Bid Up questions and experiences

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I tried to Bid Up from Roomette on tomorrow's LSL to BOS. At $285 I didn't get it. Also only one sleeper so I'm sure it was already booked. It was worth a shot for my husband's first train trip.
 
I'm reserved on TE 421 on 10/14 in a roomette. I went into the app to see about doing a bid up to a bedroom. The app said I was not eligible to do a bid up. I'm confused. Any explanations?
 
I'm reserved on TE 421 on 10/14 in a roomette. I went into the app to see about doing a bid up to a bedroom. The app said I was not eligible to do a bid up. I'm confused. Any explanations?
Any reservations involving connections are ineligible, as are those made using points. The only ones that can be bid up are paid single segments (including round trips of single segments each way).

Just too tough for Amtrak's crack IT, I guess.
 
That gotta be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What difference could it make.

Thanks for the info, though.
My only thought is if you were to win an upgrade on your connecting leg and then you end up missing the connection. Perhaps Amtrak doesn't want to guarantee you upgraded accommodations on the next train available. (plus the terms say no change/refunds allowed after an upgrade has been awarded..)
 
My only thought is if you were to win an upgrade on your connecting leg and then you end up missing the connection. Perhaps Amtrak doesn't want to guarantee you upgraded accommodations on the next train available. (plus the terms say no change/refunds allowed after an upgrade has been awarded..)
I think it is more of a system limitation. On a normal reservation the current "improved" UI was unable to handle two different accommodation types on different segments on a single trip. The "continue" button once the second train was chosen was simply unresponsive.

My guess is that problem is related to the underlying cause of their not offering bid up on connections.

I don't think it is intentional, I think management would want to be able to offer bid up on any segment, whether or not with connections. I think their IT is unable to deliver it, at least so far.
 
I think it is more of a system limitation. On a normal reservation the current "improved" UI was unable to handle two different accommodation types on different segments on a single trip. The "continue" button once the second train was chosen was simply unresponsive.

My guess is that problem is related to the underlying cause of their not offering bid up on connections.

I don't think it is intentional, I think management would want to be able to offer bid up on any segment, whether or not with connections. I think their IT is unable to deliver it, at least so far.
Is is weird though, as if you were to book 2 trains on a multi-city res with the same trains, it would let you use bidup.
 
421 is one train from Chicago to LA,even though it is part of the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited. 422 could be a problem because of the frequent missed connection in San Antonio for 22.
 
And on 421 all the way? If it shows two segments, it is a connection as far as the system is concerned.

I have no explanation if so.
In SA the TE meets up with SL, they detatch one sleeper and one coach from TE, hook them to SL.
Passengers don't have to leave the car.

It's on the reservation as one segment.

Guess I'll have to learn how to speak Amtrakees. šŸ˜†
 
In SA the TE meets up with SL, they detatch one sleeper and one coach from TE, hook them to SL.
Passengers don't have to leave the car.

It's on the reservation as one segment.

Guess I'll have to learn how to speak Amtrakees. šŸ˜†
To speak proper Amtrakees you must refer to San Antonio as SAS šŸ˜¬
 
In SA the TE meets up with SL, they detatch one sleeper and one coach from TE, hook them to SL.
Passengers don't have to leave the car.

It's on the reservation as one segment.

Guess I'll have to learn how to speak Amtrakees. šŸ˜†
If it is on the reservation as one segment, it's one segment. What physically happens is immaterial, what rules here is how the system sees it.

Is there a return on the same reservation, and is that multiple segments? Amtrak's IT systems are pretty brittle and if it sees multiple segments anywhere on the reservation, it might prevent it from being eligible for Bid Up.

Other than that, I'm out of ideas.
 
If it is on the reservation as one segment, it's one segment. What physically happens is immaterial, what rules here is how the system sees it.

Is there a return on the same reservation, and is that multiple segments? Amtrak's IT systems are pretty brittle and if it sees multiple segments anywhere on the reservation, it might prevent it from being eligible for Bid Up.

Other than that, I'm out of ideas.
I was just told by a buddy that used Amtrak, the train might be sold out.

Guess that would do it. After all, it's just one car affected.
 
I assume bidup won't work with Amtrak Guest Rewards points tickets? I used to be able to book NYP to CHI for 13,000 AGR points. Now for past couple years it is 22,000+. Last time I booked the roommette from Rochester to Chicago only to save some points.

Perhaps bidup may be an option. But even $250 for NYP to CHI is too much for me. At most I'd pay $100 for 8 hours of roommette access. Rest can be in coach..
 
I assume bidup won't work with Amtrak Guest Rewards points tickets? I used to be able to book NYP to CHI for 13,000 AGR points. Now for past couple years it is 22,000+. Last time I booked the roommette from Rochester to Chicago only to save some points.

Perhaps bidup may be an option. But even $250 for NYP to CHI is too much for me. At most I'd pay $100 for 8 hours of roommette access. Rest can be in coach..
Nope. Bid Up can only be done on single segment cash tickets. No connections, no USA Rail Pass, no AGR.

It also has to be for the entire length of the single segment ticket you are attempting to Bid Up.

It looks to me like a system limitation.

Remember AGR point fares are based on cash fares. Try the various strategies discussed here to get an elusive low(er) bucket. Those will be closer to 13K AGR points. Based on recent posts regarding imminent departures of the Empire Builder and pricing, Amtrak is dropping inventory into low buckets if unsold close to departure.

PS, I got a roughly 13K LSL roomette for travel in November 2022.
 
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PS, I got a roughly 13K LSL roomette for travel in November 2022.

Interesting to learn that points for roommettes go down just before departure . I tried searching for today from NYP-CHI and it says 21,000 points.. It says "1 left at this price". So I guess to get 13k points there would need to be several unsold rooms, not one? And how far in advance will the points drop to lowest bucket ( the day of, 1 day, 2 days before departure )?

Although I did search today for Rochester to South Bend and it shows only needing around 12k points. This would be 11:30PM till 9AM in the roomette. Just enough for me to rest, shower and eat..
 
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