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I have a couple of companion coupons and upgrade coupons I'd like to use before they expire at the end of February. My wife and I are taking a trip to New York in early January (Fri-Sunday). I've looked at he conditions on the coupons, but I still have a couple of questions.

The companion coupon is good for coach only. Does that mean it can't be used for a ride on the Acela Express?

They're showing a $49 Saver fare between BAL-NYP (or at least they were the last time I looked). Does the companion coupon apply to the Saver fare?

Another thing I might want to do is take the Acela Express and use the upgrade coupons to ride First class. I know we would ave to buy 2 Acela fares, as the companion coupons can't be combined with the upgrade coupons. You can't use the upgrade until 48 hours before departure. If we ride back on Sunday Jan 8 in the afternoon or early evening, what are the chances of available space? Any particular trains to look or or avoid?

Thanks in advance for the answers. I should probably start booking soon, Though Jan 6-8 seems to be a slow time for New York travel, as we found a $300 hotel room for $120.
 
I know someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I think a companion coupon may be used to ride the Acela Express in Business Class. (One was able to use the coupon about 4 years ago, however, I opted not to use it because I wanted to travel in FC)
 
Reading the T&C, it doesn't say that it can't be used on Acela.

Unlike most trains, which have coach and business class, on Acela you only have Business Class and First Class. (There is no coach.)

A Sunday Acela has a low chance of an upgrade. Also, the coupons (both of them) must be used with a full non-discounted fare only! That means no discounts left like AAA, Senior or saver fare (which is a 25% discount)!
 
I'm going to latch onto this thread to ask -

Do the coupons expire based on the beginning or the end of the trip? That is, can I use an upgrade coupon that expires at midnight on March 1 for a train that I will be boarding the afternoon of February 28 and riding through the night?
 
Thanks for all the replies. Just booked my trip. The $49 saver fares were all gone unless I wanted to travel at 3 AM Friday morning. :( I got an $80 Value fare for the trip up and a $156 Acela Express Value fare for Sunday afternoon. No problem with using the Companion Coupon for the Acela. One wrinkle now that I'm a geezer is that I had to buy regular adult tickets instead of Senior tickets. That's $80 instead of $68 for the Regional trip up and $156 instead of $132 for the Acela Express back. (Yes, you can get a senior discount for the Acela on weekends.) But it was still a deal. I paid $36 more in fares than I would have using a senior discount, but saved $236 on the fares that my wife didn't have to pay. Had we both paid for senior fares we would have paid $400 for both our tickets, which was $164 more than what I paid. It might be nice to let us combine coupons with other discounts, like senior fares, but I guess Amtrak doesn't need the business that badly, certainly not on the NEC.
 
I just discovered coupons, and I don't understand them. Here's one that shows up:

Upgrade Coupon

This coupon is valid for one space-available, one-way, one-class upgrade within the time limit specified on the coupon. The coupon is valid only on a single travel segment or leg and must be applied after a booking has been completed


What is this good for? How does it work?

Thanks,

jb
 
Upgrade coupons are good to upgrade from coach to business class, or on Acela from Business Class to Acela First. They CAN NOT be used to upgrade to a sleeper!

You can also upgrade to those ONLY within 12 hours of departure. (Certain upgrade coupons allow you to do so within 36 hours.)
 
I'm going to latch onto this thread to ask -

Do the coupons expire based on the beginning or the end of the trip? That is, can I use an upgrade coupon that expires at midnight on March 1 for a train that I will be boarding the afternoon of February 28 and riding through the night?
Almost certainly the beginning. In my experience, when it talks about the "date of travel," it's going to be the day you board or start your trip.
 
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