Need some advice for planning

Hello to all members of AU! I'm very glad to be here.

I don't want to get boring so I'll be clear and short. I'm planning a little getaway for myself to the US, flying to JFK and then catching a train to Chicago. Arrive next morning, spend the whole day/night in Chicago and then fly back home with an early flight (possibly via EWR/JFK, MIA or even DFW). This would be in late August. At first glance I thought "ok, let's take a Roomette in the Lake Shore Limited". I can't book with big anticipation anyway - I travel standby on my flights. Now, almost two months before, I find that a ticket in the LSL with a Roomette adds up to 564 dollars. That's a huge number - It's almost my monthly salary! (although I think that's a big number even for you). Thought about going coach, but I've read some comments regarding that - saying that te LSL is really packed in summer. Then, had to look for other options. I think that the best would be to catch a morning Regional to WAS and then take the CL, giving me some hours to explore Washington (and get a DC United jersey too ). It also arrives earlier at Chicago, giving me more time to explore there (thought about renting a bike and ride the whole Lakefront Trail, is that loable? ).

I'm a very light sleeper, it's very difficult for me to catch sleep when riding coach on any train (I only fall sleep when I've been up for 30 hours roughly). But again, I don't think that taking a Roomette in the CL would be a deal. The price goes up to 352 dollars, that's a lot too. And what keeps me from taking a Roomette now is another thing also: I'm planning to take my girlfriend as a birthday present to New York for 4 or 5 days in late October. And to make it even better, we'd go by Silver Meteor from Miami. In this case, I'd definitely choose the roomette, first because it would be more comfortable for both of us, second because i want to give her a really good present, and finally, because it would be more a "tourist" journey rather than a railfanning one (although I'd be railfanning anyway ).

So, what do you think? The itineraries would be something like:

Late August - Travelling alone

EZE-JFK (arriving 6:10am)

(LIRR or NYC Subway to Penn Station)

NYP-WAS (Regional - Coach Class - Morning around 9:30am)

WAS-CHI (Capitol Limited - Coach Class)

Night in CHI

Fly back home

Late October - With GF

EZE-MIA (arriving 4:20am)

MIA-NYP (Silver Meteor - Roomette - 2 passengers)

Spend some nights in NYC and then fly back from JFK

Which would be the best Regional (time-speaking) to take from NYP to WAS? Would it be better to take LIRR or Subway from Jamaica?

Is it easy to connect from MIA airport to MIA Amtrak? 4 hours would work? The second flight to MIA arrives at 6:55am. That would be a very tight connection, right?

Again, thank you so much for the advices!

Joel

Joel,

It will be good to have your and your girlfriend visit the US.

On your first trip, I think you have made a good choice to take the Regional

train to Washington DC, then the Capitol Limited to Chicago. I would suggest

you take an early train that would give you time to see some sights in DC.

The Capitol Building, Library of Congress and other Government Buildings are

within easy walking distance to Union Station. You will be able to take the

Metra train to O'Hare Airport.

I would suggest that you book your reservation as soon as you firm up your

dates. The train fares rise the closer to the departure date. I have traveled

in coach on the Capitol Limited and the Cardinal trains and I was able to sleep.

While there will likely be heavy passenger load during this time, it should be

managable. The Capitol Limited originates in Washington, so you will have a

better chance of getting the seat you want than if you boarded during the trip.

The October trip sounds good. I'll defer to someone else regarding the trains

from JFK to the city.

I hope everything works out for you and you have a great visit to the US.

With luggage, it's easier and faster (but more expensive) to take the LIRR from JFK ($8.75 peak). The subway has its problems - the A (from Howard Beach) and the J/Z (from Jamaica) go through some rough neighborhoods, and the E (from Jamaica) gets very crowded in the AM rush hour.

Another (yet more expensive) option from JFK to the city is NY Airport Service (http://www.nyairportservice.com/), essentially a dedicated bus service from the airport to Midtown.

