Paying for Amtrak trip

[Shawn Ryu]

Thought this was a good topic.

1. Has anyone here ever paid for Amtrak trip with straight up cash at Amtrak ticket office? I did plenty for trip to Boston, and mind you it was 3 weeks at least, before the actual trip.

2. Anyone know if Amtrak accept Visa gift card when purchasing online? I got a family member who wants to travel by Amtrak but hes coming from overseas, so obviously no credit card or debit card. No SS number etc... Due to many problems I cant buy tix for him. Any tips?

 

[ReidTYK]

Thought this was a good topic.

1. Has anyone here ever paid for Amtrak trip with straight up cash at Amtrak ticket office? I did plenty for trip to Boston, and mind you it was 3 weeks at least, before the actual trip.

2. Anyone know if Amtrak accept Visa gift card when purchasing online? I got a family member who wants to travel by Amtrak but hes coming from overseas, so obviously no credit card or debit card. No SS number etc... Due to many problems I cant buy tix for him. Any tips?

I would assume that as long as there is sufficient credit on the card, it would work the same as a regular Visa card. I've used Visa gift cards online to purchase anything from electronics to pizzas. I dont see why Amtrak would be any different.

 

[Blue Marble Travel]

Yes, Amtrak accepts cash: I often pay for tickets in cash, as you did. There is no apparent limit: I bought some cross-country tickets at South Station Boston in December with over $1,000 in cash. You must, of course, show ID, but your foreign visitor would presumably have his passport, so that is not a problem.

Amtrak also accepts Visa, MC and Amex cards issued abroad, and the debit will show up on the card holder's credit card statement in his home currency (so, for instance, in euros if he is coming from France). The Amtrak web site even has French, German and Spanish editions: there is a menu at the top center of the home page that lets you choose your language. I can't speak to the German or Spanish versions, but the French version is of rare quality.

Finally, many foreign travel agents sell Amtrak tickets. Mine does, in Paris, for instance.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

1. Has anyone here ever paid for Amtrak trip with straight up cash at Amtrak ticket office?

Yes, and I've have had no problem paying for tickets with cash.

2. Anyone know if Amtrak accept Visa gift card when purchasing online?

If it's a Visa gift card drawn from a US bank or financial institution then I do not see a problem. If it's from some overseas institution it may not be easy to get it to work or it may simply be blocked by the issuer.

I got a family member who wants to travel by Amtrak but hes coming from overseas, so obviously no credit card or debit card. No SS number etc... Due to many problems I cant buy tix for him. Any tips?

You don't need any SS number to ride Amtrak or to pay for Amtrak tickets.

Hope that helps!

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I know, but you do need SS to get prepaid Visa debit card, which is a reloadable version of Gift card. I know those work on Amtrak website.

I just cant imagine people carrying around more than 50 dollars these days and Amtrak trips for me usually cost 45 to 90 dollars for shorter haul (NYP to BOS lets say). Anyone actually paid more than 100 dollars with just cash? I feel like an idiot doing that now a days with debit card and all.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I know, but you do need SS to get prepaid Visa debit card, which is a reloadable version of Gift card. I know those work on Amtrak website.

I see prepaid debit cards on the shelf next to the check out station at the local supermarket. I never saw anything about needing a SS number to use those. They may not be refillable, but they should work just fine as-is. Ironically the only time they probably won't work is in another country. That wasn't always the case, but with the perpetual "War on Drugs" and the never ending "War on Terror" have come major changes in how financial transactions are tracked, reported, and restricted. Apparently the cost of complying with these regulations for international transactions would suck up some of the profit motive for the issuer. So now you simply can't use most prepaid debit carts in other countries. Or at least that is my current understanding.

I just cant imagine people carrying around more than 50 dollars these days and Amtrak trips for me usually cost 45 to 90 dollars for shorter haul (NYP to BOS lets say). Anyone actually paid more than 100 dollars with just cash? I feel like an idiot doing that now a days with debit card and all.

I've paid for tickets costing several hundred dollars with cash at an Amtrak ticket counter, both in advance and just before departure. No problems whatsoever. What exactly is it you're worried might happen?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Being robbed is always a possibility, my parents always say never carry around huge amount of cash.

So generally not too comfortable with carrying around too much.

