New Amtrak Guest Rewards Master Card - Fall 2015

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I received the two coupons today - surprised to see them arrive this soon, since I assumed you had to be with the card for 12 months (like my US Air credit card/companion coupon).

Can we use the coupon immediately?
 
crescent2 said:
I'm saying no thanks to both cards. Where I live there is only one train within reasonable distance. The new AGR rules require far too many points for the kinds of trips I like to take, except for the occasional daytime trip to NOL. I already have enough points for one more LD trip under the zone rules, with some remaining leftover points.

It was fun while it lasted! The Platinum Back of America AGR has no annual fee
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The Platinum Bank of America card has no annual fee but with new AGR 2.0 rules, it might take a long time to acrue enough points for what is now considered an extended 2 zone or 3 zone LD trip. The new rules almost forces the rail passenger, who uses the points system to enhance their travel experience, to buy the World card. As a member recently pointed out, AGR 2.0 appears to be skewed towards the corridor passenger. We will need to see how the new system works, but it doesn't appear that the rail passenger will be receiving more.
 
I'd say skewed toward the corridor passenger, too. It is what it is, and no longer works for me. (No pitchfork intended!)

The emails I've received so far from BOA are pushing the World (fee) card, but it's just not worth it to me. I'm going to pass on both of them.
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
abcnews said:
I received the two coupons today - surprised to see them arrive this soon, since I assumed you had to be with the card for 12 months (like my US Air credit card/companion coupon).

Can we use the coupon immediately?
Click to expand...
YES! :) Mine showed up ready to go in my AGR Kitty a few days ago.
Click to expand...
Yea, applied and approved for the World Card on Monday. By Tuesday the "Welcome Amenities" ... Companion and Upgrade coupons were in my AGR account.
 
The Companion coupon appears to be valid for the coach portion of a sleeper reservation for two. So if I book a coach ticket and pay the upgrade for a sleeper - the companion voucher should be good for the second rider - right?

It says one way or round trip.
 
No coupons for me, but I see my AGR World card in my BoA account. Tells me I either A) Put the wrong AGR number down or 2) Put none at all. Doh...now to get my card over to my real AGR account do I contact AGR or BoA? Wish the BoA page would show your account number.
 
abcnews said:
The Companion coupon appears to be valid for the coach portion of a sleeper reservation for two. So if I book a coach ticket and pay the upgrade for a sleeper - the companion voucher should be good for the second rider - right?
Click to expand...
No, it's pretty clear:

- Offer valid for Coach class travel only. Upgrade to Business class or First class (excluding sleeping car accommodations) is available upon full payment of applicable accommodation charges.
 
I wonder if that means that the free rider can not upgrade to a roomette (as it states - excluding). Say I buy a ticket, and I upgrade to roomette. My wife rides on the free companion ticket, but she can not upgrade to a roomette (her own roomette). But if I already have a roomette (or Bedroom), it may not matter in that case. I'm thinking it means the companion ticket rider can not upgrade to sleeper, but I do wonder.

It's not really a big deal, since either way, it will be used. But I do wonder, if I purchase a coach ticket to Chicago on the Capital Limited, and I upgrade to a bedroom, I would think the free companion rider would be eligible as a second rider in my bedroom - if we were traveling together. I'll find out very soon, I'll be calling to book a RT to Chicago, and hopefully in a Superliner Bedroom with the free companion voucher.
 
The new rules almost forces the rail passenger, who uses the points system to enhance their travel experience, to buy the World card.
Click to expand...
I agree that the fee card is probably worth it for many people, but I quibble with the "almost forces" assertion. For someone in the hinterlands, the benefits of the fee card seem to be one extra point per dollar spent on travel and extra tier qualifying points if there is enough spending. I might have missed something, or I might have a different perspective on being almost forced to get the fee card.
 
The inability to use a companion coupon in a sleeping compartment makes no sense. Since the companion in the sleeping compartment pays low bucket, the monetary value of the coupon cannot be more in that situation compared to a coach ticket.
 
Eris said:
abcnews said:
The Companion coupon appears to be valid for the coach portion of a sleeper reservation for two. So if I book a coach ticket and pay the upgrade for a sleeper - the companion voucher should be good for the second rider - right?
Click to expand...
No, it's pretty clear:

- Offer valid for Coach class travel only. Upgrade to Business class or First class (excluding sleeping car accommodations) is available upon full payment of applicable accommodation charges.
Click to expand...
It's certainly not clear to me. The quote appears to be asking about the companion coupon; and your response seems to be talking about the upgrade coupon. We know the upgrade coupon won't upgrade you to a sleeper. But the question is can you use the companion coupon to pay for the the second person's rail fare (AKA coach) and PAY with cash for the sleeper supplement?

