I can't believe this.

Caesars is marketing its Total Rewards Gift Cards. It wants Total Rewards members to buy the cards to use themselves or to give as gifts.

Frankly, it's not a bad idea to market gift cards because it means the user will come to a Caesars / Total Rewards property. After all -- you can't use a Total Rewards Gift Card at Bellagio or Wynn, right?

That extra business from the Gift Card holder should be attractive enough for Caesars. But -- oh no -- they have to turn the screws and ruin a good thing. How?

By charging ridiculous fees.

Look what I found when I clicked on the email promoting the gift cards:

The cost for a TR Gift card is $2.50, this will be charged to you upon checkout.

Upon check out, before your order is be placed you will see a convenience charge; this is a pass through fee that is charged to process your transaction online via your credit card. The convenience fee is approximately 4.5% of your TR Gift Card load amount. For example for a TR Gift Card loaded with $100 there will be a $4.50 convenience added to the total.


Let's just say you give a $100 gift card to someone -- you have to pay $7 or 7% in fees so Caesars can get $100 of extra business?

This offer should go into the shredder or the spam folder if it comes via email.