tickets. Thanks for linking up in Friday Jet Fuel!
moneypropeller You can get show tickets for free through the myVegas slots game!