It's my understanding that the redemption details are still a military secret. We only know enough to say it isn't as simple and transparent at the initial hype claimed it to be.
 
I saw desks in both NYP and PHL soliciting applications. I applied for and was accepted for the World card.

I found in my old digital archives that BOA was the old or original AGR bank before a switch to Chase in 2007.

Letter from Bank of America in 2001 soliciting my first AGR credit card:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacorbett70/21328668460/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacorbett70/21490493756/

Letter in 2007 telling me BOA and AGR were parting ways:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacorbett70/20893954194/
 
PaulM said:
Eris said:
abcnews said:
The Companion coupon appears to be valid for the coach portion of a sleeper reservation for two. So if I book a coach ticket and pay the upgrade for a sleeper - the companion voucher should be good for the second rider - right?
Click to expand...
No, it's pretty clear:

- Offer valid for Coach class travel only. Upgrade to Business class or First class (excluding sleeping car accommodations) is available upon full payment of applicable accommodation charges.
Click to expand...
It's certainly not clear to me. The quote appears to be asking about the companion coupon; and your response seems to be talking about the upgrade coupon. We know the upgrade coupon won't upgrade you to a sleeper. But the question is can you use the companion coupon to pay for the the second person's rail fare (AKA coach) and PAY with cash for the sleeper supplement?

It's my understanding that the redemption details are still a military secret. We only know enough to say it isn't as simple and transparent at the initial hype claimed it to be.
Click to expand...
No, my quote was for the companion coupon (an upgrade coupon would upgrade without full payment...)- this is from the small print details for my issued coupons available from my AGR account; it doesn't appear to be any different from companion coupons in the past (which I asked about on this thread before deciding which card to apply for- I chose the world card even with this restriction since I do take the Coast Starlight its full distance with my kids, in coach, periodically- $79 (annual fee) to get a roundtrip for my teenager is strong win and 2pts/$ for other-travel will help get enough points for a couple of (low-bucket) roomettes for some of those trips.

It'd be great to be wrong about the companion coupon being able to be used for a second person in a sleeper (essentially as an open-sleeper ticket), and it makes little sense for it NOT to be (if the value of a companion coupon is a coach ticket, and the cost of an open-sleeper ticket is low-bucket-coach), but I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong. :-/
 
jacorbett70 said:
I found in my old digital archives that BOA was the old or original AGR bank before a switch to Chase in 2007.
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Yes, that's correct. In fact, I still carry a BOA "Cash Rewards" card, which is what the previous BOA Amtrak card became when AGR switched its affiliation to Chase. IOW, BOA essentially did what Chase is doing by switching folks to the Chase Freedom card.

The BOA "Cash Rewards" card has generally been my back-up card since I prefer to earn AGR points. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I will probably apply for one of the new BOA/AGR cards and cancel the "Cash Rewards" card, since the Chase Freedom card will essentially fill the role of "back-up" card and I don't see the need to carry two distinct cashback cards.
 
My online status was also "pending, further review". I was a little annoyed as my FICO score is consistently over 800, but I am "low income" now, having retired. I lost the link to check back on the application, but when I went into my BOA account, the new card is already listed. I never get fee cards, so I got the platinum. This will be my third AGR card (BOA-Chase-BOA). I hope for some stability in the program going forward.
 
I received a letter from BOA today regarding the new account entitled "Your Credit Score and the Price You Pay for Credit".

The new card did not arrive, unfortunately.
 
Got the "letter" today as well. Want the new card "in hand" so I can begin using it beginning Oct 1 after I stop using Chase on September 30. Got a couple of 4-figure purchases to coordinate (for the points) before/after the cut-over.
 
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I got a letter about a cancelled duplicate application today, which was the second application. The first application was the one that was denied was later approved with an unexpectedly huge line of credit. Nothing on that yet. But the guy had said that I'll first get a bunch of spurious letters which he has no way of stopping. :) and then I'll get the card.
 
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Me too. Sure took them a long time. I've been checking the mailbox everything day and here it hadn't even been mailed yet!
 

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