Is there any way to force a paper ticket in connection with an Empire

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Anderson

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What it says on the tin. Long story short, I want a souvenier NYG ticket to go with my opening day NFK ticket and my $0.90 CHI-IND ticket.
 
You can still get the old ticket stock at the ticket counters. They have the "bar code" on them, so not exactly like the ones before eTickets.
 
Sure. You can get one easily at any Quik-Trak kiosk, as long as it's got ticket stock. You can scan whatever code from a print at home eTicket or a mobile eTicket. I've tried all of them, and the scanner will read all formats. I've even scanned an eTicket to print out an identical one. I've also scanned them in the middle of a trip, and the previously ridden segments were gone from the new ticket. Once I used up all the segments, I couldn't print another one.

You might even try asking at a ticket counter. I've specifically asked for that even though I had it on my phone. I said that I was trying to save battery life. Sometimes it worked, but once the agent said "You've got a phone. Save a tree." The tickets at the counter are printed differently. Different font and I believe using a 2D barcode instead of a PDF417 matrix code.
 
ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1497906875.954022.jpg

This is a cropped pic of one I got on 6/1/17 at WIL when I changed to an earlier train when I arrived. I got it at the ticket counter.
 
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ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1497906875.954022.jpg

This is a cropped pic of one I got on 6/1/17 at WIL when I changed to an earlier train when I arrived. I got it at the ticket counter.
Oh. I haven't gotten a ticket at a ticket counter/window in a couple of years. The last time I did they were still using a 1D barcode. That looks like the fatter font that I remember, but now with a PDF417 matrix code. From a Quik-Trak machine the font is "skinny" compared to the printers that the station agents use.

amtrak_7143.jpg
 
By the way, the PDF417 code will indicate the ticket number. That's all it does. The QR code on the print at home tickets is just the reservation number and the date of purchase.

Try scanning an airline boarding pass. Those have a lot more information like name, airline code, etc.
 
Tickets by Mail

Amtrak will mail tickets to US and Canadian addresses for no additional fee only if you have booked a reservation for which you have not received an eTicket.

For tickets sent by mail to most addresses within the continental US, you must purchase your tickets at least 9 days before your date of departure. For tickets sent by mail to addresses in Alaska, Hawaii and most addresses within Canada, you must purchase your tickets at least 15 days before travel.

The Ticket by Mail service is not available to locations outside of the US and Canada, including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, or any other US territory or possession, as well as APO/AFO addresses.
 
What it says on the tin. Long story short, I want a souvenier NYG ticket to go with my opening day NFK ticket and my $0.90 CHI-IND ticket.
The only way to force a real paper value ticket is by using an Atlantic City Line destination (or use a rail pass)...but those have little souvenir value if you take the trip since the only thing you keep is the receipt.

Better to just print an eTicket as above.
 
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I thought the ticket by mail was still a paper ticket. Did that change also?

From Amtrak ticketing FAQ site:

Travel agents and corporate travel services are another option.I booked at a travel agency or corporate travel office. What do I do?

When you book your travel at a travel agency or corporate travel office, you will get a paper value ticket, not an eTicket. Make sure to keep your paper value tickets safe as they have dollar value. The travel agency will issue you with paper value tickets; when booking through a corporate travel office, use your booking confirmation to collect your paper value ticket from a Quik-Trak kiosk or in-station ticket office. You must use the paper value tickets to board the train.
 
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