How many points does it take?

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GregL

Service Attendant
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
233
Location
SE Iowa
We have had an Amtrak CC for a long time. Mid 2016 looks good for a trip somewhere,

Any suggestions? We will have about 40,000 points. That sounds like a lot,but we haven't priced anywhere yet.

We have gone to the west coast once, and on the CONO once.
 
You didn't indicate where ya'll live and what kind of places you like to visit?

You can do a Round Trip 2 Zone Roomette Award for 38,000 Points Total/ 20,000 each way with a 2,000 point rebate after you book with your 40,000Points since you have the AGR MC if you book soon before the New AGR Cards come out in Sept.
 
The profile for GregL says SE Iowa. If so, the 20K each way will get either 1 or 2 of you to either coast in a roomette, or in the central zone (bordered by DEN, ABQ, ELP, WPT, TOL or CIN) in a bedroom for 1 or 2 people.
 
I just booked with 20,000 points and that got us from Ft. Lauderdale to NYC to Chicago to Bloomington, Illinois all in roomettes.
 
A west coast possible itinerary would be Galesburg to Los Angeles to Seattle for one 20,000 point redemption, then Seattle to Sacramento to Galesburg for a second 20,000 point redemption. Since you have the AGR card, you would get 5% of the points back (1,000 points on each redemption).

I used Galesburg so the initial leg would start and the final leg would end at the same station, even though they use different trains. The outbound would be on the Southwest Chief, allowing travel through the Raton Pass. The return trip on my proposed itinerary would be on the California Zephyr.

Note that the outbound could probably stop just about any place between Los Angeles and Seattle, and the return could start from the same station. From Portland (or Seattle, after a layover), you could travel on cash as far east as Wolf Point, MT, and still return to Galesburg on a single AGR redemption.

The trip east of Spokane would not be possible right now because of the line closure due to fire. Also, as Jim mentioned, you would want to book the trip before the new redemption rules go into effect.

(Edited for clarity and to remove a travel option that is not available.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As east coast possible itinerary would be Galesburg to Chicago to Washington to Miami for one 20,000 point redemption, then the reverse for another. (Again, you get the 5% rebate for having the Chase AGR card, if that does not change.) Of course, you could stop anywhere south (or even north) of DC.

I mentioned Galesburg so that you would not need to depend on the Zephyr being in time to make a connection in Chicago. Of course, you could catch the Zephyr in southeast Iowa and have a roomette to Chicago, at the risk of missing a connection.

By choosing your travel date properly, you would have the option of taking the Cardinal in one direction (or both). Note that through the end of this year, the Silver Star will not have a diner. That might change next year; it might not.
 
Several years we took Illinois Zephyr/ EB/ CSL/ CZ in and out of Galesburg.

We also took IZ/CONO/CONO/IZ out of GBB

We would not be opposed to one of those trips again, however, would like something different.

We have never been east on rail, and would we open for that.

I think I will go talk to the agent at Ft. Madison, try to get ideas too.

Keep the ideas coming! Thank you.

Greg
 
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