Is my figuring correct?

[penfrydd]

So my most frequent Amtrak trip is Brattleboro, VT, to NYP and back. Normal fare, one-way is $48, or 4000 points.

Fast forward to Nov 23-26 when Home Depot purchases result in 5X the normal points. I have a $650 purchase to make. That will yield 3250 points. Applied towards my most frequent trip and that would be 3250 divided by 4000 = .81. If we multiply $48 by .81, we get $39 towards a $48 purchase.

Since I'm a veteran, I get an everyday %10 discount at Home Depot which amounts to a $65 discount. Note, the Veteran's discount does not apply to internet purchases, and thus would not apply to a AGR purchase.

So it would appear that I'm better off just taking my Veteran's discount and foregoing the rewards purchase.

Am I missing something here???

I realize my points would be better spent on longer trips, but this is my most frequent trip.

 

[shelzp]

You should get 10 points per dollar which would result in 6500 points if they give 5 times the 2 points they usually offer. I value the points at 2.75 each since AGR sells them for that amount although when I cash them in they tend to be worth quite a bit more than that. At 10 points per dollar it gives you an immediate value of 27.5% off at Home Depot paid by a free trip. My arithmetic can be fuzzy but that's the way I see this one. But I use my AGR points on long trips that would cost more than $1000 so it may not make sense on short trips. I shop online anyway so my roomettes are paid by using those points. Otherwise I wouldn't be taking long expensive trips.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Take the 10% off. No question about it.

Valuing points at what you would pay Amtrak for them as suggested above means your $48 trip is suddenly worth $110. Does that make any sense at all? Take the 10% off like your brain is trying to tell you and don't let yourself get caught up with fuzzy math.

 

[City of Miami]

4000 points for a $48 trip is way not worth it to me. I'd not even consider it until the fare is greater than $80 - unless of course I simply didn't have the money to buy the ticket.

 

[SubwayNut]

Do you also know about the save 20% on travel on the Vermonter special through Vermont Vacations? (click the book now links to get the discounts).