Taxis are the most expensive option and, as you will be arriving in NY in the morning, they can be VERY slow in traffic.

Have a good trip to New York!

PS The link in my signature may prove useful to you.

Sounds like you have a couple of good trips in mind ... though at least from my perspective, I think your trains in Argentina are more interesting that ours!

I'd definitely recommend the Capitol Limited over the Lake Shore; the equipment is nicer, and the detour through Washington would give you an additional chance to experience America's busiest passenger route. The sightseer lounge car on the Capitol will be a real treat.

In the past, I've used the subway to go from JFK to Penn station. It takes a little less than an hour, but is pretty straightforward, and I'd recommend it unless you happened to have lot of luggage. I've never done the transfer from the MIA airport to the Amtrak station, but it's not very far and should be an easy cab ride.

One thing to keep in mind is that the customs/immigration areas at both JFK and MIA can sometimes take a while to get through. I'd allow an hour for that in your travel planning just to be safe, though that's a worse-case scenario and you might get through much more quickly. For both those airport-train transfers, I'd recommend allowing for at least four hours of transfer time -- a couple hours for the immigration clearance and making the connection, and a couple of hours of insurance in case of flight delays.

Hope you have a great trip!!

Under no circumstances would I take the JFK AirTrain to Howard Beach to catch the A train. And I also would not use the J train from Jamaica, it simply doesn't go where you need it to go, and it is very slow. Either spring for the premium fare on the Long Island RR or take the E train from Jamaica. Those are the fastest two ways to get to NY Penn Station and Amtrak, with the LIRR having a decided edge about 20 to 25 minutes vs probably 35 to 40 minutes on the E train.

As for Miami, right now you have two options:

1) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail, a subway like train even though it doesn't run underground. Note: The Metrorail station for the airport isn't open right now, and therefore is not showing on the map right now. It will open by the end of this month however, in plenty of time for your trip. You ride that to the TriRail stop. From there you must walk about 4 blocks through a rather interesting neighborhood. So if you choose this option, be sure to keep your eyes open and watch out for potential trouble.

2) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail like above, going to the TriRail station. However, instead of walking to Amtrak, board a northbound TriRail train to Hollywood, FL. This will cost a bit more, but you eliminate the walk, as both Amtrak and TriRail stop at the Hollywood station. It's the first stop for Amtrak after leaving Miami.

I agree with the choice of taking an early Regional from New York to Washington, see some sights and then take the Capitol Limited (CL) to Chicago. I find the seats in coach on the CL are much more comfortable for sleeping.

Also remember, that the cost for a sleeper on Amtrak is the same for either 1 or 2 persons! Check the cost of bedrooms also. At times, bedrooms cost less than roomettes! :excl:

Thank you all for the advices, I will consider them!

NY Penn said:

With luggage, it's easier and faster (but more expensive) to take the LIRR from JFK ($8.75 peak). The subway has its problems - the A (from Howard Beach) and the J/Z (from Jamaica) go through some rough neighborhoods, and the E (from Jamaica) gets very crowded in the AM rush hour.

Click to expand...

Well, I'd only be taking carry on luggage and LIRR sounds a bit pricey, but on the other hand, I've already taken the E train to Downtown, so I'd like to try LIRR (which I've never riden yet). Doesn't LIRR get crowded in the morning hour too?

I also have never taken the J/Z train, I'd love to ride them too, besides (not to be offending, of course!), I think that NYC's "rough" neighbourhoods may be safer than almost any place here in Buenos Aires . Anyway, I'd be taking a suitcase with a "JFK" tag on it, so I would be "target" in any place in the planet!

Montanan said:

One thing to keep in mind is that the customs/immigration areas at both JFK and MIA can sometimes take a while to get through. I'd allow an hour for that in your travel planning just to be safe, though that's a worse-case scenario and you might get through much more quickly. For both those airport-train transfers, I'd recommend allowing for at least four hours of transfer time -- a couple hours for the immigration clearance and making the connection, and a couple of hours of insurance in case of flight delays.

