Digital tickets and AGR

[CNW]

Forgive me if this has been covered. Two things heard while riding the Chief and Coast Starlight to Carmel CA which I would like to clarify. Can anyone tell me about the new digital tickets and how they will work? A fellow diner who seemed a bit of a know-it-all says there will soon no longer be paper tickets. How will this affect little old ladies like me....The other tidbit was offered by one of the dining car staff saying she had heard that the price of tickets, roomettes, reservations in general were better priced when you booked online rather than through am Amtrak agent via telephone. I didn't argue but it seemed to me at some point in my history of booking that one of the Amtrak reservationists said we were looking at the same screen. I have never booked online and have never used my 42,000 points accumulated because I am just so unsure how it works and don't want to take any chances on missing up a trip. One last thing. Do AGR points expire>

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

Forgive me if this has been covered. Two things heard while riding the Chief and Coast Starlight to Carmel CA which I would like to clarify. Can anyone tell me about the new digital tickets and how they will work? A fellow diner who seemed a bit of a know-it-all says there will soon no longer be paper tickets. How will this affect little old ladies like me....The other tidbit was offered by one of the dining car staff saying she had heard that the price of tickets, roomettes, reservations in general were better priced when you booked online rather than through am Amtrak agent via telephone. I didn't argue but it seemed to me at some point in my history of booking that one of the Amtrak reservationists said we were looking at the same screen. I have never booked online and have never used my 42,000 points accumulated because I am just so unsure how it works and don't want to take any chances on missing up a trip. One last thing. Do AGR points expire>

E-tickets will replace paper value tickets in most cases by the end of the summer. That means you'll be able to print them at home, or at the station, or (if you have a smartphone) have it available to scan directly off the screen. The paper itself will have no value, and therefore, there will be less of an issue if it is lost.

Right now, there is no fare difference when booked online, in person, or over the phone. They all come from the same inventory. However, it is very possible that a fee will be assessed in the future for people who don't book online.

 

[Ryan]

1. There will still be paper tickets. But instead of being forced to get them from an agent or a vending machine, you will be able to print them out on any printer. But if you still want to go to an agent or a vending machine, you'll still be able to do that too.

2. She heard wrong. Tickets cost the same regardless of where you buy them.

3. Yes. From the AGR website:

Amtrak Guest Rewards points expire 36 months after your last paid Amtrak trip. Redemption travel reserved with points does not constitute paid travel. While a cardholder of the Amtrak Guest Rewards® MasterCard® from Chase® with an open account, your points will not expire.

 

[PRR 60]

1. There will still be paper tickets. But instead of being forced to get them from an agent or a vending machine, you will be able to print them out on any printer. But if you still want to go to an agent or a vending machine, you'll still be able to do that too.

...

Technically, there will be no physical tickets. What will be printed (or just displayed on a smart phone) will be a boarding document. The QR code on the boarding document links the document to the actual ticket, which is a data entry on the Amtrak computer reservation system (CRS). The distinction between a boarding document and a ticket is important because a ticket has value, and a boarding document does not. Lose a ticket today and, except for a long and costly process, the value of that ticket is gone. Lose a boarding document and all you have to do is print another one. The ticket is still in place on the CRS.

 

[Steve4031]

You have enough points to ride across the country in a roomette. Or you can travel round trip between Chicago and the west coast. Call Amtrak guest rewards on the phone and they will book the trip for you. it's just like calling to book a regular ticket.