But on the same line, anyone in California try buying a tix fast when the train is at the platform or close and then run straight for the train before it departs?Or any train service that has unreserved coach.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Being robbed is always a possibility, my parents always say never carry around huge amount of cash.

Depends on where you live and shop of course. I don't advise that you just have tons of cash on you every day of the week, that wouldn't be very wise. If you have a specific item or service you're about to pay for and don't make your plan to pay with cash obvious you should be fine. Sometimes conventional wisdom has it right, sometimes it's wrong.

 

[benjibear]

If you do carry cash, never flash huge amounts at a time. Some people always want to oput alll their cash in their wallets and whne they open their wallets you see hundreds of dollars. If somebody see that, they may target you. Better off to spread it out. I never keep money in my wallet and bundle my money in my front pockets so when I need to pay for something I could just grab a single bill or a small wad with only a few bucks.

Also, I really think it is how you dress as well. If you look dressed up in designer cloths, carrying the latest phone, I-pod, or other gadget you may be targeted. If you dress less than impressive, you won't be targeted as much.

 

[fairviewroad]

I paid for tickets in cash (usually short-haul, like Keystone corridor) back in the days before I got an Amtrak AGR Mastercard. Now, with double points for Amtrak purchases, I can't imagine using cash!

 

[the_traveler]

What's this "Cash"?

Is it a new form of AGR credit card?

Seriously, all the advice given is the best way to buy tickets. Even the idea of using a travel agent in the other country is good. That way, you already have the tickets with you, and do not need to carry excessive cash.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Seriously, all the advice given is the best way to buy tickets. Even the idea of using a travel agent in the other country is good. That way, you already have the tickets with you, and do not need to carry excessive cash.

If it takes "excessive" amounts of cash to buy a single Amtrak ticket, then wouldn't that also imply that the tickets themselves are excessively priced?

 

[the_traveler]

Seriously, all the advice given is the best way to buy tickets. Even the idea of using a travel agent in the other country is good. That way, you already have the tickets with you, and do not need to carry excessive cash.

If it takes "excessive" amounts of cash to buy a single Amtrak ticket, then wouldn't that also imply that the tickets themselves are excessively priced?

By "excessive amount of cash" I mean like $200-$300 in cash. I myself usually have less then $20 in cash in my wallet!

(I have paid with a voucher $224 per person - or $448 total - for 2 tickets in Acela First from PHL to BOS. If I had that much cash on me. I would consider it to be "excessive"!)

 

[me_little_me]

You have to have two forms of ID before anyone accepts cash these days. Too hard for them to convert to credit cards. :giggle:

 

[Devil's Advocate]

By "excessive amount of cash" I mean like $200-$300 in cash.

That's barely half what you'd need for an in-state round trip sleeper ticket on the Sunset Limited on the days I travel. Thank goodness there's no such thing as an "excessively" priced Amtrak ticket. :lol:

 

[Shawn Ryu]

NY Chicago round trip can cost under $200, believe it or not....

 

[TimePeace]

I have gotten out of my former habit of feeling that I need to have lots of cash with me - I finally figured out that as long as I have my card(s) I will be able to pay for pretty much anything that might come up - but I am less likely to make an impulse buy if I don't have a wad of cash in my pocket.

An exception is: on a longer train trip, I like to make sure I have cash for tipping...

 

[stntylr]

Last year I bought a USA RailPass and an Acela ticket at a ticket office with cash. I'm trying to get off the credit card habit and I'm happy to say I didn't use my credit card at all on my trip.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Last year I bought a USA RailPass and an Acela ticket at a ticket office with cash. I'm trying to get off the credit card habit and I'm happy to say I didn't use my credit card at all on my trip.

Stan: Does that include the AGR MC from Chase which has No Annual Fee and all kinds of Amtrak/AGR Perks that Cash doesn't have??? :unsure:

 

[Ispolkom]

I hardly ever use cash, preferring the points or miles that a credit card can earn me. I've found, though, that it's always a good idea to have cash when traveling. There are occasions when nothing, but nothing, works as well as greenbacks. As I get older, and better settled, my notion of the proper amount of cash to carry has grown, even if the actual use has declined.

I'm the opposite of Maine Rider, in that I'm much cheaper when I'm paying out actual cash, rather than signing a credit card slip.