Tips on how to Plan a Journey to Las Vegas on a Funds and Gamble for Free

• An LA-based couple has discovered the best way to do day journeys to Las Vegas on a budget.
• They e book $39 roundtrip tickets by Spirit Airways and pack a backpack for the day.
• Bank card rewards and loyalty factors from free apps enable them entry to resort swimming pools and airport lounges.

Ryo Furukawa was intrigued by the Mandalay Bay pool — or, the 11-acre “aquatic playground,” because the Las Vegas-based resort describes its well-liked amenity.

It has a wave pool and a lazy river, neither of which he’d ever skilled.

He and his fiancé, Jenn Dinh determined to make a day journey out of it. It was a little bit of a tall order, contemplating they lived practically 300 miles away in Los Angeles, however they managed — and, due to an affordable Spirit flight and a handful of journey hacks, they did it on a price range.

Since then, the couple has replicated the low-budget day journey to the leisure capital of the world 4 extra instances. They spoke to Enterprise Insider and broke down the price of their typical 16-hour journey to Vegas, which they’ll do for lower than $100 per individual, not together with meals.

Airport parking: $30 complete ($15 every)

The couple sometimes flies out of the John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County. They drive themselves to the airport and depart their automobile within the lot.

Furukawa stated the day by day parking price just lately jumped from $20 to $30, and joked that he must “work out one other plan there.”

Flights: $39 per individual

Furukawa is a member of the Spirit Savers Membership, a $70-a-year membership that gives reductions for him, the first passenger, and as much as eight extra company on the identical reservation.

“It paid for itself by simply buying two tickets. We saved over $70 that one time,” stated Furukawa, who joined in the summertime of 2024. For every subsequent journey, they’ve saved a few bucks.

“There’s extra financial savings when the tickets are dearer — not as a lot financial savings after they’re already low-cost,” he defined. But it surely bumps their ticket costs under $40.

Here is an instance of a roundtrip flight for $38.60:

They sometimes depart SNA at 6:45 a.m. and arrive in LAS at 7:55 a.m. Their return journey leaves at 8:30 p.m. and arrives at 9:39 p.m. Spirit permits one private merchandise. They each pack a backpack.

Costs do fluctuate, stated Dinh, however they’ve agreed on a cap: “If it is $50, we’re not going to go. It must be like 40-something or below.”

Transportation in Vegas: $0 to $40 complete ($20 per individual)

Technically, the airport is strolling distance from the Strip — they usually’ve achieved the stroll earlier than.

“We solely have one backpack every, so not many issues to hold,” stated Furukawa. Although, “it is somewhat deceiving — in all probability three or 4 miles of strolling.”

Whereas the lively commute is free, and a pleasant choice on a good-weather day, they like to avoid wasting their legs. They’ve used rideshare apps and taxis — the taxi fare is about primarily based on the a part of the Strip you are heading to, making it simple to cost examine with Uber and Lyft — however their favourite technique to get round is by renting a automobile, which supplies them extra flexibility and the choice to discover past the Strip.

On their most up-to-date journey in January, they stated the automobile value somewhat below $40 for the complete day — they usually did not need to high off the fuel, both. They drove so few miles that, by the tip of the day, “the meter was nonetheless previous the complete mark,” stated Furukawa.

Profiting from free actions and saving their meals price range for LA

There’s extra to Vegas than dear buffets, exhibits, and nightlife.

Certainly one of Furukawa and Dinh’s favourite free actions is visiting the Conservatory on the Bellagio. It options shows that rotate seasonally. In January, they noticed the Lunar New 12 months show; in late 2024, they skilled a holiday-themed show.

They’ve additionally explored Circus Circus, a resort and on line casino (with free parking, they stated) simply north of the Strip that has an arcade with carnival video games.

Vegas is a walkable metropolis — notably the Strip, which stretches somewhat over 4 miles — they usually discover themselves doing loads of sightseeing on foot. They’ve additionally used the free trams that function between Mandalay Bay and Treasure Island.

As for meals, they contemplate themselves “spoiled” with the delicacies choices in LA. They’d fairly splurge on meals at dwelling and maintain issues easy and cheaper in Vegas. On their final journey, they spent about $20 on breakfast at a café off the Strip. They stated it will have been double and even triple had they eaten on the Strip. For lunch, they spent about $30 at Taco Bell Cantina.

They’re conscious that purchasing meals on the Strip can simply add up, nevertheless it would not maintain them again from the occassional splurge.

They’ve achieved a traditional Vegas buffet, which is “definitely worth the expertise in case you have the time,” stated Furukawa. “Clearly, you wish to keep there so long as you’ll be able to!”

Journey hacks: Flexibility, bank card rewards, and free playing apps

Flexibility will save your pockets. When planning their Vegas dates, Furukawa and Dinh want to take a day without work from work and journey on a weekday. There’s much less visitors and fewer crowds, and it may be cheaper. They’re continually taking a look at Spirit flights, and if an affordable ticket aligns with a day after they may land a free resort room by rewards factors — one other hack of theirs — they’re going to leap on it.

In Vegas, use apps to earn free motels, reductions, and rewards. Furukawa has found a number of apps that anybody can play totally free, together with POP! Slots, myVEGAS Bingo, myKONAMI, and MGM Slots Dwell.

With out spending any of his personal cash, he earns “loyalty factors” for the time he spends enjoying, which may be redeemed for a comped room at MGM properties on choose days (you continue to need to pay a resort payment, he stated), discounted meals or exhibits, and “Freeplay,” a type of credit score that lets you play on line casino video games.

“You may solely redeem three rewards per about 30 days,” he stated. “I often redeem 100,000 loyalty factors for $25 myKONAMI Freeplay at three totally different properties. Most Freeplay on their app often requires a minimal of a two-night keep, however this $25 Freeplay requires no keep.”

On their newest journey, he stated he was up $50 from Freeplay. It made the journey much more reasonably priced.

Reap the benefits of bank card factors and perks. Certainly one of their high hacks was once utilizing the Wyndham Earner Enterprise Card, which allowed them to match earned Wyndham standing to Caesars Rewards, which bought them free parking and a waived resort payment. The Factors Man was additionally a fan of this perk, which is not efficient as of January 31, 2025.

On their most up-to-date journey in January, the couple booked a comped room primarily based on their play. Because of their Caesars Diamond standing, which was nonetheless efficient on the time, they may park their rental automobile at Caesars totally free and did not owe the $54.95 resort payment. It allowed them a spot to retailer their backpacks and depart the automobile for the day.

One other bank card profit they’ve is Precedence Go, which grants them entry to lounges in numerous airports, together with the one in Vegas. They prefer to arrive on the airport early sufficient to get a free meal on the lounge earlier than heading again to LA.

They stated they’re trying ahead to the Capital One Lounge coming to the LAS quickly.

The couple hasn’t chosen their subsequent Vegas date but, however at this level, the planning is minimal. “We simply copy and paste,” stated Furukawa. “I choose her up, we go to the airport, park my automobile, after which get on the flight with our one backpack. It is a good escape.”