Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2014

johnmcga

lazyjack wrote: »

One thing I've started doing on recent car hire bookings is playing around with the return time so I can take it back as late as possible without paying for an extra day.

Yep, I do the same — car rentals are normally charged in 24-hour chunks, so I always book up to the end of that period, even if I end up returning early.

ferf1223

we always choose our pick-up time to correspond with the latest we would anticipate dropping the car off so we maximize the time of the rental without tipping over to an extra day...just that this time the known flight delay pushed that out a bit.

We wouldn't really want to pick the car up much later than we did (2:30pm) on our first day as it would interfere with our normal first day plans...but maybe next time will consider pushing it out a bit, though this is the first time we have had an issue. We have dropped off 20 - 30 mins late without charge before.

ferf1223

lesley74 wrote: »

People are saying don't charge stuff to your room then use the points at check out...because then tax is charged, whereas it's not added if you redeem at the restaurant.

That's true if you're staying at a Caesars property and the resturant accepts TR points - more do now, a few years ago some of those not owned by CET didn't so charging to the room was the way around it, the way to use points for something you couldn't at the point of purchase.

Agree that whatever amount your bill says with any specials, etc. is the amount of TR points that will be needed to cover it...no weird now you have to pay full price if you're using points or anything.

thegamboller

Are network points worth anything? They don't as of yet seem to be added to my pending nor available points.

ferf1223

masterwilde wrote: »

so can anyone tell me how they make to not consistently have to buy chips? as i keep running out yet only play with 1500 or 600.

if you've just started that's a really high bet per spin, I think...we bet the minimum early on to get all the Vs to build our hotels in the early stages..I'm sure at the beginning we were betting 40 or 60 per spin. We have never bought any chips.

I think the betting low early on is mentioned in the guide on the first page

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64155708&postcount=13

The more hotels you have the more chips you can collect from there as well.

ferf1223

is anyone willing to help me with this? I know people who can help with part of it, but some of you folks here are more likely to be able to help with both parts of it...I am loathe to set foot in a mobile phone shop with all the shiny pretty things I'll be distracted by...and the internets are making me more confused than I was before...

I have a UK smartphone but it cannot be used for this purpose.

I want to buy a relatively cheap smartphone...will be used in the UK and the US but both only on a limited basis so I assume I'm looking at unlocked, phone only as I just don't need a UK contract on it and I will want to be able to swap the SIM for a US SIM when we're there. It will mainly be used for calls and texts but might occasionally be used for internet-related stuff.

Overall the phone won't get much use so I don't want to pay too much for it, but I want something that will be usable when we need it (I'm conscious of potential for false economy here)...and I know that a few of you have posted about options for SIM cards for the US and I can go back and read those more closely...but I'm worried I will overlook something chosing the phone that will cause me issues later.

Any thoughts on the best options for me that tick all the boxes?

I was the first person I knew to own a PC...and a PDA...and a DVD player...sometime between then and now I lost my edge on technology and kind of feel like I've turned into one or another of my older, non-tech saavy relatives and it all became very confusing. Apologies this is not Vegas specific, though one of the motivations for deciding to go this route is the potential for an upcoming trip to Vegas where we will be meeting up with several people from the US, with US phones, etc...so it's partially Vegas related...

lazyjack

ferf1223 wrote: »

is anyone willing to help me with this? I know people who can help with part of it, but some of you folks here are more likely to be able to help with both parts of it...I am loathe to set foot in a mobile phone shop with all the shiny pretty things I'll be distracted by...and the internets are making me more confused than I was before...

I have a UK smartphone but it cannot be used for this purpose.

I want to buy a relatively cheap smartphone...will be used in the UK and the US but both only on a limited basis so I assume I'm looking at unlocked, phone only as I just don't need a UK contract on it and I will want to be able to swap the SIM for a US SIM when we're there. It will mainly be used for calls and texts but might occasionally be used for internet-related stuff.

Overall the phone won't get much use so I don't want to pay too much for it, but I want something that will be usable when we need it (I'm conscious of potential for false economy here)...and I know that a few of you have posted about options for SIM cards for the US and I can go back and read those more closely...but I'm worried I will overlook something chosing the phone that will cause me issues later.

Any thoughts on the best options for me that tick all the boxes?

I was the first person I knew to own a PC...and a PDA...and a DVD player...sometime between then and now I lost my edge on technology and kind of feel like I've turned into one or another of my older, non-tech saavy relatives and it all became very confusing. Apologies this is not Vegas specific, though one of the motivations for deciding to go this route is the potential for an upcoming trip to Vegas where we will be meeting up with several people from the US, with US phones, etc...so it's partially Vegas related...

Might be worth a look at the Motorola Moto G, I believe Tesco sell them for around £100 - £110 and they are (apparently) easy to unlock. Or you could pay a little more and get it from Amazon or Google so it's unlocked from the start.

Don't think they are 4G ready but not sure if that's a problem. Full specs here:

http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g-5831.php

John259

Could you use your existing smartphone (or a tablet, maybe) and access the internet in the USA via the free wi-fi facilities provided by hotels/motels, restaurants, etc?

Apologies if that's a crazy suggestion.

vegasvisitor

Don't mind the drinks at Margaritaville, but I'm thinking it's not great for veggie options for food. Totally agree though - I can't imagine eating a starter and main in the US. We'd be more likely to share. Good deal though, will be of interest to someone I'm sure.

nvh

ferf1223 wrote: »

I want to buy a relatively cheap smartphone...will be used in the UK and the US but both only on a limited basis so I assume I'm looking at unlocked, phone only as I just don't need a UK contract on it and I will want to be able to swap the SIM for a US SIM when we're there. It will mainly be used for calls and texts but might occasionally be used for internet-related stuff.

If you're comfortable with something that is a bit unfamiliar (unless you've used Windows 8) but is easy to use / get used to, then I'd throw the Nokia Lumia 520 into the mix.

You're too late for this deal, but I think the price is going to keep dropping on this one so worth tracking it and keeping an eye out
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/nokia-lumia-520-mobile-phone-sim-free-black-for-60-00-direct-asda-com-1894351

Just remember to make sure whatever you buy is quad-band... though I can't imagine many modern / touchscreen-type device not being

Remember PAYG phones from Carphone Warehouse are usually (reluctant to say always, but it seems to be the case) unlocked, so work out cheaper than being the Simfree version