Like all Select Plus members, I receive at least 4 one-class upgrade coupons and 2 companion coupons per year. Frankly, I often don't make much use of them, since I don't live in the Northeast. The coupons are transferable, but aren't supposed to be sold. Accordingly, I'm looking for a reasonably active marketplace to trade them. There's only slight demand for Amtrak instruments at flyertalk.com's Coupon Connection, where people commonly trade airline and hotel certificates and points. Any ideas for a more active marketplace? I'm not looking to give these certificates away, but rather to trade for air, hotel, rental car instruments that I would make greater use of.
Forum to Trade AGR Select+ Coupons?
- Thread starter Explore
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ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Craigslist?
Ryan
Court Jester
Honestly, if you're looking for other air/hotel/etc stuff, I think that FlyerTalk is going to be your best bet.
Don't know what the admin's position on here is - it's probably worth asking.
Don't know what the admin's position on here is - it's probably worth asking.
amtrakwolverine
Engineer
But we cause amtrak troubleWe would prefer that such transfers do not take place on this forum. We don't want to give Amtrak any reasons to cause us trouble.
Devil's Advocate
⠀⠀⠀
If you don't live along the east or west coast is there even any reason to bother with status?
As I understand it, being Select Plus allows you to enter any Metropolitan Lounge anytime it is open and even if you aren't riding a train that day.
Sure, getting a 50% bonus on all points for next year is a biggie.
Yes, you may not be able to use many of the coupons that are provided, but you also get a special phone numbers that bypass Julie when you call Amtrak and a special number that puts you at the head of the queue when you call AGR and you get the Metro/Club Acela perk. You may also be able to take advantage of some of the status perks that other companies offer, like getting Hertz Gold for free.
But the biggest perk remains that 50% bonus. Even down in Texas every time you take a ride that would normally only earn you 100 points, you'd be getting 150 points. Gets you that much closer to the next trip you want in the future with less money spent.
Bigval109
OBS Chief
Are you certain you can't spare a companion voucher for and old man PLEASE
FlyerTalk is good, but not sure if the trading area is open to everyone...?... Hope so because earlier today I posted, looking for this exact item lol
Long Train Runnin'
Engineer
Just out of curiosity to your post I calculated how much I have earned since being select. I became select in July and have earned 541 extra points. If I was select plus that would mean I would have gotten 1,082 points. I no longer live on the NEC like I used to and I still think that going for select would be worth it.
Ispolkom
Engineer
I think that if you don't live in the NEC, status makes sense only if you're earning a lot of rail points already. If you aren't, it isn't.
Where I live there are two trains a day, and a pathetic Metropolitan Lounge. There aren't opportunities for cheap, 100 point trips. I earn more than 90% of my points outside of Amtrak travel, and have never amassed more than 2000 or 3000 rail points in a year. Almost all my long-distance travel is done on AGR awards in sleepers. In my case, status just isn't useful. I use the Metropolitan and Club Acela lounges anyway, since I'm a sleeper passenger, the upgrade coupons are for trains I rarely have an opportunity to use, and the bonus isn't worth much, since most of my travel doesn't earn points. I suppose that the special telephone number, and perhaps the fast track to Hilton Honors gold might be valuable, but not enough to make me want to spend the additional money on Amtrak travel that I can get for free with AGR points.
It would be different if I lived in an area where quick, inexpensive trips were available, or if I actually paid for my long-distance travel. Then I'd be earning more points through actual Amtrak travel and the bonus would be more valuable.
Sharon, the coupon connection on Flyer Talk is only available to members who have made a certain number of posts to the site (90?).
Where I live there are two trains a day, and a pathetic Metropolitan Lounge. There aren't opportunities for cheap, 100 point trips. I earn more than 90% of my points outside of Amtrak travel, and have never amassed more than 2000 or 3000 rail points in a year. Almost all my long-distance travel is done on AGR awards in sleepers. In my case, status just isn't useful. I use the Metropolitan and Club Acela lounges anyway, since I'm a sleeper passenger, the upgrade coupons are for trains I rarely have an opportunity to use, and the bonus isn't worth much, since most of my travel doesn't earn points. I suppose that the special telephone number, and perhaps the fast track to Hilton Honors gold might be valuable, but not enough to make me want to spend the additional money on Amtrak travel that I can get for free with AGR points.
It would be different if I lived in an area where quick, inexpensive trips were available, or if I actually paid for my long-distance travel. Then I'd be earning more points through actual Amtrak travel and the bonus would be more valuable.
Sharon, the coupon connection on Flyer Talk is only available to members who have made a certain number of posts to the site (90?).
Exiled in Express
Lead Service Attendant
Red Wing is not that bad.
I did it once just to get out of town for a weekend during triple points, drove down after work had dinner and rode back to St Paul with a return the next morning. Even then the points per dollar ratio was a stretch.Ispolkom
Engineer
I had never thought of doing it that way. A lot of driving for a few hundred points, but better than a 10-12 hour layover. Once during a quadruple or quintuple points period (stacking promotions), I did think about riding to Staples and back (leave St. Paul 11:15 p.m., arrive in Staples 1:42 a.m., leave Staples 4:09 a.m., arrive in St. Paul 7:05 a.m.), but sanity intervened.Red Wing is not that bad.
I value status for access to CO Presidents Clubs even without an airline ticket (we'll see what happens in 2011 with the UA-CO merger!) plus ClubAcela access when in the Northeast. And the fast phone access to Amtrak and AGR. The extra points are of only slight value compared with double- and triple- points bonuses, and the 100-point minimum (available to everyone) that I take advantage of. Also, points can easily be transferred in from CO, at least for now.
Note that Coupon Connection on Flyertalk is for active members only; 90 days of membership plus at least 90 posts (and yes, you can be dinged for post spamming).
