☰
Contributing expert Jean Scott answers:
At some casinos, it’s even less than 18 months. For example, some casinos cancel all your points after 12 months. Others wipe the slate clean on December 31. Plus there’s always the possibility that the casino will close or be sold and you’ll be given a limited time to cash in your points -- and you may not make it back before the deadline. In fact, some even take away potential benefits, such as comps, right after you go home from a single trip.
So, put it all together and there’s simply no reason I can think of why you would want to ever leave cashback in a slot club account beyond your current trip. The casino locks up your money the nanosecond you lose it. You should follow the casino’s lead and lock up your winnings (which include cashback) in a timely manner.
There’s a widespread myth that you’ll get more comps if you have a big cashback balance. Comps are earned when you actually put money through the machine, and whether you have zero in your cashback account because you cashed it in or a large balance has no influence on comping decisions.
Jean is author of best-seller The Frugal Gambler, now in its second edition.