Hope you have a great trip!!

Click to expand...

Yeah, that is what keeps me thinking about the MIA-Amtrak-NYP thing. As we'd travel standby, there is a minimum chance of not boarding the first flight to MIA, taking the second instead and consequently arriving almost at 7 am, sounds a very rough connection to me. If i were alone, I'd have no problem with taking Tri-Rail even till West Palm Beach in order to get to know that curious commuter system! But as I will be with my GF, I think I'd have to convince her (she doesn't know a word about this by now, she'll be notified in August, when her birthday is).

AlanB said:

Under no circumstances would I take the JFK AirTrain to Howard Beach to catch the A train. And I also would not use the J train from Jamaica, it simply doesn't go where you need it to go, and it is very slow. Either spring for the premium fare on the Long Island RR or take the E train from Jamaica. Those are the fastest two ways to get to NY Penn Station and Amtrak, with the LIRR having a decided edge about 20 to 25 minutes vs probably 35 to 40 minutes on the E train.

As for Miami, right now you have two options:

1) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail, a subway like train even though it doesn't run underground. Note: The Metrorail station for the airport isn't open right now, and therefore is not showing on the map right now. It will open by the end of this month however, in plenty of time for your trip. You ride that to the TriRail stop. From there you must walk about 4 blocks through a rather interesting neighborhood. So if you choose this option, be sure to keep your eyes open and watch out for potential trouble.

2) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail like above, going to the TriRail station. However, instead of walking to Amtrak, board a northbound TriRail train to Hollywood, FL. This will cost a bit more, but you eliminate the walk, as both Amtrak and TriRail stop at the Hollywood station. It's the first stop for Amtrak after leaving Miami.

Click to expand...

I've read something that said that Amtrak Station will be just near MIA airport, where the Metrorail station is now, is that true?

the_traveler said:

I agree with the choice of taking an early Regional from New York to Washington, see some sights and then take the Capitol Limited (CL) to Chicago. I find the seats in coach on the CL are much more comfortable for sleeping.

Also remember, that the cost for a sleeper on Amtrak is the same for either 1 or 2 persons! Check the cost of bedrooms also. At times, bedrooms cost less than roomettes! :excl:

Click to expand...

Yes, I'll keep control of the fares and about a month before I will be doing the purchase. By now roomettes are cheaper.

How about lunch/dinner aboard Amtrak? Is that expensive? Is it "eatable"? (this would be for the CL - as in the MIA-NYP trip meals will be included, right?) Is beer served on board? Just to know Oh! Another silly (but important) question: does coach class have air conditioning? (you might laugh at this question, but down here it's almost a luxury thing )

Joel said:

Thank you all for the advices, I will consider them!

NY Penn said:

With luggage, it's easier and faster (but more expensive) to take the LIRR from JFK ($8.75 peak). The subway has its problems - the A (from Howard Beach) and the J/Z (from Jamaica) go through some rough neighborhoods, and the E (from Jamaica) gets very crowded in the AM rush hour.

Click to expand...

Well, I'd only be taking carry on luggage and LIRR sounds a bit pricey, but on the other hand, I've already taken the E train to Downtown, so I'd like to try LIRR (which I've never riden yet). Doesn't LIRR get crowded in the morning hour too?

I also have never taken the J/Z train, I'd love to ride them too, besides (not to be offending, of course!), I think that NYC's "rough" neighbourhoods may be safer than almost any place here in Buenos Aires

. Anyway, I'd be taking a suitcase with a "JFK" tag on it, so I would be "target" in any place in the planet!

Click to expand...

Well, pretty much every mode of transport gets crowded in NYC during the rush, but the problem with the (E) is that it's crowded-so-much-that-people-don't-fit crowded. I doubt you'd want that with luggage, even carry-on. And the LIRR is safe, too.

