Amtrak Companion Sale...beware

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Most of us are not looking to travel these days, but for those who do for whatever reason, it might be tempting to take advantage of a promotion that Amtrak recently has launched – which they are promoting as their Amtrak Loves You “companion sale“…

Below is Amtrak’s description of the offer, along with their Terms & Conditions - taken directly from Amtrak’s own web site:


Plan Your Future Getaway Now
Book by February 16 For Travel Through August 27
Plan a getaway for two with the Amtrak Loves You Sale. With buy-one-get-one fares on a variety of routes across the country, it’s the perfect occasion to start planning your next trip with family, friends or a loved one.
Buy one ticket and bring someone special for free.
  • For sale February 11–16, 2021
  • For travel February 22 – August 27, 2021
This offer is available on our best routes, nationwide including, Auto Train, Acela, Northeast Regional and California Zephyr.
Offer valid for all services except Amtrak Cascades, Pennsylvanian, Keystone Service and 7000-8999 Thruways.
Terms and Conditions
  • Valid for (1) one free companion rail fare with the purchase of (1) one regular (full) adult rail fare.
  • The companion and full fare paying customer must travel together on the same itinerary and have tickets issued together.
  • For sale February 11–16, 2021.
  • For travel February 22–August 27, 2021.
  • Valid on all services except Amtrak Cascades, Pennsylvanian, Keystone Service, and 7000–8999 Thruways.
  • Upgrades to Acela First Class, and non-Acela Business Class are valid upon payment of full accommodation charge.
  • Seating is limited, seats may not be available on all trains, or all times.
  • This offer is not combinable with any other discount offer.
  • In addition to the discount restrictions, this offer is also subject to any restrictions, blackouts and refund rules that apply to the type of fare purchased.
  • A 25% cancellation fee may apply.
  • Once travel has begun, no changes to the itinerary are permitted.
  • Fares, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice.
  • Other restrictions may apply.
 
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Looks good right? Pretty similar to a sale they ran a month or so ago with free companion fares in sleepers - but this time allowing Coach passengers to participate.

Not so fast.

It is not obvious (at least to me) but there are no discounts of any kind available to anyone traveling in a sleeper. So if you expect that two of you can travel for the same price as one in a sleeper, you will be disappointed.
 
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I understand what they are doing here. Right now, they have all kinds of empty seats that they are intentionally leaving open because of Covid. However, if someone brings their spouse or a companion in general, those two people can sit together – and the empty seat now is full. So it absolutely costs them very little to do this. Frankly, it is a common sense promotion.

Now please fix your verbiage and just add a simple line in your T & C’s that states that “travel in sleeper accommodations is not eligible for a discount.”
 
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Do you know for a fact that the rail fare part of the rooms is not included in the sale or are you assuming that because they don't mention sleepers?
 
Do you know for a fact that the rail fare part of the rooms is not included in the sale or are you assuming that because they don't mention sleepers?

I know it for a fact. I made two separate calls to Amtrak agents to inquire, they both put me on hold for several minutes while they double checked – and both came back with the same answer.

Also, discounts for sleeper passengers definitely are not coded into the website. If you book an itinerary for one in a sleeper, and then the same itinerary for two - there absolutely is no discount. Each passenger in the sleeper is charged a rail fare in addition to the accommodation charge.

I did end up booking a sleeper accommodation for my wife and I, but I ended up paying for her rail fare in points, because we couldn’t take advantage of the promotion.
 
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I checked to see what the cost would be using this fare (riding coach) and discovered that, if you don't use the link in the email or website for this offer, there is no discount given. If you just use the "regular" booking that shows up on the home web page it does not give you the discount - not even for coach.
 
I checked to see what the cost would be using this fare (riding coach) and discovered that, if you don't use the link in the email or website for this offer, there is no discount given. If you just use the "regular" booking that shows up on the home web page it does not give you the discount - not even for coach.

Not too surprising, based on the web sites general lack of adaptability to changing situations.

I’ll call on Monday and ask for a supervisor. I’ll be polite for sure - but asking where (in the T & C’s) rail fares associated with sleepers are excluded from the promotion is a question I’d like to ask...
 
It's always a two step reaction process when I see this.... wow, this is less than what I'm used to paying, can I take advantage of this? and then.... No.
Which is OK.
Forever grateful for the days when we would get sale tickets to Chicago for literally $9-10 per person. So many adventures.
 
FWIW, I don't recall ever seeing any Amtrak sale on sleepers or the rail fare (coach fare) that is paid when booking a sleeper.
 
FWIW, I don't recall ever seeing any Amtrak sale on sleepers or the rail fare (coach fare) that is paid when booking a sleeper.
This past fall, there was a free-companion-fare sale that applied to sleepers. Two in a roomette paid only a fare for one, plus the accommodation charge.
 
Amtrak pretty commonly puts on a sale to let another person travel free in a sleeper. I think this is a nice sale for coach passengers but just check your email, I bet you'll get a sleeper sale soon. Personally I think I take up enough space in the Roomette that I never wished to have another person in it, lol.
 
. . .just check your email, I bet you'll get a sleeper sale soon.
That explains my lack of smarts. I live so far away from any Amtrak station and use Amtrak so seldom, I just delete Amtrak emails unread - except AGR things.
 
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