I have a lot of points mostly from doing surveys.
What do you consider a lot of points? Our A/T trip to Orlando this month is 98,394 in points. You can mix & match all you want...just call the AGR agent.. I'm using points going down, paying cash coming back and using the nieces points to pay for the car both ways.. And yes...there really is no "r/t" per se...just two one-way trips! One phenomenon on the A/T is that in most cases...each direction is a different price....fares based on occupancy, direction, date.
98,394 is pretty outrageous. I was thinking of a trip south in couple weeks and its 35,000 in a bedroom?
The 'price' in points converts to dollars using 34.5 points per dollar. At least that's what it should be, but Acela point prices require even more points per dollar. Also, sleeper prices are based on the 'value' fare for coach (times number of passengers), plus the accommodation charge. As the sleeper spaces get more and more sold, the price increases accordingly. They also jump up as the travel date approaches, too. Obviously, trying to find space before Labor Day at this point will likely encounter numerous 'sold out's.
And quite interestingly, when it gets down to only 1 or 2 available rooms on a train, the 'price' using points disappears (a blank space in the sleeper column), and only cash/credit prices will show up. I discovered that a couple weeks ago deciding whether or not to book using points vs credit. Obviously, Amtrak collects the maximum cash revenue for sleeper space when it gets close to sold out.
As reported by others on this forum, sometimes prices will drop as the travel date approaches. Most likely, one or more cancellations occurred. It could also be the release of a block of 'held' rooms for some tour group that didn't fill all the rooms, backed out completely, or didn't have the cash to pay for the tickets.
