How much notice necessary for refunds when cancelling

[reneeh63]

Hi -

I've been making reservations online for a couple years for trips between Chicago and Bloomington, IL. I like to travel spur of the moment so I frequently make reservations "just in case" with a credit card and then cancel if my plans change. Up until a few months ago, I could cancel online even an hour or two before the scheduled departure and still get a full refund. However, the last time I tried this, I was given no refund at all.

Has the policy recently changed? I can't find an explicit policy online...so:

How many days/hours notice must you give to get a full refund? How much for a partial refund?

I'm just talking regular coach seats, not even business class - the fares range between $12 and $34 max.

Thanks everyone!

 

[AlanB]

Renee,

I'm aware of no change to the Amtrak policies. They are, if you picked up your tickets or had them mailed, then you can either get a 90% refund or 100% in the form of a voucher good for future travel, should you need to cancel. If you haven't picked up your tickets, then you should receive a full refund.

Even if there has been some very recent change in policy that eliminates the full refund if tickets haven't been issued, you would still be entitled to the 90% refund/100% voucher option.

Therefore if you got nothing, you need to contact Amtrak ASAP. Call the 800 number and when Julie answers, say "agent." As soon as you get an agent, ask to be transferred to Customer service and find out what's going on. You are definately entitled to something, if not the full 100% refund.

 

[PRR 60]

When you cancel on-line you get a confirmation page with a cancellation number and the refund amount being applied to your credit card. An e-mail follows with the same information. If you have the cancellation number, be sure to tell the Amtrak agent that. If you did not get a confirmation of your cancellation, then something went wrong in the process. But even then you should have gotten a full refund. On-line reservations automaticaly cancel if not ticketed. Call either way.

The only possible issues I see is if you unknowingly booked a non-refundable fare (the current sale fares are non-refundable and Amtrak.com will price the restricted fare with no notice whether you want it or not), or if your credit card number was changed as sometimes happens when a card is reissued. Otherwise, you should get a full refund. In the past week I cancelled four on-line reservations and received 100% refunds with no problems.

 

[soitgoes]

Definitely call 1-800-USA-RAIL and ask to speak to the refunds/billing department. Their hours are somewhat limited (I think weekdays only), but they will be the ones to be able to look up your ticket, etc. They can work by confirmation number or credit card number.

 

[reneeh63]

Thanks guys - I will definitely give this a try!