Guest Rewards Credit Card

[Hanno]

I will soon be retired (or as I like to say...changing careers)and will be taking more train trips. I am a Guest Rewards member but I don't have the credit card that Amtrak sponsers. I was thinking it might make sense to get this card. We are very credit worthy but I just don't like to have multiple credit cards. Any comments, pro or con?

Thanks!

 

[PRR 60]

I don't think there is any reason to not get the card. The Chase card has no annual fee, so that is not an issue. Depending on how you manage your finances and direct purchases, your AGR points can build-up pretty quickly using the card. As a side benefit, the rule that your AGR points expire after 36 months without paid Amtrak travel is waived if you hold the Chase AGR card.

There is always some bonus for signing up, sometimes targeted offers can boost that to 30,000 points or more. But even without the bonus, if you intend to use Amtrak travel, and particularly if you use sleepers on the long distance trains, the AGR card and the points it can generate is great.

 

[battalion51]

I got the card this year, and it's my #2 card in my wallet (behind my American Express). You really can rack up the points really fast. I've got over 30,000 sitting in my account. Now I just need the vacation time and a partner in crime to enjoy them with! Can't go wrong in my opinion though, especially if you pay off the bill every month. Chase also gives you the option to select your payment date, so you can make it work in your bill cycle however you want.

 

[the_traveler]

It is my primary credit card, and I use it for everything (sometimes even a paper)! But mostly, I use it for "luxuries" like food and gas, and also for "necessary items" such as Amtrak trips.

I usually earn 1,000 to 2,000 AGR points EACH MONTH - without even setting foot on a train!

So essentially, by doing what I would be doing every day, I earn a FREE trip every year!

The important thing is to pay the balance in full each month. Since there is no annual fee, your travel is literally free!

Apply off the link on the AGR page, not the Amtrak page. It gives a larger sign up bonus!

 

[pennyk]

It is my primary credit card, and I use it for everything (sometimes even a paper)! But mostly, I use it for "luxuries" like food and gas, and also for "necessary items" such as Amtrak trips.

I usually earn 1,000 to 2,000 AGR points EACH MONTH - without even setting foot on a train!

So essentially, by doing what I would be doing every day, I earn a FREE trip every year!

The important thing is to pay the balance in full each month. Since there is no annual fee, your travel is literally free!

Apply off the link on the AGR page, not the Amtrak page. It gives a larger sign up bonus!

Ditto. I use it for business expenses also (I am self employed). I even paid for a portion of my father's funeral with my AGR card.

 

[Anderson]

Knowing what funerals cost, I hate to say this...but it sounds like your dad sent you on one last trip there.

Somewhat less morbidly, now that I have the card, I think my root canals may send me to Florida.

Edit: What's more, I'm going to rechannel 90% of my card spending onto it. Knowing what I buy every year, etc., this should net me...somewhere around 30,000 points per year. I think that's a free trip to FL in a sleeper each year.

 

[Shanghai]

I have the AGR Mastercard and use it as my primary credit card. I use it for nearly all my purchases, just to get

the points. In theroy, it doesn't cost me anything (although we all know there is no free lunch), and I get the

AGR points. I recently had a new heating/cooling system installed in my home and I used the card for the down payment.

I have received nearly 45,000 points this year from the card. I also have a United Airlines Visa and an American Express

card that I use occasionally for specific purchases.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Edit: What's more, I'm going to rechannel 90% of my card spending onto it. Knowing what I buy every year, etc., this should net me...somewhere around 30,000 points per year. I think that's a free trip to FL in a sleeper each year.

Yes 30,000 point is a round trip on the Silver Service from New York to Miami or some combination in between. I will have 30,000 AGR points toward the end of December, and I am seriously considering using them on a couple high bucket roomettes in January, and heading down to Miami, which would cross two more long distance trains off my list, and leave me with 6 routes until I ace the current Amtrak system (not bad for being 18 years old, and only starting to ride Amtrak like it was my job in 2008 ) We'll see I probably should save my points to ride the Eagle/Sunset combo, but going to South Florida in the middle of the winter just seems so appealing.

 

[WMJ_NJ]

Keep in mind that you get a 5% point rebate for Amtrak trip redemptions if you're a AGR Mastercard holder. For a while this summer the rebate was 10% which allowed me to save a bunch of points as I booked my annual February Florida trip as well as an Auto Train trip and several trips from NJ to DC.

In addition there was a promotion that gave you triple points on gasoline, grocery and dining purchases made on the card from Oct 1st to December 31st.

Bill J

 

[Anderson]

Keep in mind that you get a 5% point rebate for Amtrak trip redemptions if you're a AGR Mastercard holder. For a while this summer the rebate was 10% which allowed me to save a bunch of points as I booked my annual February Florida trip as well as an Auto Train trip and several trips from NJ to DC.

In addition there was a promotion that gave you triple points on gasoline, grocery and dining purchases made on the card from Oct 1st to December 31st.

Bill J

So...the 30,000 would become 28,500?

 

[the_traveler]

Keep in mind that you get a 5% point rebate for Amtrak trip redemptions if you're a AGR Mastercard holder.

So...the 30,000 would become 28,500?

Yes!

 

[WMJ_NJ]

But you will need at least the 30,000 in the bank to make the reservation. The rebated points are posted almost immediately however.

Bill J

 

[Rob_C]

Okay, I have a big problem.

Chase just announced they were charging $10 a month on their bank accounts that don't meet certain criteria. If I close my Chase account, I hope I can still keep my Chase AGR credit card!! Because there is no way I am staying with Chase bank at this point! Way to stick it to the unemployed, independent contractors (like myself) and other low income people that can't keep $1500 in their account each month or have a job that pays at least $500 in direct deposit each month! ARRRG!!

Rob

 

[the_traveler]

That is only for bank accounts, not for credit cards! I also had some bank accounts at Bank of America, but I found a higher interest rate and lower deposit requirements (read zero) from another local bank - so I closed my BOA bank accounts. However, I still have a credit card issued by BOA! It's a AAA Visa that I don't use, instead using the AGR MasterCard!

So you see one does not affect the other!

 

[Ryan]

It's not a good idea...

It's a GREAT idea, for all of the reasons listed above - I funnel most of my spending through it and pick up about 4-5,000 points per month. When I took my honeymoon trip this April, the train portion was almost entirely free and my balance is already up nearing 40k again, so it's time to start planning another trip!

 

[PaulM]

When I found out about the card, I immediately dumped my previous one. I also had my wife dump hers and get an AGR card. So we earn points on both cards while satisfying the requirement of having two cards in case one gets lost while traveling.

In fact it's the only time I violated my rule of never doing business with the bailout queens. It's also an exception to the rule that if something is too good to be true, it probably is. Knock on wood.

 

[Hanno]

Thanks for all the input. I cannot see a downside to having this credit card especially considering that there will be more train travel in our future. I applied for the card online and was approved in seconds (don't know how they do that so fast).

Again, thank you!