How to visit Las Vegas cheap
Las Vegas is one of the most expensive cities in the United States to visit. With $15 beers, $30 breakfast platters, and plenty of high-end hotels to choose from you can easily spend thousands of dollars entertaining yourself on a trip.
But with budget travel hacking you don’t have to spend thousands visiting Las Vegas. Using points and miles will help you save money in Las Vegas and enjoy yourself, too.
Here’s your budget travel guide to visiting Las Vegas on points and miles:
Getting to Las Vegas – Cheap Flights
Las Vegas is one of the easiest airports to get to from most US cities without a layover. And with generally cheap cash flights, getting to Las Vegas is pretty inexpensive from almost anywhere in the United States.
One of my favorite Las Vegas travel hacks is using Southwest Rapid Rewards with the help of my Southwest Companion Pass. If you are traveling with a companion, you can literally cut your flight costs in half with your Companion Pass — and use your Rapid Rewards to get two roundtrip tickets for less than $25.
If you don’t have Rapid Rewards, you can earn them through the Southwest eShopping portal or by using Southwest Hotels.
Another option to get to Vegas would be using your $300 Capital One Venture X travel credit to easily make your flight more affordable, or possibly even free.
I do want to note that with fights being so cheap from so many locations, cashing in points for your flight likely wouldn’t be a good use of your points and miles. So utilizing a $300 travel credit is a great way to go. The Venture X is a great high-end travel card with good travel protections and other benefits worth adding to your travel hacking portfolio.
Where to stay in Las Vegas
With Hyatt’s partnership with MGM, it’s a no-brainer to stay on the Strip at an MGM property and earn Hyatt points on your stay. I like the Park MGM for its fantastic location and access to other properties via the free tram. The Park MGM is also home to Eataly, and if you’re willing to pay for it, you can get some really good homemade pasta in the market.
Budget Travel Tip! You can link your MGM and Hyatt accounts to earn 5 points per dollar spent on your MGM stays. If you have Hyatt status you can match your status to MGM for added perks. Hyatt Explorist status or higher equates to MGM Gold, which gives you free parking and no resort fees. Just remember you need to book direct to use these benefits.
The Bellagio is another great choice on the Strip that is an MGM property. What I like about the Bellagio is the ease to access the majority of the resorts and casinos within a mile’s walking distance.
Budget Travel Tip! You can earn free nights with the myVegas Slots app for many casinos in Vegas. The app is free to play, so go ahead and spin towards winning free nights easily.
Getting around Las Vegas
I chose to rent a car for my trip to Vegas so I could do things outside of town cheaper and at my own pace. If you plan to do some exploring outside of the Strip, renting a car is a great option that will likely save you money. You can use AutoSlash to help you find cheap car rentals in Las Vegas. The airport hosts all of the major car rental brands so you have plenty of options.
If you have a Capital One Venture X, you can use it with the Hertz President’s Circle status to get a premium car, too.
On the Strip, you can pay to access the Monorail, which can get you close to pretty much anywhere you want to go. The Monorail is expensive for a tram service, but the more days you purchase the cheaper your pass will be.
If you’re by the Aria, Park MGM, or Bellagio (or need to go between them) there is a free tram inside the hotels that connects the three buildings.
Where to eat in Las Vegas
Vegas is a foodie town and there is plenty of amazing restaurants to choose from. Here are a few of my favorite spots:
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Lotus of Siam – authentic Thai
One of the best places I’ve had to eat in the United States (seriously) Lotus of Siam will transport you to authentic Thai food. The Nam Kao Tod is truly spectacular so be sure to try it.
La Salsa Cantina – Cheap breakfast
This isn’t for the foodie per se, but La Salsa Cantina offers a $5.99 breakfast platter complete with eggs, tortilla, choice of meat, and potatoes. Don’t expect anything special but this is one of the best deals on the Vegas Strip.
Peppermill – best happy hour
Down the Strip across from Circus Circus Peppermill is serving up some great pub food in a really retro but fashionable diner space. The standalone building has one of the best happy hours in Las Vegas, too. With $6 mules and $11 wings.
Tacos El Gordo – authentic tacos
A local and tourist favorite, this Tacos El Gordo is serving up authentic tacos across town. Locals rave about the pork options, so be sure to give them a try.
Cheap things to do in Las Vegas
Vegas can get expensive very quickly. But if you know where to look you can find plenty of free and cheap to do in and around LAs Vegas. With a rental car that becomes even easier!
Visit the Hoover Dam
Take the drive through the desert to the Hoover Dam. There are many ways to experience the dam with the most popular being the Guided Power Plant Tour for only $15. If you want to have a completely free dam experience, there is some free parking just past the visitor’s center on the other side of the dam’s road. You can get some nice photos and walk around.
See the Hoover Dam from below with a rafting tour!
See the Container Park
Worth a stop downtown, the Container Park is full of local businesses and restaurants. Be sure to come at night and see the giant praying mantis blowing fire right outside the park. I liked having a drink at Oak and Ivy, known for its high-end bar service and unique cocktails.
Be wowed at Area15
Area15 is self-described as an “immersive entertainment and events district” but it’s also very trippy. Entry to the park is free but most of the entertainment you have to pay for once inside. The top attraction inside is Meow Wolf.
Budget Travel Tip! Buy tickets to Area15 attractions, including Meow Wolf, on Vegas.com with a rewards credit card through Rakuten for a travel hack stack of earning points plus easy cash back
Ride atop the Stratosphere
I have to admit, I truly enjoyed this experience. Buy yourself a rides package starting at just $25 and go up 1,100+ feet to ride some unforgettably thrilling rides atop the Stratosphere.
Take a desert drive to Seven Magic Mountains
What’s better than a super cool art installation in the middle of the Nevada desert? Seven Magic Mountains might be one of the most Instagrammable moments you can have. The drive takes about 30 minutes from the Strip and is reason enough to get yourself a rental car. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s FREE and open to the public
If you don’t have a rental car you can take a guided tour to Seven Magic Mountains.
Free things to do on the Vegas Strip
Though you can easily spend thousands of dollars entertaining yourself on the Strip, you can also spend nothing on an entirely free day. Here are just a few free activities to keep you entertained:
- Visit the flamingo habitat inside the Flamingo hotel
- See a free circus show at Circus Circus
- Explore the Bellagio conservatory’s themed botanical garden
- Learn to play craps at the Venetian
- Take a photo with the Welcome to Las Vegas sign
- Score some free chocolate at the Ethel M. Chocolates Factory
Las Vegas On a Budget
Las Vegas can easily add up to quite a pricey vacation. In fact, the average price of a 7-day trip to Las Vegas is over $3,240 for a couple. But, by using my budget travel hacks and recommendations you can have an unforgettable Las Vegas vacation on the cheap.
Vegas vacations give you the opportunity to use and earn points and miles to save money on your travel adventures.
I’d love to share with you even more ways you can save on travel, join my newsletter for weekly budget travel tips!
Explore on. -K
