Amtrak Guest Rewards 2.0 Coming January 2016

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Paulus

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Admin note: This topic was started Wednesday evening (8/12). It was temporarily hidden while the staff determined if the information was correct and whether the linked presentation was public or inappropriately leaked from within Amtrak. We are satisfied in both areas, and the topic is now open for discussion.

Source

Amtrak Guest Rewards 2.0 will be simplified
Improve program relevance across the country:
Eliminate the travel award zone chart by aligning redemption point requirements with fares.
Amtrak Guest Rewards members will be able to book, modify, and cancel reward tickets themselves on Amtrak.com or mobile.
Make the program more relevant and attainable to more audiences by making both earning and redemption a function of price.

The program re-launch will be announced August 31 via email with information and details on the program website.

After 15 years, even the most well oiled machine could benefit from a little tune-up. Introducing the next stop for Amtrak Guest Rewards, where earning points is simpler, building them up is surer, and redeeming them is easier. In short, its everything youve always loved only better engineered to fit your life.
No more blackout dates or times

The Amtrak Guest Rewards team will launch two new co-brand credit card products on September 12, 2015 with a new issuing bank.
Business Goal: Re-launch higher value AGR co-branded credit cards, driving member engagement and long term growth in AGR revenue.
The AGR co-brand credit card drives:
Brand attachment- Through expanded AGR rewards and benefits, new cardholders
grow their loyalty with AGR and deepen their affinity with the Amtrak brand
Increased Amtrak travel- Annual lifts increase by 49% and rail revenue increases by 33% after a member acquires a credit card
Revenue- Amtrak will benefit from the partnership through a revenue share model.
 
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Looks like the Source link in the OP has a lot of other interesting Amtrak stuff. Check it out.
 
It appears that a revamped "AGR 2.0" will be launching on 31 August for travel after the new year. The biggest change, IMHO, will be that the Zones are gone and the points needed for a redemption will be based upon the regular ticket price - i.e., revenue-based redemptions as some airlines are migrating towards in their frequent flyer programs.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25262879-post1.html

Also there will be two versions of the new AGR MasterCard. As pointed out in another FlyerTalk thread, the sample name on the pictures of the credit cards is "Chris L Martin" which is what Bank of America always uses in their samples (appears the CC number matches BoA's sample too). New cards to launch on 12 Sep.
 
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I have ALWAYS saved my Chase UR points to use with AGR mostly because they were the best value. With this new system, I worry they will become way less valuable.

Do you think it will be a set amount for a route or will the points increase as the current price increases?
 
Shouldn't it be 3.0? As I recall we already did one transition in the past when we changed to Chase, no? Or maybe we keep doing 2.0 over and over again until we get it right? ;)

BTW, that card number on the sample card is just a number which may not have anything to do with the actual bin from which the new cards willg et their number. I did a bindb search and found this:

bin: 541275
Issuing bank: Opt Plus Issued by All Trans Financial Services CU
Card Type: Debit
Card Level: Prepaid
ISO Country Name: Canada
Bank's website: www.optpluscard.ca
 
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Shouldn't it be 3.0? As I recall we already did one transition in the past when we changed to Chase, no? Or maybe we keep doing 2.0 over and over again until we get it right? ;)
I think AGR 2.0 as it relates to the points and redemption system. As I recall, this will be AGR Credit Card version 3.
 
Shouldn't it be 3.0? As I recall we already did one transition in the past when we changed to Chase, no? Or maybe we keep doing 2.0 over and over again until we get it right? ;)
Well, I bleieve the 2.0 refers to the AGR program, not the credit cards. As far as I remember, the program itself did not change with the switch to Chase.

[Edit] Looks like PRR 60 and I were posting the same thing at the same time.[Edit]
 
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It will be interesting to see the new plan. I will admit that often my Amtrak trips are rather short in nature - Like DC to Chicago, or Richmond to Florida or Ashland to NYC, and the points seem to better benefit those long runs across the western states - and I love those routes too. But it's harder for me to take off a week for a trip across the continent. I will miss that aspect.
 