Joel said:

AlanB said:

Under no circumstances would I take the JFK AirTrain to Howard Beach to catch the A train. And I also would not use the J train from Jamaica, it simply doesn't go where you need it to go, and it is very slow. Either spring for the premium fare on the Long Island RR or take the E train from Jamaica. Those are the fastest two ways to get to NY Penn Station and Amtrak, with the LIRR having a decided edge about 20 to 25 minutes vs probably 35 to 40 minutes on the E train.

As for Miami, right now you have two options:

1) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail, a subway like train even though it doesn't run underground. Note: The Metrorail station for the airport isn't open right now, and therefore is not showing on the map right now. It will open by the end of this month however, in plenty of time for your trip. You ride that to the TriRail stop. From there you must walk about 4 blocks through a rather interesting neighborhood. So if you choose this option, be sure to keep your eyes open and watch out for potential trouble.

2) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail like above, going to the TriRail station. However, instead of walking to Amtrak, board a northbound TriRail train to Hollywood, FL. This will cost a bit more, but you eliminate the walk, as both Amtrak and TriRail stop at the Hollywood station. It's the first stop for Amtrak after leaving Miami.

Click to expand...

I've read something that said that Amtrak Station will be just near MIA airport, where the Metrorail station is now, is that true?

Click to expand...

Yes, that is true, Amtrak is supposed to move their station to the Airport. Sadly it won't happen in time for your trip as it's expected to open in 2013.

NY Penn said:

Joel said:

Thank you all for the advices, I will consider them!

NY Penn said:

With luggage, it's easier and faster (but more expensive) to take the LIRR from JFK ($8.75 peak). The subway has its problems - the A (from Howard Beach) and the J/Z (from Jamaica) go through some rough neighborhoods, and the E (from Jamaica) gets very crowded in the AM rush hour.

Click to expand...

Well, I'd only be taking carry on luggage and LIRR sounds a bit pricey, but on the other hand, I've already taken the E train to Downtown, so I'd like to try LIRR (which I've never riden yet). Doesn't LIRR get crowded in the morning hour too?

I also have never taken the J/Z train, I'd love to ride them too, besides (not to be offending, of course!), I think that NYC's "rough" neighbourhoods may be safer than almost any place here in Buenos Aires

. Anyway, I'd be taking a suitcase with a "JFK" tag on it, so I would be "target" in any place in the planet!

Click to expand...

Well, pretty much every mode of transport gets crowded in NYC during the rush, but the problem with the (E) is that it's crowded-so-much-that-people-don't-fit crowded. I doubt you'd want that with luggage, even carry-on. And the LIRR is safe, too.

Click to expand...

I understand, here almost all commuter and subway lines get that crowded between 6:30 and 9:00, and i've never tried to sneak in with a piece of luggage, that would be really annoying.

AlanB said:

Joel said:

AlanB said:

Under no circumstances would I take the JFK AirTrain to Howard Beach to catch the A train. And I also would not use the J train from Jamaica, it simply doesn't go where you need it to go, and it is very slow. Either spring for the premium fare on the Long Island RR or take the E train from Jamaica. Those are the fastest two ways to get to NY Penn Station and Amtrak, with the LIRR having a decided edge about 20 to 25 minutes vs probably 35 to 40 minutes on the E train.

As for Miami, right now you have two options:

1) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail, a subway like train even though it doesn't run underground. Note: The Metrorail station for the airport isn't open right now, and therefore is not showing on the map right now. It will open by the end of this month however, in plenty of time for your trip. You ride that to the TriRail stop. From there you must walk about 4 blocks through a rather interesting neighborhood. So if you choose this option, be sure to keep your eyes open and watch out for potential trouble.

2) Ride the people mover to the Metrorail like above, going to the TriRail station. However, instead of walking to Amtrak, board a northbound TriRail train to Hollywood, FL. This will cost a bit more, but you eliminate the walk, as both Amtrak and TriRail stop at the Hollywood station. It's the first stop for Amtrak after leaving Miami.

