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Exiled in Express

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
330
Location
Saint Paul, Minn
Taking my father on a rail journey for Father's Day, HAR-PHL-BOS, paid with my AGR points. I would like to pickup the points for signing him up to AGR meaning I need a cash segment in the trip. Paying the $23 for the full Keystone outweighs the value of the 500 point bonus. Is it possible to book a revenue ticket HAR-LNC and begin the award from there? My concern is that there will be 2 tickets, 1 paid and 1 reward, in the pouch for the same passenger for that train and points will not be earned.
 
As long as there's a paid segment included (whether it's for $1 or $1,000), it will qualify for the sign-up bonus and points earning!
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the_traveler said:
As long as there's a paid segment included (whether it's for $1 or $1,000), it will qualify for the sign-up bonus and points earning!
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Have you actually, and successfully done that?

Because I'm not so sure. Here's how I see things playing out:

If the paid ticket gets scanned first when the batch is scanned, points will post and then you'll see zero points for the AGR award which is normal.

If the AGR ticket scans first, zero points will of course be awarded as normal; then the computer will see the second ticket and say "hey, he was already on this train and that's a violation of the rules. No points for him!"

Now it might be possible to call AGR and get them to award the points manually, by pointing out that you only have 1 paid segment on that train and that the other was an award. But I sure wouldn't want to bet on them being willing to override or that the paid ticket scans first.
 
Ive done it too back in the great days of the Slidell etc. Loopholes :wub: (R.I.P!! :( ) You could buy a Coach Ticket to/from NOL, would Receive AGR Points for this Segment, get to stay in the Roomette that was an AGR Award to/from WAS-CHI-AUS! AFAIK this Is Still Possible, just make a Seperate Rez for the Paid Leg and Voila! The Points will Show up! :)

As the_traveler said, I also did it on the KWD-CBS Loophole trip last year, still the best AGR Award Trip I took! :cool:
 
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I've done it twice. Once, on the Great Slidell Loophole trip, paying for the coach segment from New Orleans-Slidell, and the rest an AGR reward, Slidell-Washington-Chicago-Portland-Los Angeles, and last year, paying for a coach ticket from Bloomington to Walnut Ridge and from there an AGR award Walnut Ridge-Los Angeles-Seattle. In both cases, I got points for the paid portion of the trip. And in the first case, I got to be in the sleeper right from New Orleans, and last year, rode coach to St. Louis, where I then transferred to the sleeper.

So it can be done! :)
 
I am inspired to read about the River Runner, Chief, Starlight, Builder trip. It seems to work OK as a 2-zone award trip from San Antonio too: Sunset, Starlight and Builder, though a half a day less on the train. It's pretty easy to fly [sorry :blink: ] back to SATX from Milwaukee. I wonder if it's worth it to f*y up to STL to get the Chief which I haven't been on in a few yrs. The only new track for me would be the Portland to Spokane stretch....I did CHI to SEA a few yrs ago. I think this might be better than SAS-SEA for the third summer in a row.

Are there other similarly lengthy possibilities (loopholes?) left out there I don't know about yet? 2-zone trips seem definitely the best deal to me.
 
City of Miami said:
I am inspired to read about the River Runner, Chief, Starlight, Builder trip. It seems to work OK as a 2-zone award trip from San Antonio too: Sunset, Starlight and Builder, though a half a day less on the train. It's pretty easy to fly [sorry :blink: ] back to SATX from Milwaukee. I wonder if it's worth it to f*y up to STL to get the Chief which I haven't been on in a few yrs. The only new track for me would be the Portland to Spokane stretch....I did CHI to SEA a few yrs ago. I think this might be better than SAS-SEA for the third summer in a row.

Are there other similarly lengthy possibilities (loopholes?) left out there I don't know about yet? 2-zone trips seem definitely the best deal to me.
Click to expand...
What about SAS-MIA on the TE/CL/SM or if AGR will Book it SAS-NOL-WAS-MIA on the SL/Crescent/SS. You could also take the Cardinal from CHI-CVS, then a Bus to Richmond where youd catch the SM for MIA. All 2 Zone Award trips! :)
 

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