I wish that the AGR 2.0 would allow me to do points and dollars upgrades from a purchased base Coach ticket, like many airlines allow. That way you get to accrue some points on each trip while you can upgrade to upper class usually for less than what it would normally cost.

These day, on airlines, I almost always go the upgrade route instead of a pure free ticket route so as to collect the EQM and lifetime BIS miles to get lifetime status, something that I would not accrue if I did not pay at least something for the ticket. Of course AGR does not have the concept of lifetime miles based lifetime status thing at all.
 
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I wish that the AGR 2.0 would allow me to do points and dollars upgrades from a purchased base Coach ticket, like many airlines allow. That way you get to accrue some points on each trip while you can upgrade to upper class usually for less than what it would normally cost.

These day, on airlines, I almost always go the upgrade route instead of a pure free ticket route so as to collect the EQM and lifetime BIS miles to get lifetime status, something that I would not accrue if I did not pay at least something for the ticket. Of course AGR does not have the concept of lifetime miles based lifetime status thing at all.
This may be coming - note that in the "new for 2016" screenshot on page 30 "POINTS + CASH" is one of the options.

So do you think that there will no longer be a 20,000 point, two zone award for a roomette? Replaced with a dollar voucher?
That is what is sounds like. Points will be based off of how much your trip costs.

Still don't know if that will be low bucket cost or current bucket cost.
Probably current bucket cost, since that's the only way to do it while removing blackout dates.

The 3 year expiration clause also seems to be history.
 
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So do you think that there will no longer be a 20,000 point, two zone award for a roomette? Replaced with a dollar voucher?
That is what is sounds like. Points will be based off of how much your trip costs.
Still don't know if that will be low bucket cost or current bucket cost.
Wondering the same thing...will the points "expenditure" fluctuate with the current bucket cost at the time of booking? I always enjoyed booking and paying with points without being concerned with the bucket.
 
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I would imagine it will reflect current-bucket pricing, much like Southwest's Rapid Rewards does.

This will be interesting to see. If the 100-point minimum goes away, that could be the end of "points runs" for most people (which was always a good excuse to take the train anyways, and much of the time I am taking a trip that I want to take for the destination as well.) I'm hoping that it would be somewhere a bit below a 20:$1 redemption (20 points = $1 in redemption value.) A 20:$1 redemption value would put a two zone roomette at $500, which seems a bit low but not out of the ballpark (a roomette MSP - WAS on 8 to 30 is $414 for one person, $576 for two people.) It will get rid of most of the longer routes and really great redemptions, which is disappointing, but if implemented to work on any pair and tied to bucket price could open up point use on some shorter trips.
 
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And some of us may start looking at trips differently, like maybe ride in coach seats for a portion of a trip - and a roomette or bedroom when the situation merits using the points.

I have often thought of traveling across the US and stoping along the way. The old zone award system kind of discouraged that - unless you stopped at one of the border cities like Denver or El Paso.
 
My interest at this point is in the transfer of points from Chase cards to the new cards.

Since we have a big trip planned next week that could result in lots of Chase Sapphire UR points, I am hopeful that those points will still be available to send to AGR. My payment date is around Sept 8 which is when the points would be credited. Trying to make sure I am around the thousand point increments so I can maximize the transfer before Chase goes away.

We do not fly and few of the hotel choices on Sapphire are useful as well, so it was a bummer to learn that our $95 fee may go for naught the remainder of the year. :(
 
I would imagine it will reflect current-bucket pricing, much like Southwest's Rapid Rewards does.

