11 tips for visiting Las Vegas on a budget

Sin City is synonymous with unexpected fees and staggering bills, but there are ways to visit without getting ripped off

With budget airline Norse Atlantic launching its new London to Las Vegas route, it’s become cheaper than ever to visit Sin City – with return prices starting from £299. But while cheap flights are always welcome – at least for those of us prepared to slum it a bit in the sky – Las Vegas isn’t exactly the ideal break for those on a tight budget.
While it was historically the mob who fleeced naive tourists, these days it’s the conglomerate casino chains who use sneaky fees and other crafty tricks to part you from your cash. On top of that, the world’s entertainment capital has seen a sharp spike in prices since the Covid pandemic – with room rates up 40 per cent in five years.
That’s before we get to the sky-high concert ticket prices, the ever-expensive drinks, and the expectation that diners will add a 20 per cent tip (at least) to every bill they settle. All of which makes it harder than ever to enjoy a Vegas getaway without losing your shirt.
So how do you do Vegas without getting ripped off? Here are the 11 things to watch out for:
In Las Vegas, it is routine for hotels to charge a daily “resort fee”, which is usually billed when you arrive. While these fees are published somewhere on the hotel websites, they aren’t always given massive prominence – meaning that some travellers get a nasty surprise.
The flat structure of resort fees (i.e. $30 per night) means they will disproportionately hit budget travellers – potentially even doubling the cost of that “discount” price you hunted down. Be particularly careful if you are using websites like Booking.com, as the resort fee may not be included in the headline price.
It’s no secret that Vegas hotel prices go stratospheric on Friday and Saturday when domestic tourists flock in for a weekend away. By the same token, rates on Sunday and Monday are often rock bottom. If you’re lucky, you can stay at the Circa, the stylish new downtown casino with an exceptional sports-bar, for around £150, or bag a room at a Strip classic like New York, New York for £120.
For years, Vegas hotels had a dirty secret: their minibars were fitted with sensors that automatically charged you for removing items (even if you later put them back in). These days they are at least upfront about this charge. Although that just makes it harder to contest the costs at check-out. 
Sadly, ATM fees are a fact of life in the US. But some of the ones in Vegas are a different matter. It isn’t uncommon to find hotel casinos charging $9.99 for each withdrawal. Luckily, alternatives aren’t too hard to find, even on the Strip itself. Just venture to the nearest CVS and pay much less.
Despite what you might think, it’s perfectly possible to eat well cheaply in Las Vegas – provided you do your homework. Local-favourite Tacos el Gordo is a sure bet for delicious cheap tacos, while Evel Pie offers decadent but affordable pizzas and cocktails just minutes from the downtown casinos.
You might think you’ll never shop in those casino concession stores, but you may be wrong. One casino insider tells me that hangover remedies like Alka-Seltzer are a particularly reliable money-spinner. Channel your inner Boy Scout and prepare for every eventuality.
Old hands like to say that downtown Vegas – the vibrant cluster of casinos around Fremont Street – is better than the Strip. In reality, it depends what you’re looking for. You certainly won’t find pyramids or roller-coasters on Fremont. But if you want to drink, gamble and eat for less, it’s definitely the place to be.
To state the obvious, Vegas is a city where it pays to stay vigilant. It’s an open secret that casinos are struggling to clamp down on opportunistic thefts from distracted slot machine players. Other hustles are more benign: those “showgirls” on the Strip will expect you to pay at least $20 for your souvenir photo – but they won’t tell you that upfront. 
On the Strip in particular, outlets are infamous for hiding large service charges or opaque “concession fees” in their menu smallprint. If you’re heading for a big night out, make sure you stay alert. Take advantage of happy hour deals too. At the new Brewdog, which offers rooftop dining and drinking on the Strip, beers are half price between 3-6pm on weekdays (excluding Fridays).
The idea of going to a museum might sound like the antithesis to a hedonistic Vegas break. But the city is home to some exceptionally engaging museums, which can provide an affordable day-time excursion. The National Atomic Testing Museum, The new Punk Rock Museum, and the brilliantly eccentric Erotic Heritage Museum are all great candidates.
When it comes to gambling, we can’t all be high rollers. But sometimes cost isn’t everything. Walking around Fremont Street, I noticed that many cheaper blackjack tables (i.e. $5 per hand) now have a compulsory side-bet of $1. The moonshot odds on the side-bet mean you’re essentially paying $5 to win back $4. Better to play at the $10 table.