2012 Great Gift Wrap Up Online Catalogue

[Alan Mendelson]

In the last couple of weeks, Caesars has updated its Great Gift Wrap Up online catalog with many new offers.

What I was looking for are the gift cards for Shell gasoline and this year 35,000 Great Gift Wrap Up points will get you a $100 Shell gas card. You get a $10 card for 3,500 points. But don't chuckle over that -- because when you are trying to squeeze every last point out of your GGWU point balance those $10 gift cards for Shell and for restaurants and coffee shops come in handy.

In years past there was also a "free play" option for odd amounts of "left over" points.

There are two sessions for redeeming your points and remember that the GGWU points are in addition to your regular Total Rewards points so shopping at the GGWU will not affect your other comps.

Here ae the dates:

November 8 - 12, 2012
Flamingo Las Vegas
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST

November 29 - December 3, 2012
Caesars Palace
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST

Usually shipping of gift items is pretty prompt though last year a couple of gift items we wanted could not be shipped before the holidays. Substitute items were offered but we stuck with the original request.

Check the online catalog at www.greatgiftwrapup.com to see some of the prices and selections. If you don't see exactly what you want be sure to check back because items are added right up to the start of the event.

And several years ago we found low priced items that were not on the website that you could take with you from the event.

[bigfoot66]

Just checked my balance, I got 14,400 points. Probably not worth a trip for, what, $40 in gas cards?

[Alan Mendelson]

More merchandise has been added. What do you think of the offers?

[JamieV]

hey guys,

I think the rewards are pretty neat. However, most of the items can be bought for fairly cheap so I really didn't expect anything too great. I think the best deal might be the Shell Gas cards. If I calculated correctly, I should be able to get 240 dollars worth of gas. Not too shabby, but not great either considering how much money I risked this year....I guess that's why they say don't play for comps!

[Alan Mendelson]

fortunately, the GGWU points do not come out of your "comps" account. This is an added comp.

Over the past couple of years the variety and vendors and merchandise has shrunk. I was reading on another website that the number of points needed for various items has increased but that may be because of inflation and higher cost merchandise and not because Caesars is getting stingier.

I probably am also going to go for the Shell gas cards this year (it's like cash), though in the past (when I had more points) I got a TV and a computer and a Garmin and some jewelry. The jewelry store that my wife likes is not yet listed on the website, and while they were there last year, their selection was smaller.

Tiffany used to be at the GGWU but they vanished a couple of years ago.

[JamieV]

Well so much for my Shell gas card plan. I told the spouse yesterday that I booked us a weekend vacation for the end of November in Vegas. First thing out of her mouth, "What for?" I reply, "To pick up our gift items." She says, "Oh ya! I spending all the points!"

Happy wife happy life....lol

[bigfoot66]

Rincon sent me an email inviting me to a gift program of some kind there this weekend, anyone know anything about this?

[Alan Mendelson]

The Rincon gift promotion is different. They give you a certain number of points then additional play during the weekend earns you more points. In other words you can get gifts for your weekend play. But your play at Rincon also earns points for the GGWU.

[Alan Mendelson]

I just checked the GGWU site again and there is now a page of Sports Collectibles including signed balls, jerseys, helmets. I did some quick "price checking" and found, for example, that a signed Dan Marino football priced at about 154,000 gift points equals the value of $440 worth of Shell gas cards. And on ebay, you can pick up an autographed Dan ball for about $200 cash.

[JamieV]

I just checked the GGWU site again and there is now a page of Sports Collectibles including signed balls, jerseys, helmets. I did some quick "price checking" and found, for example, that a signed Dan Marino football priced at about 154,000 gift points equals the value of $440 worth of Shell gas cards. And on ebay, you can pick up an autographed Dan ball for about $200 cash.

Haha that was my point earlier in this thread. Go for the gas, or in my case, keep the wife happy.

[Alan Mendelson]

There is a new category that just appeared on the website -- Experientials. What?? Where do they come up with these words?

Anyway, it's a fancy name for using your GGWU points to get things such as World Series tickets or Superbowl tickets or trips or sky diving.

[Alan Mendelson]

Just a reminder that the GGWU ends tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 3rd. Unfortunately for me I have enough points for about $350 in gas cards but no time to drive up to cash them in. The drive would cost me a tank of gas which would be about $80. Can anyone give me any reason to do the drive which would also take about 9 hours? I didn't think so.