This will be interesting to see. If the 100-point minimum goes away, that could be the end of "points runs" for most people (which was always a good excuse to take the train anyways, and much of the time I am taking a trip that I want to take for the destination as well.) I'm hoping that it would be somewhere a bit below a 20:$1 redemption (20 points = $1 in redemption value.) A 20:$1 redemption value would put a two zone roomette at $500, which seems a bit low but not out of the ballpark (a roomette MSP - WAS on 8 to 30 is $414 for one person, $576 for two people.) It will get rid of most of the longer routes and really great redemptions, which is disappointing, but if implemented to work on any pair and tied to bucket price could open up point use on some shorter trips.
Agree with jebr: I think it will look, BUT THIS IS ONLY A GUESS, and an UN-EDUCATED GUESS. I have no, zero, nada, intel from Amtrak, or any source. This is just my old-fart opinion.

How Southwest Airlines manages their "point system".

Sooooo, "BURN YOUR POINTS NOW"
 
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It's been a nice run, but all good things must end.

I think that jebr is too optimistic about the future exchange rate. A five cents per point redemption rate won't work if you can buy points for less than that. Two cents per point seems more likely, or even lower. I think that we're looking at a major devaluation for sleeper redemptions, so I plan to use up my points under the old dispensation.

I imagine, though, that after I burn my points I will use Amtrak less. Late trains, increasingly decrepit Superliners, less choice in the dining car, inconsistent customer service (except for conductors, who are consistently rude), and now this devaluation make other modes of travel more tolerable to me. I'm sure that is fine with Amtrak. I've never been a particularly valuable customer.
 
For comparison, Southwest's point value is roughly 1.6 cents per point. Also, there's nothing saying that different rates could be applied to different trip types. So redemptions on sleepers could be more valuable than coach redemptions, especially if sleeper redemptions drop like a rock after this change and roomettes are going out empty. (On the other hand, since bedrooms rarely go out empty, the value for those should drop.)
 
For comparison, Southwest's point value is roughly 1.6 cents per point. Also, there's nothing saying that different rates could be applied to different trip types. So redemptions on sleepers could be more valuable than coach redemptions, especially if sleeper redemptions drop like a rock after this change and roomettes are going out empty. (On the other hand, since bedrooms rarely go out empty, the value for those should drop.)
Do we have any idea how much of sleeper travel is redemption travel?
 
"..Turn out the lights, the parties over, they say that all good things must end.."

There's lots of posts all over the various Rail sites, blogs and Facebook.

I have it on pretty good authority that the 2 New Cards will be Bank of America Master Cards.

I would think that it is an excellent idea for those with a cache of points to book their Award trips ASAP before the Devaluation from AGR II kicks in which is Jan of 2016.

It will be interesting to read the corporate speak and boilerplate that will try to explain how much better the system will be to enhance our customers travel expierence yada yada blah blah ad nauseum!

I don't like this and I'm not certain I'll even apply for the new Card, I may just keep my Chase Cards. I do know I won't be taking as many trips in Amtrak, whether point runs or LD Trips!

I understand Amtrak's need for revenue and lightning up loopholes but making it more expensive for loyal members out in flyover country is not enhancing our expierences on Amtrak!

This should become a Long and interesting thread as all details emerge, I have the downloaded PDF file from LOSSAN ( 32 pages) and it doesn't look good for us IMHO!!

I'm from Missouri, Show Me!!!!
 
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It will be interesting to read the corporate speak and boilerplate that will try to explain how much better the system will be to enhance our customers travel expierence yada yada blah blah ad nauseum!
I wonder if it will actually be better when it comes to shorter trips (NYP-PGH, NYP-WAS). I have a feeling it will.
 
Until we see details of the proposed points:dollar ratios for redemptions, we don't really know if this is a good deal or a bad deal. We can sure guess which way it will go, but we do not know for sure. It will certainly have an impact on those who enjoyed putting together a one or two zone meandering sleeper adventure, but it could actually help someone who lives in an area like Pittsburgh where even a mid-length trip to Chicago or Minneapolis required two zones.

There will be winners and losers. We just don't know how many of each.
 
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