When to actually print tickets?

[pm1225]

Here's a simple question from some one new to the Quik-Trak system. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to using the Quik-Trak kiosk for printing your tickets earlier than the day of departure? Likewise, when we do arrive at the station, is it wise to print both our outbound AND return tickets at the same time, or just hang on to the printout with barcode that we made when we reserved on the Amtrak site?

I guess I'm just one of those people that worries about getting things done, and don't like last-minute surprises.

 

[Ryan]

I'm one of those people that doesn't like to lose my tickets, so I don't print them until I arrive at the station. If you have all of your tickets (inbound and outbound) on the same reservation, you have to print them all at the same time. I usually put my tickets on different reservations for this reason.

 

[rrdude]

I usually print mine the day B4 the trip, (on my way home from work) just in case the QT is down, or there is a long line at the ticket window on the day of the trip. (And I usually arrive at the station with less than 10 minutes to spare - NOT RECOMMENDED -)

If it is a smaller station, I have taken up the "suggestion" and bypassed the QT machine, and go directly to the agent. There is some speculation that the metrics that Amtrak gathers may or may not have an impact on the future of whether or not a station is staffed by a human, or "staffed" by a QT machine. (assuming there is no other criteria, i.e. baggage, commuters, etc., etc.)

Either way, I like Ryan's advice on making separate reservations, 'cause I too hate carrying tix for the return, just in case I lose them.

 

[pm1225]

I'm one of those people that doesn't like to lose my tickets, so I don't print them until I arrive at the station. If you have all of your tickets (inbound and outbound) on the same reservation, you have to print them all at the same time. I usually put my tickets on different reservations for this reason.

I see. We did put our inbound and outbound trips on to separate reservations, so we'll just hold onto the return trip printout until it's time for us to leave. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[ThayerATM]

I usually print mine the day B4 the trip, (on my way home from work) just in case the QT is down, or there is a long line at the ticket window on the day of the trip. (And I usually arrive at the station with less than 10 minutes to spare - NOT RECOMMENDED -)

If it is a smaller station, I have taken up the "suggestion" and bypassed the QT machine, and go directly to the agent. There is some speculation that the metrics that Amtrak gathers may or may not have an impact on the future of whether or not a station is staffed by a human, or "staffed" by a QT machine. (assuming there is no other criteria, i.e. baggage, commuters, etc., etc.)

Either way, I like Ryan's advice on making separate reservations, 'cause I too hate carrying tix for the return, just in case I lose them.

I usually have all of my tickets printed (by an agent) just a couple of days before departure. That way I have a chance to go over them and make sure that everything matches up. I feel that there's less of a chance of me losing my tickets than there is of my reservation paper getting a wrinkle in it and the machine won't be able to read the barcode. OR, I could just as easily lose that piece of paper with the barcode on it. Too many layers of uncertainty by waiting 'till the last minute to have the tickets printed. I want all my ducks in a row before I board the first train. :hi:

 

[gregoryla]

I could be wrong on this, but I believe that if you cancel reservations after printing your ticket you get less of a refund than if you cancel before printing your ticket. So that would be a reason to delay printing tickets until closer to the actual departure/return date.

 

[Ryan]

I feel that there's less of a chance of me losing my tickets than there is of my reservation paper getting a wrinkle in it and the machine won't be able to read the barcode. OR, I could just as easily lose that piece of paper with the barcode on it.

The thing is, you don't need the barcode at all to get your tickets (I use either my credit card or my AGR number to pull my tickets up), but you do need the tickets to get on the train.

 

[ThayerATM]

I feel that there's less of a chance of me losing my tickets than there is of my reservation paper getting a wrinkle in it and the machine won't be able to read the barcode. OR, I could just as easily lose that piece of paper with the barcode on it.

The thing is, you don't need the barcode at all to get your tickets (I use either my credit card or my AGR number to pull my tickets up), but you do need the tickets to get on the train.

You're right. :hi: The only time the barcode really comes into play is if I have to use a kiosk to print my ticket at an unstaffed station. The chances of me losing my reservation paper to proffer at the agent desk is even-up with me with losing my already printed tickets themselves.

