I think most (if not all) of the girls who will whitelist you will also give you a reference.

It's a little handy if you want to schedule on short notice.  It's too late for her to contact your references, but she can see that you are whitelisted.  But, I don't how many women (if any) will accept x number of whitelist entries in place of a live reference.

But like looking a a web site or looking up a review is just one piece of the puzzle for a guy making a decision, I think whitelist entries are just one piece of the puzzle for a woman making a decision to see someone.

Does it affect your decision to see someone?

If I am connecting via TER and I have short notice request.  It's usefulness is up to ladies, but I think it has made scheduling new ladies for me and I appreciate a lady recognizing me with recorded endorsement

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it has helped for last minute connections with girls I've never met before.
Some girls take whitelist references, some don't. Some girls take RS2K references, some don't. Some girls only accept verified references from other girls. I try to have several references from different sources. Basically, I can give the provider whatever references she wants. It just speeds up the screening process and increases her level of comfort with me.

I didn't even know about the whitelist until I was told that my TER whitelisting was good enough. I had to ask her "whats a whitelist?"
Apparently, you can lose a whitelist reference too. I lost a whitelist reference when I had a brain-fart and started looking for the provider's address on the wrong street.

Its Like a Vouch saying He is safe.

So I would Say Its Important.. It aids the screening process and saves time. Nothing like a vouch from a  well reviewed lady when you are trying to get a last minute appointment.

Having whitelistings from a few well-known and regarded ladies has been helpful, and is greatly appreciated.   Several years ago, when I attended my first M&G in Vegas and didn't know anyone there, the host accepted a whitelisting from a provider he had also seen, and knew was cool, as being adequate for screening purposes.  It has also proven useful in seeing several providers here in NYC and elsewhere, but I regard this as being a secondary form of reference, and don't depend on it primarily when I am looking to meet someone new.

Whitelisting is cool, but Date-check is a better service. #1- Your references on DC don't expire if the provider decides to leave the biz. #2- Reviews and whitelisting do not mix and on DC reviews don't get in the way. #3- Very easy to hit the we met button on DC, very user friendly to make a request. #4 An Agency can reference you on DC, but can't on TER bc of LE reasons. BTW I am friends with many providers on this site and most don't want to be giving out references all the time, obviously they are very busy.