Offer for Buying Points

FWIW, I just received an email from AGR with excerpts shown below:

Get up to a 40% bonus when buying points through August 23 For a limited time, reveal your mystery offer and you could get up to a 40% bonus on your purchase when you buy the points you need. But hurry, your exclusive offer is only good through August 23. So, reveal your bonus today and get that much closer to your next free ride.

I am not sure this is targeted but in my case, if I choose to purchase points, my mystery offer (when accessing the AGR site) shows a 30% bonus. The rate per 500 points is $18.85. .

No email here, 20% bonus when I go try and buy.

Does it say anything about already having reached the ( new) 15,000Point Annual Limit plus Bonus Points that the last Promo allowed/offered?

Since I'd earlier purchased the old Limit of 10,000 @ the old rate of $275, ( with a 30% Bonus)I bought the 5,000 points on offer with 1,000 Bonus Points (20%) and it was $188.50.

My AGR site Promos doesn't show this offer and the E-mail must be targeted?!!

I also got this email offering me up to 30% bonus. My husband got the up to 40% bonus, but his was only for 30%.

Odd thing. I had already purchased 10,000 points earlier this year. Since that purchase, I understand that the maximum yearly point purchase was raised to 15,000. I signed in then decided to do a mock purchase for 15,000 points instead of the 5,000.

It went to credit card information instead of telling me that the purchase would put me over the 15,000 allowable point purchase.

I did not buy the points. I wonder at what point they would have not allowed the purchase. I found it strange.

I think those promo emails are made without regard to what you may or may not already purchased. When you go through the process prior purchase is then considered. I also did the 10k + 1k max purchase at the old rate at the beginning of the year and then the 5k plus 1k at the higher rate!

Hmm...buy points using actual money and get a "free ride".

What a marketing concept!

Carolina Special said:

Hmm...buy points using actual money and get a "free ride".

What a marketing concept!

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A salient feature of the concept is the unfluctuating price of your trip. If you pay real money, you don't know from day to day what your price may be.

So, when you're ready to buy your transportation, you do the arithmetic and chose whether to spend points or money.

Yep. And in many cases, the cost of the points is *significantly* cheaper than the cost of the tickets. $400 in points for a $2000 trip? Yes, please!

jimhudson said:

Does it say anything about already having reached the ( new) 15,000Point Annual Limit plus Bonus Points that the last Promo allowed/offered?

Since I'd earlier purchased the old Limit of 10,000 @ the old rate of $275, ( with a 30% Bonus)I bought the 5,000 points on offer with 1,000 Bonus Points (20%) and it was $188.50.

My AGR site Promos doesn't show this offer and the E-mail must be targeted?!!

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I have not purchased points this year and if I wanted could purchase 15k points. It would cost me $565.50 for the maximum points and in my case get the 4.5k bonus points. I would probably bite if the 40% bonus was offered.

Based on the feedback so far this is indeed targeted.

TEREB said:

I also got this email offering me up to 30% bonus. My husband got the up to 40% bonus, but his was only for 30%.

Odd thing. I had already purchased 10,000 points earlier this year. Since that purchase, I understand that the maximum yearly point purchase was raised to 15,000. I signed in then decided to do a mock purchase for 15,000 points instead of the 5,000.

It went to credit card information instead of telling me that the purchase would put me over the 15,000 allowable point purchase.

I did not buy the points. I wonder at what point they would have not allowed the purchase. I found it strange.

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I believe it will tell you at the very last step (place order) that you will go over the limit if that's the case. It will not allow the purchase to be made.

Ryan said:

Yep. And in many cases, the cost of the points is *significantly* cheaper than the cost of the tickets. $400 in points for a $2000 trip? Yes, please!

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I use the points as a way of "saving" up for a future trip. My wife and I each buy the maximum points with bonus each year, we each have and use a Chase AGR Mastercard, and we shop, when possible, through the AGR website to earn more points. When you purchase points, they are at a stated price (with or without bonus). When you earn points via the credit card or by shopping via AGR the value of the points is less defined, especially when you are earning points for spending you'd do any way. Our upcoming trip was "paid" for a year or more ago. Last year's trip was paid with points purchased/earned 2 or more years before that. Points I'm accumulating now are destined for a trip next year. And yes, many times, using points is cheaper than a cash purchase of a ticket.

20% bonus here, but email said up to 40%. Will pass.

20% Bonus, PASS.

My offer said %40,but when I tried to buy points it said 30%. I like the part where no matter how many you purchase you still get the 30% bonus.

Bigval109 said:

My offer said %40,but when I tried to buy points it said 30%. I like the part where no matter how many you purchase you still get the 30% bonus.

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Everyone who was offered 40% could not access the secret offer. It was so secret that no one knows how to buy so and no one purchased at that level. When I went to buy the 40% bonus only the 30% offer showed up.

This is false and misleading advertising so I'll hold out for 50% before I give them any money.

Did the offers say 40% or UP TO 40%?

AmtrakBlue said:

Did the offers say 40% or UP TO 40%?

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Up To!

I do believe it did say "... UP TO 40% ..."! (It could have been 10%, 20%, 25%, 30% or 35% besides 40% - those are all up to 40%!)

It very much said "up to".

I have no interest in buying any points right now given the fact that AGR 2.0 is forthcoming, but my e-mail said "up to 40% bonus" and linking in with the "Reveal Bonus" would give me a 30% bonus.

Wonder if there is any chance a bonus buy points offer will come before the first of the year? Would be a nice gesture before the new system goes into effect in late January..

Railroad Bill said:

Wonder if there is any chance a bonus buy points offer will come before the first of the year? Would be a nice gesture before the new system goes into effect in late January..

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I highly suspect therew ill be no Bonus Offer and even if there was, it would have to be pretty hefty considering how expensive Points have gotten.

At least in the past 2 or 3 years they have always offered bonus points around Thanksgiving thru New Years. I need to buy some points and waiting a few weeks for the usual bonus

Since you'll be able to combine points with cash with AGR 2.0, I wonder what the utility of buying points will be after the new system goes into effect, other than giving points to someone else.

"Coming in 2016, you’ll be offered a combination of points and cash during the booking process for tickets, so you can spend less of both. Until then, you have the option of buying points if you need to “top off” your account to get your next reward."

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The Amtrak text quoted implies that points will not be offered for sale after AGR 2.0 takes effect. Instead, you will just pay cash for any part of a ticket purchase for which you lack sufficient points.