I was thinking along of the lines of wanting the tickets safely tucked in my travel vest when I entered, say, the station in EMY. There's usually a line. If I arrive later that I wanted to, I might be pressed for more time in order to check our luggage and have our tickets printed. That would hold up everybody behind me too, and probably delay the train's departure. :blush: I sure wouldn't want to be that guy. :lol: :lol:

I guess my bottom line is that I want to reduce my ticket risk to my "losing the tickets". That eliminates future lines for waiting time, and kiosks being down, or wrinkled barcodes. All I have left to do is walk in the station, check my luggage, and wait for the train to arrive.

As a footnote --- I'd like to add that I've been traveling for 71 years now, and I've never lost a ticket.

 

[Ryan]

The only time the barcode really comes into play is if I have to use a kiosk to print my ticket at an unstaffed station.

I'm afraid that I didn't make my point as clearly as I had hoped - my point was that even at a kiosk at an unmanned station, the barcode isn't necessary to print your tickets. You can use a credit card or your AGR number to access your reservation and print your tickets.

 

[the_traveler]

As a footnote --- I'd like to add that I've been traveling for 71 years now, and I've never lost a ticket.

Now if you said that you've been traveling ON AMTRAK for 71 years, I'd doubt you!

 

[ThayerATM]

As a footnote --- I'd like to add that I've been traveling for 71 years now, and I've never lost a ticket.

Now if you said that you've been traveling ON AMTRAK for 71 years, I'd doubt you!

Naw. Actually I've been traveling on Amtrak only for the past four years, so there's been a huge hiatus in my train traveling. :wacko:

I started out traveling as an infant with my parents moving from Flint Michigan to Glen Ellen IL in 1940, when Buick transferred my Dad to a plant near Chicago where Buick was building airplane engine for the upcoming war effort. Losing a ticket wasn't a particular concern of mine at the time. :lol: I have no idea when my Dad had the tickets printed.

Between 1940 and 1945 my parents took me on several trips on the train between CHI and FLN. I only remember spatterings of those days, but my fondest memories are of Chicago Union Station while sitting in the Great Hall, then later standing beside the huge hissing steam engines, then dinner in the diner.

After the Train hiatus my wife and I had to get to a family reunion in California in 2008. We didn't want to fly, and driving would take more than my allowed vacation time. Our daughter suggested that this might be the time to take that train trip that we'd always talked about.

I booked it on the Lakeshore and Zephyr (ROC to SAC) and back. On the Friday before departure Amtrak cancelled the Zephyr out of CHI with no alternate means of transportation due to flooding in Iowa. We flew that time.

We've successfully traveled via Amtrak several times, and I've always carried all my tickets with me in the travel vest.

As an traveling adult :unsure: I've never lost a ticket. :lol:

 

[ThayerATM]

The only time the barcode really comes into play is if I have to use a kiosk to print my ticket at an unstaffed station.

I'm afraid that I didn't make my point as clearly as I had hoped - my point was that even at a kiosk at an unmanned station, the barcode isn't necessary to print your tickets. You can use a credit card or your AGR number to access your reservation and print your tickets.

Right! Then, if the kiosk is down at an unstaffed station, what? :lol: I do not like surprises, and unpleasant surprises even less <_<

 

[Tracktwentynine]

Same here. I always print the day of departure, unless I have a very early departure, in which case I might stop by the station the night before.

 

[Michael061282]

I had a weird situation in 2005 in Richmond. It was my first trip out of the newly reopened, unstaffed, Main St. Station in Richmond, I arrived 45 minutes early and started to go upstairs to the station part of the station. The security guard (who worked for the city, NOT Amtrak) stopped me and demanded to see my ticket (the sign at the time DID say no ticketed passenger beyond this point). I said.. "I have a reservation number but the tickets hadn't been printed yet", she refused to let me go upstairs and visit the QT machine. I immediately asked for her supervisor... she said if I asked that again she'd call the police and they'd arrest me.. I called her bluff and said try it. Luckily before things got ugly(er), her supervisor or some one from Amtrak happened to walk by at that point... I nearly felt bad for the rent-a-cop with the tongue lashing she got in public. Nearly.. but not quite. From that point on, I've always gotten my tickets ahead of time, at Staples Mill Road Station for my trips originating at Main St. I still wrote Amtrak about the situation and actually got a letter of apology, which for once, wasn't just a hand stamped form letter.

 

[Sbaitso]

Remember to keep in mind that the Quik-Trak machine may not be accessible 24/7 at unmanned stations. My local station is not "staffed" but there is a small waiting area with restrooms and a Quik-Trak machine that is unlocked for a few hours every morning before the train arrives and is locked back up shortly after. I'm not sure who does it, but there is no ticket printing equipment other than the Quik-Trak machine even if you happen to catch the person with the key around.

