This Harrah's rule has existed since I started playing in the Ice Age. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, perhaps it was the Stone Age. My memory isn't as good as it used to be.
Seriously, I can't remember it ever being anything but six months at Harrah's. Players who don't get to a Harrah's casino very often may feel that this is too short a time. I certainly do. It doesn't take into consideration that players are human beings, perhaps with heavy work schedules, or maybe they get a vacation only once a year, or they have unexpected illness in the family -- any one of hundreds of reasons why they can't get back to a casino every 180 days. Most casinos have a longer period before they "cut you off," at least a year and often a couple. Some never lose hope that you'll return. We've gone back to a casino we haven't visited for many years and found our old points safe and sound.
In any case, since there's no "standard" casino policy, you should ask about this at every casino where you play and have points. Most casinos cover this in a printed list of rules and regulations that you can pick up at the players club desk. And it's usually wise to redeem or use up as many points as you can if you're an infrequent player at a casino. This is especially true in the economic times of today when you never know when a casino will change their slot club rules or even go belly up.
But there's one "secret" way to take care of this one-point-every-six-months rule without going to a Harrah's casino in person. This is important for those who don't want to ruin their daily average or might not get back to the casino before the deadline. You can get a Harrah's credit card (which has no annual fee) and make one purchase on it. You earn 1 Bonus Reward Credit for every $1 you spend on net retail purchase transactions (click here for the website to apply at.) This one purchase will give you the necessary point(s) to keep your account current and not lose banked points.
Jean "Queen of Comps" Scott is the author of many best-selling Huntington Press products, all of which you can view by clicking here and some of which are currently on sale at massively discounted prices, as part of our summer warehouse clearance extravaganza. Get 'em before they're gone!
