Don't Higher Fares Result in More Guest Reward Trip Points?

[Eric in East County]

It occurred to us that the higher roomette and sleeping car fares that are currently being charged should result in the earning of more Amtrak Guest Reward Trip Points. Is that not so? We’re saving several hundred dollars on our trip this year because we used Trip Points from previous years to pay for two of our trains. And the Southwest Chief bedrooms that we paid cash for this year should net us additional Points for future trips when, we trust, train ridership will be back up to its pre-COVID-19 levels, which in turn should result in lower fares and trains that will cost fewer Trip Points to ride.

Of course, if you only plan to take the train once, or if you are not signed up for Amtrak’s Guest Rewards Program, then the extra points earned by the higher fares won’t matter much. (You could always transfer to them to someone else’s account so they can use them.)

Just a thought for what it’s worth.

Eric & Pat

 

[zephyr17]

While there is little love for Bank of America, the way to really rack up points is having the credit card. I've done most of my long distance Amtrak travel on points in recent years since getting the credit card (Chase prior to BOA) and using it for home improvement and routine household expenses and paying it off every month. I was unable to accumulate really useful amounts of AGR points prior to getting the card, since I don't live on the NEC and there is a lot of travel that Amtrak isn't a viable option for.

 

[Eric in East County]

We never thought of getting an BOA Amtrak Credit Card but it makes perfect sense. Many thanks for this suggestion.

 

[zephyr17]

We never thought of getting an BOA Amtrak Credit Card but it makes perfect sense. Many thanks for this suggestion.

And your points won't expire, plus you get 2x or 3x points for Amtrak purchases depending on which version of the card you have. So an Amtrak trip would get you 4x or 5x points, the 2x or 3x for the purchase from the card, plus the regular 2x points from Amtrak for the travel.

Can't beat it.

 

[Old MM]

It's worth getting the card, for use on Amtrak purchases, including on board purchases, as you'll get extra value and a points rebate upon redemption. I think of my AGR card as a side savings account that only subsidizes Amtrak trips. Take a good look at the earning and redemption values, though, and compare to your other cards. For example I redeemed 13K points for 3 Business class fares from Chicago to Ann Arbor. If I had purchased those tickets it would have been less than 300$, so at one end of the spectrum, I spent $13K for a $300 bonus. It's a subjective assessment as to what is worth what. The earning value is better than 1:1, and the redemption value is another consideration, you just have to look at the entire spectrum and weigh the dollars/cents against the intangibles.

 

[me_little_me]

If others use their Amtrak cards to purchase tickets to give me, they will earn points that way also at 2X or 3X. I'll travel on their dime and I'll get the travel points from Amtrak but will then gift or pay to transfer them to the ticket purchaser who then gets all the points and saves them loads of money.
And if the purchaser buys me boatloads of bedroom suites at top bucket and Amtrak conttinues to raise prices in the future, they will get the most points from their card. Again, I'll gift the purchaser all those points.
I think my logic for others "saving" money is as good as any other I have heard in this thread.

 

[VentureForth]

I lost my ability to get AGR points with a credit card when BoA took it over. I had a pretty bad run with BoA, so they refused me a card. Still have my useless Chase card.

 

[TinCan782]

Yes, you will earn more points when the fares are high but, I don't think you will gain much, or anything by spending them when fares are low.
Credit cards aside, the earning (2 points/$) and redemption (34.5 points/$) rates apply regardless of what the fare is..

 

[City of Miami]

and redemption (34.5¢/$) rates apply regardless of what the fare is..

I think you meant 34.5 points/$

 

[me_little_me]

I think you meant 34.5 points/$

In the past (pre-Covid) I have found that the 34.5pts/$ rate did not always apply and sometimes the number of points/$ was worse but never better. That was particularly true at holiday time. Amtrak's misleading promise of no blackout days when going from 1.0 to 2.0 of the program, did not mention that the number of points around blackout days might be worth less than normal.

Moreover, the rate is based on full fare, not the discounted fare for seniors, veterans, disabled or others so right off the bat, anyone getting a discount loses 10-15% of the value of the points.

I'm not sure but points used for children's fares may not be reduced either.

 

[City of Miami]

I think your explanation is equally, if not more, misleading than the policy you damn particularly in the use of the word "moreover" when what follows is actually a full explanation of what preceded, not an additional transgression.

 

[MARC Rider]

A few hundred extra points from a higher fare might help you earn points for travel faster, but for those of us who regularly travel to/from stations with Metropolitan Lounges/Club Acelas, a major benefit is that these additional points are "Tier Qualifying Points" which makes it easier for one to qualify for Select Plus. If you qualify for Select Plus, you can use the lounges at some of Amtrak's busiest stations, even if you're not riding first class or sleeper. The ability to avoid the crowds and cattle lines, as well as being able to put my behind on a nice padded chair instead of a hard wooden bench is a definite perk. During my last year working, when MARC changed the early morning schedules such that I needed to take a train that put me in Washington 30 minutes before I needed to be there, I was able to hang out in the Lounge over a cup of coffee, reading the New York Times or Washington Post.

Another nice perk of Select Plus are the four upgrade coupons I get every year that allow me to ride the Acela first class. Given that First class is commonly at least $100 more than Acela business class, that's a pretty nice deal.

If you get the fee credit card, you not only earn lots of plain points, allowing you to have a 6-figure point balance, but you also get 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points TQP) for every $5,000 you spend (on anything) using the card. This is limited to 4,000 TQP (or a $20,000 spend, which on an annual basis is really not hard to do, as I pay for almost everything with a credit card, and pay the balance off every month). This means you only have to spend $3,000 a year on Amtrak tickets instead of $5,000 a year in order to qualify for Select Plus.

 

[TinCan782]

I think you meant 34.5 points/$

Yep...thanks!
(corrected)

 

[BCL]

Well - it's been 2 points per dollar spent, but a lot of us remember the 100 point minimum per segment, as well as the limit of 4 minimums per day. I specifically remember one conductor asking if my oddball trip was just to get more points. I'd throw in a stop (at no extra cost) and look for all sorts of discount just to turn it into two segments. I didn't attend, but there was the AU Gathering where I heard about a bunch of AU members tracking down the conductor to scan their tickets for the two mile ride from Emeryville to Berkeley - just to grab 100 points for less than $8.

My record was 400 points for $12 and less than 3 hours. It was RIC-EMY-SFC-EMY-RIC. I then went shopping at the San Francisco Ferry Building while waiting for the bus ride back to Emeryville. I probably could have made it BKY-EMY-SFC-EMY-BKY but that would run into the issue of getting a conductor to scan the ticket in time.

I made Select Plus one year with a little bit over 10,000 points, and I'd estimate my Amtrak spending was less than $2000. I think that year also had some double-tier points too. It was mostly for my commute. I could save money on travel with 10-ride tickets (that only got 2 points per dollar spent) but I maximized points with various tricks and discounts.

I've gotten some AGR points for hotel stays, but they didn't add to tier points.