15 replies to this topic

[amamba]

Quick question, and I am at the office and don't have my coupons in front of me. I am buying a ticket for weekend acela travel, and I am hoping to use a one class upgrade coupon it. Can you use the upgrade coupon if you book at discounted AAA fare? TIA.

[amamba]

Ok, I possibly answered my own question. It says this online about the upgrade coupons at the AGR website: "Upgrade may be combined with corporate discount, but may not be combined with any other discount, coupon or Amtrak Guest Rewards® redemption travel."

so I am going to assume that I can't use the AAA discount with the upgrade coupon. Someone please correct me if I am wrong so I can save $14

[rrdude]

Ok, I possibly answered my own question. It says this online about the upgrade coupons at the AGR website: "Upgrade may be combined with corporate discount, but may not be combined with any other discount, coupon or Amtrak Guest Rewards® redemption travel."

so I am going to assume that I can't use the AAA discount with the upgrade coupon. Someone please correct me if I am wrong so I can save $14

Correct, "Technically" the agent should not combine with a AAA discount. However, as with all things Amtrak, "your results may vary".

But IF the agent advises you that they have to charge you regular fare, that agent is correct........

I have used the Upgrade Coupon a few times, but only once did they not change my original AAA discounted ticket, so I "double-dipped" on that trip, by pure luck tho.

[the_traveler]

Personally, I would not chance "saving $14" by getting a AAA ticket and hoping to upgrade. If may cost $140 now, but when you travel, maybe it will go high bucket and cost $250. You would have to pay the $250 to upgrade. I'd rather spend $140 and be certain! (But that's just me!)

[amamba]

Personally, I would not chance "saving $14" by getting a AAA ticket and hoping to upgrade. If may cost $140 now, but when you travel, maybe it will go high bucket and cost $250. You would have to pay the $250 to upgrade. I'd rather spend $140 and be certain! (But that's just me!)

It's actually for travel this Sunday, I was shocked that the tickets were still only $148 from NYP to BOS. I was originally ticketed from Philly and was fully prepared to just use my original ticket and board in NYP if the fares had gone up. But I paid $169 for my ticket from Philly and it was $148 from NYP so I went ahead and made the change. I also did not bother with the AAA fare, you are right that I wouldn't want to have to pay full fare price - it would be cheaper to just buy a FC ticket outright on a low bucket ticket ($99 for low bucket, $109 for to add first class).

[stntylr]

What if the ticket was bought using a Railpass?
I know you can't use a railpass on the Acela but what about a regular NEC train. Can a ticket be upgraded to business class if purchased with a railpass.

Edited by stntylr, 17 May 2011 - 01:44 PM.

[amamba]

What if the ticket was bought using a Railpass?
I know you can't use a railpass on the Acela but what about a regular NEC train. Can a ticket be upgraded to business class if purchased with a railpass.

That seems like a waste of one class upgrade coupon to me.

[Trogdor]

Personally, I would not chance "saving $14" by getting a AAA ticket and hoping to upgrade. If may cost $140 now, but when you travel, maybe it will go high bucket and cost $250. You would have to pay the $250 to upgrade. I'd rather spend $140 and be certain!

If the agent processing the upgrade follows the procedure correctly, they are supposed to protect the original bucket fare, but back out any discounts. So, if the fare is $140 and you get a 10% discount ($14), when you use the coupon, they are supposed to only charge you the $14 to undo the discount, regardless of whether the fare has changed in the mean time.

[rrdude]

Personally, I would not chance "saving $14" by getting a AAA ticket and hoping to upgrade. If may cost $140 now, but when you travel, maybe it will go high bucket and cost $250. You would have to pay the $250 to upgrade. I'd rather spend $140 and be certain!

If the agent processing the upgrade follows the procedure correctly, they are supposed to protect the original bucket fare, but back out any discounts. So, if the fare is $140 and you get a 10% discount ($14), when you use the coupon, they are supposed to only charge you the $14 to undo the discount, regardless of whether the fare has changed in the mean time.

Good point Trog, and make sure to politely ask the agent to do just that, that is "protect my original fare" (as it relates to the fare bucket)

A couple of times I've had to insist that the agent can do this, and politely ask the agent to check with supervisor.......

