Buying points

[rile42]

My friend intends to join AGR and redeem points for a trip from LA to Toledo. Let me make sure I'm correct on this. There is no way he can get 20,000 points through buying or transferring.

 

[Ryan]

You're two weeks too late. He could have bought 10k on 12/31/14 and then 10k more now to get it.

The only way to get those kinds of points asap is to apple for a credit card with a bonus and complete the minimum spend.

 

[tomfuller]

Just got the " pending" points for my dryer and refrigerator purchase from Sears. I now have over 27K points. I'll buy the 10K + 3K bonus at the end of the month to put me over 40K.

I'll get a 2 zone roomette from CMO to GBB and rent a car for a week (getting more points). Returning home using another 20K for a 2 zone Roomette.

 

[VentureForth]

Just a refresher question - you don't get extra points using the AGR MC, do you?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Just a refresher question - you don't get extra points using the AGR MC, do you?

No. When you buy points, they're not directly from Amtrak but a third party.

 

[neutralist]

As a fan of rail travel (and utilizing Michigan Services frequently to/from Chicago), I have benefitted greatly from the Amtrak Mastercard. Took a bunch of phone calls to make it happen, but I converted an old Chase Freedom card to the Amtrak card.

You could have keep the chase freedom and apply for the sapphire preferred. These two cards work much better that way, and you also get 2x points for Amtrak travel (you can easily convert UR points to AGR points), 2x on all public transit, parking, and car rental services.

 

[calwatch]

The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 fee after the first year. Easily removed when you cancel but that is a fair warning.

 

[Amtrak George]

Cost of Buying points?

I was considering buying the maximum allowable 10,000 points. How much will that cost me? Thanks!

 

[JayPea]

10,000 points cost $275.

 

[TinCan782]

$275.00 ... go to https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/points/buy

 

[me_little_me]

Cost of Buying points?

I was considering buying the maximum allowable 10,000 points. How much will that cost me? Thanks!

If you're not in a rush, wait until a bonus is offered.

 

[tomfuller]

On 1/1/15 I had a little over 27K points. In January there was a 30% bonus offered. I paid the $275 and got 10K + 3K bonus to bring me to a little over 40K. The same day I scheduled two 20K two zone roomette trips. Unless you want to travel before the next bonus is offered, just wait until another bonus is offered.

To build up some points you can take some short trips (round trip) to get at least 100 points per trip.