 

[Trogdor]

There is some speculation that the metrics that Amtrak gathers may or may not have an impact on the future of whether or not a station is staffed by a human, or "staffed" by a QT machine. (assuming there is no other criteria, i.e. baggage, commuters, etc., etc.)

I don't know where this speculation comes from. However, the QuikTrak usage metrics do have an impact on whether that station keeps its QT machine, or whether the machine goes somewhere else.

 

[pm1225]

The only time the barcode really comes into play is if I have to use a kiosk to print my ticket at an unstaffed station.

I'm afraid that I didn't make my point as clearly as I had hoped - my point was that even at a kiosk at an unmanned station, the barcode isn't necessary to print your tickets. You can use a credit card or your AGR number to access your reservation and print your tickets.

And thank you for that information. We'll be departing from an unmanned station that is about 40 miles from where we live. I haven't had a chance to see exactly how the quik-trak kiosk works yet. I have an AGR number, but I get the drift that Amtrak won't be sending me a card until 3-4 weeks after I actually obtain the tickets, right?

 

[Ryan]

I think so, I can't remember when I got mine (nor do I know where it is, I just have the number memorized ).

You put a credit card in the machine to activate it. Then it will ask you if you want to print tickets from an existing reservation or purchase new tickets. If you've used the card that you've paid for the tickets with, they'll be listed there when you tell it to print existing tickets. If not, there's an option on that screen to look up your reservation by AGR number (and some others that I don't recall). Punch in your AGR number and then all the tickets with that number associated will be displayed and you can choose which one to print (make sure you pay attention and print the right set!).

 

[Tracktwentynine]

Of course, sometimes the last-minute thing can backfire. It backfired on me twice on my last trip.

For some reason, and I suppose I need to contact Chase about this, the QuikTrak machines have stopped reading my AGR Mastercard, despite the fact that no one else seems to have a problem with it. So last Thursday, I was trying to make a tight connection from the NB Carolinian to MARC local #436 at Washington, I couldn't get any of the QuikTrak machines* to work and the line for the ticket counter was obscenely long. Anyway, I tried a different card, and it worked so I was able to make 436 with time to spare.

However, if I hadn't had a backup card, I'd have had to wait for a later train. Of course the Carolinian was late, and I was lucky to make 436 anyway.

The other backfire happened on the other end of my trip, but luckily there was no one in line at the New Carrollton ticket counter, so I was able to bypass the QT machine, deal with a live person, and still make it to the platform in time. Of course, I actually had built enough time into my schedule that missing that MARC train wouldn't have made me miss my Amtrak connection at Union Station.

*MARC, Maryland's commuter rail service, sells tickets through QT machines, and those tickets must be used on day of purchase, I believe.

 

[Ryan]

I agree, "day of" and "tight connection" can be a recipe for failure - one of the many reasons that I'm really anal about getting to the station with plenty of time to spare. Perhaps I would be a little more relaxed about that if I already had the tickets in hand.

*MARC, Maryland's commuter rail service, sells tickets through QT machines, and those tickets must be used on day of purchase, I believe.

They have a "use by" date on the ticket (but not the stubs, and I don't have any tickets on me) - I think that you have either 3 months or a year to use the ticket.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've tried printing early and I've tried printing late, and in virtually every respect I prefer printing as late as possible due to Amtrak's policies regarding refunds, exchanges, shipping charges, and lost tickets. There are pros and cons to either method and I'm not going to preach that everyone should do it the same way I do it, but for me it works best to ticket just before departure. Generally that means within an hour or so before departure. San Antonio has a QuikTrak machine that is almost always free and up to two station attendents at the counter. That's always been enough to get me squared away in time for the train thus far.

 

[chandj]

I get my tickets mailed to me at home as soon as I book just so I can handle them and think about my upcoming trip! Our nearest station is Greensburg, PA, which is unlocked by a gentleman who works for Seaton Hill college. The station is open until the Pennsylvanian departs, then he relocks it and leaves. He is not an agent and can't sell or print tickets. Also there is no QT machine. Point being, if you don't already know what services your departing station offers, it's a good idea to look it up on Amtrak.com beforehand to avoid inconvenience.