Click to expand...

I've read something that said that Amtrak Station will be just near MIA airport, where the Metrorail station is now, is that true?

Click to expand...

Yes, that is true, Amtrak is supposed to move their station to the Airport. Sadly it won't happen in time for your trip as it's expected to open in 2013.

Click to expand...

That would be an excellent point for me to start my trips. I bet that it will be the easiest airport-to-Amtrak connection, only EWR and BWI have it that easy, right?

Joel said:

Thank you all for the advices, I will consider them!

the_traveler said:

I agree with the choice of taking an early Regional from New York to Washington, see some sights and then take the Capitol Limited (CL) to Chicago. I find the seats in coach on the CL are much more comfortable for sleeping.

Also remember, that the cost for a sleeper on Amtrak is the same for either 1 or 2 persons! Check the cost of bedrooms also. At times, bedrooms cost less than roomettes! :excl:

Click to expand...

Yes, I'll keep control of the fares and about a month before I will be doing the purchase. By now roomettes are cheaper.

How about lunch/dinner aboard Amtrak? Is that expensive? Is it "eatable"?

(this would be for the CL - as in the MIA-NYP trip meals will be included, right?) Is beer served on board? Just to know

Oh! Another silly (but important) question: does coach class have air conditioning? (you might laugh at this question, but down here it's almost a luxury thing

)

Click to expand...

Keep in mind the Amtrak refund policy. If the tickets have NOT been printed, you get 100% back in coach! (You can print them in New York on departure day.) So if the fare by chance goes down, you can then book the lower cost one and then cancel the higher priced one! Sleepers must be cancelled 7 days prior to travel to receive a 100% refund.

Food is not 5 star hotel quality, but it is good. Breakfast and lunch are much less expensive than dinner is - in the dining car. There is also a cafe in board, but the total cost for similar items may cost you more! Beer is indeed served also.

Note also that all meals on the Dining Car are included for both of you if you have a sleeper! (In coach, you must pay.)

And yes, the cars are air conditioned.

Joel said:

NY Penn said:

Well, pretty much every mode of transport gets crowded in NYC during the rush, but the problem with the (E) is that it's crowded-so-much-that-people-don't-fit crowded. I doubt you'd want that with luggage, even carry-on. And the LIRR is safe, too.

Click to expand...

I understand, here almost all commuter and subway lines get that crowded between 6:30 and 9:00, and i've never tried to sneak in with a piece of luggage, that would be really annoying.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry too much about the E being crowded. Where you'll be boarding is only the second stop, so you'll have no trouble getting on the train. I'd recommend boarding either the first car or last car of the train. That way you'd be able to put your bag right by the door that would normally lead to the next car, but in this case the door would be locked. That way, even if the train does fill up down the line, you'd still be sort of out of the way and not blocking things.

By the time the train gets to your stop, 34th Street/Penn Station, it will have emptied out enough that you would have no trouble getting off.

If you opt for the LIRR, that could be more interesting, but again head for the front or rear of the train as that tends to be the least crowded.

Joel said:

AlanB said:

Joel said:

I've read something that said that Amtrak Station will be just near MIA airport, where the Metrorail station is now, is that true?

Click to expand...

Yes, that is true, Amtrak is supposed to move their station to the Airport. Sadly it won't happen in time for your trip as it's expected to open in 2013.

Click to expand...

That would be an excellent point for me to start my trips. I bet that it will be the easiest airport-to-Amtrak connection, only EWR and BWI have it that easy, right?

Click to expand...

Actually the airport in Milwaukee connects as easily as BWI to Amtrak. And while it is a much longer ride, Boston's Logan does have a one seat bus ride between the Airport and Amtrak. Mind you the bus makes many other stops along the way; unlike the buses at BWI and MKA and their respective airports.

