Best time to purchase tickets?

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themiester

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Hi Everyone,

New to Amtrak and this board as well. I am planning on taking a trip the end of July from Red Wing, MN to Chicago (Leave RDW To CHI on 7/20, Depart CHI on 7/24 back to RDW). When should I be looking to book my trip to get the lowest price. We are looking for just two coach tickets. Right now round trip is $200 per person. Any insight is greatly appreciated.
 
Generally the earlier the better. Amtrak has 100% refunds up until a week before departure on sleepers and up until the day of departure for coach, so don't worry about losing out on a better deal down the road. You can use the AmSnag tool (see my signature for the link) to find prices up to two weeks before and two weeks after your intended departure dates (once you know the station codes). You'll want to pay for your reservation but do NOT accept tickets by mail or in person. That way everything remains easily changeable by phone. Periodically check your dates on the Amtrak webpage and if the ticket price happens to drop call up Amtrak and have your reservation changed to reflect the lower bucket price. It may sound odd, but this is just how Amtrak works. Hope that helps!
 
Hi Everyone,

New to Amtrak and this board as well. I am planning on taking a trip the end of July from Red Wing, MN to Chicago (Leave RDW To CHI on 7/20, Depart CHI on 7/24 back to RDW). When should I be looking to book my trip to get the lowest price. We are looking for just two coach tickets. Right now round trip is $200 per person. Any insight is greatly appreciated.
I would say now is the best time to book your reservation. The price of the ticket probably will not go lower for summer travel than it is now. Also since you plan on travelling from Red Wing, that is an unstaffed station. As long you book at least a week ahead of time, Amtrak will mail you your tickets in the mail. If you are flexible with your travel plans, I would try different dates. It looks like the lowest one-way fare between RDW and CHI is $77 per person. So you can probably save some money if you try different days. Also if you are AAA member or a senior citizen 62 or older you can get a discount of 10 or 15% respectively.
 
I booked mine early last year, and then I'd check each week to see if the prices has gone done. About a month before our trip, the price was lower, so I get a new ticket, and canceled my other ticket. I think we end up paying $98 for two us round trip.. (We left from Winona)

We also have AAA.
 
Generally the earlier the better. Amtrak has 100% refunds up until a week before departure on sleepers and up until the day of departure for coach, so don't worry about losing out on a better deal down the road. You can use the AmSnag tool (see my signature for the link) to find prices up to two weeks before and two weeks after your intended departure dates (once you know the station codes). You'll want to pay for your reservation but do NOT accept tickets by mail or in person. That way everything remains easily changeable by phone. Periodically check your dates on the Amtrak webpage and if the ticket price happens to drop call up Amtrak and have your reservation changed to reflect the lower bucket price. It may sound odd, but this is just how Amtrak works. Hope that helps!
I just had that happen for a trip I originally booked in January 2011 for November 23, 2011. I initially had to pay $473.25 for a one-way trip for 2 adults in a roomette from Tampa FL to Washington DC. Yesterday, I was checking the same itinerary, and discovered that it was now showing at $405.75! :huh: I called up Amtrak and was able to get our reservation changed to the lower fare, netting a $67.50 refund! :D It does pay to keep an eye out for fare changes..... :cool:
 
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