Rewards or Regular Ticket First

[printman2000]

For our next trip, we will be going round trip in two roomettes. I have enough points for one of those rooms one way.

For last months trip, I made the reservations online and called to have the rooms switched so we could be across the hall. So here is my question...

In the situation where I will be buying one roomette and using AGR for the other, should I buy the roomette first then call AGR and request a room opposite?

OR

Get my AGR room and then call any buy the other room and try to get them to switch it?

 

[AlanB]

I would call Amtrak first and try to get the lowest bucket room with an open room across the hall. Make sure that you verify with the agent that the room across the hall is open and get both the car number and the room number obviously. Once that's booked, then quickly call AGR and try to secure that specific room.

AGR can get any open room without worrying about what bucket the room is in. If you go the other way, now you're dependent on an agent who knows how to swap room buckets and is willing to do so.

 

[printman2000]

Excellent, thanks!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Plus, isn't it likely to be the case that if there's exactly one roomette left at the current bucket, you want to book the non-AGR roomette at the lower rate before the AGR reservation has a chance to claim that last low bucket room?