AGR CC Points

[RailFanLNK]

Had a friend from LNK take a very long trip via Amtrak (and the first time on a train as well) with his family of four. He recently applied for the Chase AGR CC and was accepted. I told him to call them and try to recieve points for a trip that consisted of 4 people from LNK-CHI-SEA-SAC-LNK, almost all by rail other than SEA-SAC due to the CS detour. Most or all of this was done in roomettes as well. I think he said it was around 2500 pts. AGR told him he was 8 days "too late" to get them credited to his account. Is there another way to try and get these points credited to his new AGR account? Thanks!

 

[AlanB]

Sadly, no. One has to sign up within 21 days of the trip.

Now one thing to consider though is that if the trip started outside the 21 day period, but some of the subsequent segments landed within the 21 day period, then he could get the points for those segments.

 

[the_traveler]

He recently applied for the Chase AGR CC and was accepted. I told him to call them and try to recieve points for a trip that consisted of 4 people from LNK-CHI-SEA-SAC-LNK, almost all by rail other than SEA-SAC due to the CS detour. Most or all of this was done in roomettes as well. I think he said it was around 2500 pts. AGR told him he was 8 days "too late" to get them credited to his account.

I'm confused. Are you referring to the bonus points from the purchase of the trip or the AGR points for the travel? :huh:

My understanding is that the bonus points for the purchase would only happen if you made the charge with that card. You may mean the points for the travel, but you specifically stated that he applied for the Chase AGR credit card. (I could charge my tickets using my AX or VI, but that would not earn me extra AGR points.)

 

[RailFanLNK]

The points for the trip. I remember after my first trip on Amtrak that I got the CC and then called Amtrak and was credited for the points since I received the CC before the 3 weeks after my trip.

 

[AlanB]

And those three weeks are critical Al. He needs to look at the date his AGR account started and then compare that to the various dates on his ticket stubs. Only stubs that have travel dates within 21 days will be eligable. If all are outside that window, then sadly, he's out of luck.

 

[Trogdor]

I think some things are getting confused here. Amtrak Guest Rewards and the AGR credit card are two completely different things. The rule regarding getting Amtrak Guest Rewards points retroactively is that if you join Amtrak Guest Rewards (the frequent traveler points system) within 21 days of a trip, you can get AGR points for that trip.

The credit card has absolutely nothing to do with getting points for a trip that you took.

On the other hand, the Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard, issued by Chase, will give you points based on the purchases you make using the card. If you make a purchase from Amtrak using the card (be it tickets, a dining car meal, or whatever), Chase will give you two points per dollar spent. Any other purchases will give you one point for each dollar spent.

If you sign up for the credit card within 21 days of traveling, it won't make a difference because you won't get any Chase points credited to your Amtrak Guest Rewards account. This is because you didn't purchase the ticket using your Chase Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard. However, you will still receive Amtrak Guest Rewards points for the trip itself.

 

[jackal]

Yet another reply, but I wanted to add something:

If he had a pre-existing AGR account, he can get points retroactively.

If he did not have an AGR account but signed up for the AGR MasterCard, he would have been signed up for an AGR account when he was approved for the MasterCard, in which case his AGR account creation date would be the same as or near the date his AGR MasterCard was issued.

Otherwise, the two are separate. I've had an AGR account for several years but an AGR MasterCard for about two weeks.