MYTH: CONFIRMED…with a technicality. While it's possible for the $20 Trick to work outside of Las Vegas, it is fairly unlikely. It is more likely that it will work if you follow the steps above. In Las Vegas, you should find yourself getting some kind of upgrade roughly 75% of the time.

The "$20 trick"—slipping a $20 bill between your ID and credit card at check-in to score a room upgrade—is primarily a Las Vegas phenomenon and has a much lower success rate elsewhere. In 2026, while it occasionally works in other high-volume "tipping cultures" like Atlantic City, Miami, or New Orleans, it is far less reliable in Europe or Asia where front-desk staff often have less autonomy over inventory. In Las Vegas, the culture of "greasing the wheels" is semi-institutionalized, and if an upgrade isn't available, the clerk will usually return the money. Outside of these hubs, the gesture can sometimes be misinterpreted as a bribe or simply result in a polite refusal. For the best chance of success in 2026, travelers are finding that "sandwiching" a $50 bill is becoming the new standard for luxury properties, as inflation has diminished the persuasive power of a single twenty.