Guest Rewards Ticket With Roomette

[rogers55]

Just picked up my tickets for a trip from VNC to SDY, 3 zones, 35000 points, roomettes from LAX to SDY.

The agent at the Van Nuys station issued the tickets but she said that I would have to call

reservations and have my wifes guest rewards number put on her ticket because she would have to pay

coach fare to ride in my roomette.

I splained to her how the rewards system works, that a roomette purchased with points also includes a ticket

for the other person in the room at no charge.

She showed me the tickets for the return trip, a regular purchased ticket, and said "see, it has to be like this,

it should show the fare for the other passenger."

She admitted that she has not thoroughly read the instructions for guest rewards.

Called Guest Rewards this morning and they said everything looks ok. They put a remark in the reservation

telling whom it may concern that no further money is owed.

I asked if there was something in writing that I could download showing the criteria for issuing the tickets and he said

nothing that I could access.

So, we are probably ok, but it bothers me that an ignorant employee can really screw up your trip and there is not

much you can do about it.

If I had waited until departure to pick up the tickets my only solution would have been to pay the extra charge and

then dispute it later.

 

[Rail Freak]

Just picked up my tickets for a trip from VNC to SDY, 3 zones, 35000 points, roomettes from LAX to SDY.The agent at the Van Nuys station issued the tickets but she said that I would have to call

reservations and have my wifes guest rewards number put on her ticket because she would have to pay

coach fare to ride in my roomette.

I splained to her how the rewards system works, that a roomette purchased with points also includes a ticket

for the other person in the room at no charge.

She showed me the tickets for the return trip, a regular purchased ticket, and said "see, it has to be like this,

it should show the fare for the other passenger."

She admitted that she has not thoroughly read the instructions for guest rewards.

Called Guest Rewards this morning and they said everything looks ok. They put a remark in the reservation

telling whom it may concern that no further money is owed.

I asked if there was something in writing that I could download showing the criteria for issuing the tickets and he said

nothing that I could access.

So, we are probably ok, but it bothers me that an ignorant employee can really screw up your trip and there is not

much you can do about it.

If I had waited until departure to pick up the tickets my only solution would have been to pay the extra charge and

then dispute it later.

Well, you're in luck, you got that "1" problem out of the way & you're now on your way to a care free trip!

Enjoy

 

[rogers55]

Trains are like boats, once we are underway I am truly carefree.

Does anyone know if we can access the actual documentation for issuing guest rewards tickets?

 

[AlanB]

Just to clarify, do you have one ticket for yourself and one for your wife, both showing the room # that you were assigned?

If so, then you need nothing more. Your wife's AGR number is irrelevant, since no points can be earned for a free ride.

 

[rogers55]

Yes, Alan, a ticket for me and a ticket for her.

The agent was having a problem with the fact that her ticket showed zero for the cost and she thought I should be paying for that one.

Before making the reservation I asked another agent at the same station and he told me the same thing, I must pay for the second ticket.

Maybe they just don't get many guest rewards cutomers there. It is primarily a commuter station.

The surfliner stops at VNC but it has no sleepers. Coast Starlight stops one way but again probably no sleeper passengers because it is near the end of the trip.

Too bad we can't get a copy of their manual so we can speak with some authority.

To give credit where it is due, the agent did admit that she had not studied the program thoroughly. She also said "you obviously travel a lot and have good understanding of these things." Talk about giving the ego a boost and smoothing the ruffled passenger feathers.

 

[AlanB]

They're both wrong, most likely basing it on normal Amtrak things. Even your ticket says zero on it. That's just the way it is, after all AGR doesn't want you to earn points for a trip that you used points to take.

You'll have no issues using those tickets on the train.

 

[Bigval109]

Yes, Alan, a ticket for me and a ticket for her.The agent was having a problem with the fact that her ticket showed zero for the cost and she thought I should be paying for that one.

Before making the reservation I asked another agent at the same station and he told me the same thing, I must pay for the second ticket.

Maybe they just don't get many guest rewards cutomers there. It is primarily a commuter station.

The surfliner stops at VNC but it has no sleepers. Coast Starlight stops one way but again probably no sleeper passengers because it is near the end of the trip.

Too bad we can't get a copy of their manual so we can speak with some authority.

To give credit where it is due, the agent did admit that she had not studied the program thoroughly. She also said "you obviously travel a lot and have good understanding of these things." Talk about giving the ego a boost and smoothing the ruffled passenger feathers.

I thought I read somewhere on here that 3 people can be ticketed to ride in a bedroom using my agr points. Is this correct?

 

[PRR 60]

Yes, Alan, a ticket for me and a ticket for her.The agent was having a problem with the fact that her ticket showed zero for the cost and she thought I should be paying for that one.

Before making the reservation I asked another agent at the same station and he told me the same thing, I must pay for the second ticket.

Maybe they just don't get many guest rewards cutomers there. It is primarily a commuter station.

The surfliner stops at VNC but it has no sleepers. Coast Starlight stops one way but again probably no sleeper passengers because it is near the end of the trip.

Too bad we can't get a copy of their manual so we can speak with some authority.

To give credit where it is due, the agent did admit that she had not studied the program thoroughly. She also said "you obviously travel a lot and have good understanding of these things." Talk about giving the ego a boost and smoothing the ruffled passenger feathers.

I thought I read somewhere on here that 3 people can be ticketed to ride in a bedroom using my agr points. Is this correct?

I don't think so. Amtrak's "recommended" capacity of the Bedroom is two. The maximum permissible capacity is three, which can only be booked by calling Amtrak and having the agent override the booking system. I believe AGR limits bookings in a Bedroom to the recommended capacity that does not require an Amtrak override of the booking system - two.

 

[the_traveler]

I thought I read somewhere on here that 3 people can be ticketed to ride in a bedroom using my agr points. Is this correct?

Perhaps the recommended capacity for a bedroom is 3, but that really is only in the day configuration, where 3 can sit comfortabllly. (This would be for a daytime trip such as ATL-NOL or CHI-MSP.) However, I personally would not want to try to sleep 3 adults in the 2 small berths overnight.

 

[Tony]

I don't think so. Amtrak's "recommended" capacity of the Bedroom is two. The maximum permissible capacity is three, which can only be booked by calling Amtrak and having the agent override the booking system. I believe AGR limits bookings in a Bedroom to the recommended capacity that does not require an Amtrak override of the booking system - two.

I thought I read that booking agents can no longer override the two person limit? Have you successfully tried this very recently?

IMHO, it probably has more to do with a third set of meals, than Amtrak's concern over the occupants nighttime comfort.

 

[yarrow]

we booked an agr trip this spring which we took in june and had 2 adults and 1 child in a standard bedroom for a 20k point one zone award. hope that is still possible as we plan to book another in january