[stntylr]

What if the ticket was bought using a Railpass?
I know you can't use a railpass on the Acela but what about a regular NEC train. Can a ticket be upgraded to business class if purchased with a railpass.

That seems like a waste of one class upgrade coupon to me.

Let me clarify, I live in Texas. The coupon expires next February. Unless you know a train in Texas that has first class or business class this will be my only chance to use it.

I have a ten hour trip from BAL to BOS coming up in August. I have a 30 minute ride on the Acela coming up. I have a Club Acela pass. I figure I could use the pass to stay in the louge then ride business class from Washington to Baltimore on the Acela then use the upgrade tp ride business class on the ten hour ride to Boston.

Is it still a waste?

[the_traveler]

I have a ten hour trip from BAL to BOS coming up in August. I have a 30 minute ride on the Acela coming up. I have a Club Acela pass. I figure I could use the pass to stay in the louge then ride business class from Washington to Baltimore on the Acela then use the upgrade tp ride business class on the ten hour ride to Boston.

What I would do personally is use the CA pass at the CA in WAS, ride a REGIONAL up to NYP, then ride an Acela from NYP to BOS (upgraded)! This upgrade will get you into the CA in BOTH NYP and BOS for one thing! Another is that low bucket NYP-BOS is $99, while low bucket WAS-NYP is IIRC $140! You also will get a meal between NYP and BOS - plus free drinks! The Acela goes fastest (150 MPH) on this stretch! And most important - NYP-BOS is a select city pair which give First Class passengers (even if you used an upgrade coupon) 750 AGR points! WAS-BAL is not, and only earns 2 points per $. (I don't know what the fare is but just say $55. Would you rather earn 110 AGR points or 750 AGR points?)

The best use of an upgrade coupon is from Acela BC to Acela First!

[Trogdor]

I have a ten hour trip from BAL to BOS coming up in August. I have a 30 minute ride on the Acela coming up. I have a Club Acela pass. I figure I could use the pass to stay in the louge then ride business class from Washington to Baltimore on the Acela then use the upgrade tp ride business class on the ten hour ride to Boston.

What I would do personally is use the CA pass at the CA in WAS, ride a REGIONAL up to NYP, then ride an Acela from NYP to BOS (upgraded)! This upgrade will get you into the CA in BOTH NYP and BOS for one thing! Another is that low bucket NYP-BOS is $99, while low bucket WAS-NYP is IIRC $140! You also will get a meal between NYP and BOS - plus free drinks! The Acela goes fastest (150 MPH) on this stretch! And most important - NYP-BOS is a select city pair which give First Class passengers (even if you used an upgrade coupon) 750 AGR points! WAS-BAL is not, and only earns 2 points per $. (I don't know what the fare is but just say $55. Would you rather earn 110 AGR points or 750 AGR points?)

The best use of an upgrade coupon is from Acela BC to Acela First!

Unless stntylr actually has something to do in BAL (imagine that), and needs to use the Regional for (*gasp*) actual transportation, rather than railfanning and Club (Acela) hopping. Given the quote of a ten-hour trip from BAL-BOS, the only train that takes that long is 66 (actually a little over nine hours), meaning Acela service is not available during that time period.

Edited by Trogdor, 17 May 2011 - 10:18 PM.

[amamba]

Oh, if I am remembering stntylr correctly, he is the poster using a railpass to travel the country without any overnights in cities. That is why he wanted to take 66 so badly.

However, I do agree with the traveler re: the NYP-BOS segment. Low bucket is only $99 on the acela for this routing, which is a pretty good price considering that it often costs $50 to go PVD - BOS on the acela. Why not take 66 up to Penn Station, then bum around NYC for a few hours and take the first acela of the morning up to BOS? Would that get you into BOS in time for your connection to the LSL?

[stntylr]

LSL leaves BOS at 11:50 AM. That's why I'm taking the overnight train.

[the_traveler]

1st AE out of NYP weekdays is at 6:20 AM arriving into BOS at 10:04 AM. And the AE is almost 100% on time (or very close to it)!

[amamba]

And if you use the upgrade coupon from NYP - BOS you will still have access to the club acela before boarding LSL. Personally I woul do that but it's not a guaranteed connection.