Is Select outside of the NEC worth running for?

[allanorn]

The title says it all, but I'll provide a little more information. I'm based in SAN so I have the Surfliner available.

I'm 400 TQP short of qualifying for Select. If my math is correct that is $200 in coach, or 1-1/2 runs to LAX in Business. I might also be able to qualify with a single run in Business to SLO. A single run to SBA doesn't do it.

Looking at next year I would like to do another long-distance trip to/from Chicago if roomettes aren't insanely priced, but it's not a guarantee that I'll do it. The 10% off coupons would probably allow me to break even on the spend this year. Assume that I don't have a companion.

If it was a single trip to LAX I would be much more willing to go for it, but right now I'm leaning towards not spending the time and money to do it.

 

[joelkfla]

The title says it all, but I'll provide a little more information. I'm based in SAN so I have the Surfliner available.

I'm 400 TQP short of qualifying for Select. If my math is correct that is $200 in coach, or 1-1/2 runs to LAX in Business. I might also be able to qualify with a single run in Business to SLO. A single run to SBA doesn't do it.

Looking at next year I would like to do another long-distance trip to/from Chicago if roomettes aren't insanely priced, but it's not a guarantee that I'll do it. The 10% off coupons would probably allow me to break even on the spend this year. Assume that I don't have a companion.

If it was a single trip to LAX I would be much more willing to go for it, but right now I'm leaning towards not spending the time and money to do it.

I was doing some figuring last night. Select gets you a 25% point bonus, which is ½ point per dollar. So that's 500 more points for each $1,000 spent. I calculated that points are worth 2.5 cents, which works out to $12.50 gained for $1,000 spent. If I spend $2,500 in a year, just enough to make Select for the following year, I'm only getting back $31 on the tier bonus.

That's rather disappointing, and hardly worth spending extra at the end of the year. I travel alone, not where business class is a thing, mostly in sleepers, and already get the disability discount, so the points are really the only benefit. If you can make good use of the coupons, maybe that would make it worthwhile.

 

[Anderson]

The title says it all, but I'll provide a little more information. I'm based in SAN so I have the Surfliner available.

I'm 400 TQP short of qualifying for Select. If my math is correct that is $200 in coach, or 1-1/2 runs to LAX in Business. I might also be able to qualify with a single run in Business to SLO. A single run to SBA doesn't do it.

Looking at next year I would like to do another long-distance trip to/from Chicago if roomettes aren't insanely priced, but it's not a guarantee that I'll do it. The 10% off coupons would probably allow me to break even on the spend this year. Assume that I don't have a companion.

If it was a single trip to LAX I would be much more willing to go for it, but right now I'm leaning towards not spending the time and money to do it.

You do get two upgrade cards to Business, IIRC, and if (as I think you've indicated) you live in Southern CA, an upgrade to BC on the Surfliner is a non-zero calculation.
You could also do a shorter turn south of LAX for the second "half-turn" - would a trip to Oceanside alongside the LAX trip do it for you?

Edit: And of course, in the broader scheme of things, there are the credit cards to consider longer-term. The annual fee one is worth considering for the points alone.

 

[allanorn]

You do get two upgrade cards to Business, IIRC, and if (as I think you've indicated) you live in Southern CA, an upgrade to BC on the Surfliner is a non-zero calculation.
You could also do a shorter turn south of LAX for the second "half-turn" - would a trip to Oceanside alongside the LAX trip do it for you?

Edit: And of course, in the broader scheme of things, there are the credit cards to consider longer-term. The annual fee one is worth considering for the points alone.

I haven't done the exact math on where a second Business trip would cut short if the first is to LAX, but it would probably be around Irvine and maybe closer if I wanted to risk how Amtrak rounds for TQP. That's less time spent on the rails to qualify, but I don't have many weekends where I could pull it off.

Two upgrade certs is definitely non-zero but the upgrade SAN-LAX is about $20 each way. Obviously they would have more value if I book a trip to SBA or SLO. The 10% off coupons are arguably worth more, especially if I book a longer trip.

It seems on the whole that I would need to fully commit to a lot more train travel next year to make the run this year worthwhile.

As for credit cards: I can only sustainably spend so much money each year, and most of my spend goes back on an unlimited 2% cash back card that I'm grandfathered into. Even though I played the points/miles/status game back in the day, it's more difficult to give up the cash plus spend an annual fee in the absence of a better return. Were I more committed to doing nothing but Amtrak travel for vacations, or lived in the NEC, I would go for the credit cards.

 

[TheVig]

I live in Charlotte. I'm currently sitting on Select Plus. I'm within ear shot of Select Executive. I don't need Executive, but since I'm so close, I'm gonna get it through credit card spend. More personal ego thing than anything else to achieve it. All I care about is lounge access along the NEC in grand scheme of things.

I hold both Amtrak credit cards. The annual fee card sees most of the spend. The other one I let my wife use just to show some activity on it.

 

[joelkfla]

I live in Charlotte. I'm currently sitting on Select Plus. I'm within ear shot of Select Executive. I don't need Executive, but since I'm so close, I'm gonna get it through credit card spend. More personal ego thing than anything else to achieve it. All I care about is lounge access along the NEC in grand scheme of things.

Well, it does get you 33% more travel points than Select Plus.