Be sure to sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards Card. You might not have enought points to help with your second trip, but with all the trips your going on it will help with your (not yet planned) third trip. Be advise you need to read the small print. Points expire after three years of inactive.

Have fun, be safe.

If you have significant luggage, you will be much better off taking a taxi from Miami Airport to Amtrak Station than doing the gymnastics necessary to use public transit. It does not work out to be all that expensive either since the airport is not really that far from the train station, and also works out to be much faster usually. Just keep that in mind as an option.

Just-Thinking-51 said:

Be sure to sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards Card. You might not have enought points to help with your second trip, but with all the trips your going on it will help with your (not yet planned) third trip. Be advise you need to read the small print. Points expire after three years of inactive.

Have fun, be safe.

Click to expand...

I wanted to sign up for AGR recently, but I couldn't register. I sent an e-mail to AGR customer service and they replied that "AGR registration sadly is only open to citizens of the US and Canada, or those who at least have an adress in those territories." I have no address there, don't have any friend/relative living in that part of the world. So sadly I won't be able to earn points in my trips (and I know that I'd be travelling at least four or five times a year ).

Joel said:

(thought about renting a bike and ride the whole Lakefront Trail, is that doable?

).

Click to expand...

I could give you what I think is the best route from Amtrak's Chicago Union Station to the Lakefront trail. But you will need to rent a bike first; and I believe the closest rental station is at Millennium Park near the Lakefront. Others appear to be near the Navy Pier. I'm sure Chicagoans could give you directions there via public transport.

PM me if you would like more information.

the_traveler said:

Keep in mind the Amtrak refund policy. If the tickets have NOT been printed, you get 100% back in coach!

(You can print them in New York on departure day.) So if the fare by chance goes down, you can then book the lower cost one and then cancel the higher priced one! Sleepers must be cancelled 7 days prior to travel to receive a 100% refund.

Food is not 5 star hotel quality, but it is good. Breakfast and lunch are much less expensive than dinner is - in the dining car. There is also a cafe in board, but the total cost for similar items may cost you more! Beer is indeed served also.

Note also that all meals on the Dining Car are included for both of you if you have a sleeper! (In coach, you must pay.)

And yes, the cars are air conditioned.

Click to expand...

Let me assure that I understood that refund part. Until I "issue" my ticket at the Quik-Trak location in Penn Station (that may happen an hour prior to departure) the coach tickets will be fully refundable? That sounds great to me! Is it possible to cancel through the internet? That would give me some security regarding that I fly standby. How long does it take to get the refund back to the credit card? Or is it possible to get cash back at the ticket counter? (even if you paid with credit card).

Just-Thinking-51 said:

Be sure to sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards Card. You might not have enought points to help with your second trip, but with all the trips your going on it will help with your (not yet planned) third trip. Be advise you need to read the small print. Points expire after three years of inactive.

Have fun, be safe.

Click to expand...

Thought about getting a PO Box in the US, will that be possible?

Joel said:

Thought about getting a PO Box in the US, will that be possible?

Click to expand...

Yes there are several way of get a US address. However several are questional when it comes to the law. Best to stay away from the legal isssues. It's too bad you can't join.

Joel said:

the_traveler said:

Keep in mind the Amtrak refund policy. If the tickets have NOT been printed, you get 100% back in coach!

(You can print them in New York on departure day.) So if the fare by chance goes down, you can then book the lower cost one and then cancel the higher priced one! Sleepers must be cancelled 7 days prior to travel to receive a 100% refund.

Food is not 5 star hotel quality, but it is good. Breakfast and lunch are much less expensive than dinner is - in the dining car. There is also a cafe in board, but the total cost for similar items may cost you more! Beer is indeed served also.

Note also that all meals on the Dining Car are included for both of you if you have a sleeper! (In coach, you must pay.)

And yes, the cars are air conditioned.

Click to expand...

Let me assure that I understood that refund part. Until I "issue" my ticket at the Quik-Trak location in Penn Station (that may happen an hour prior to departure) the coach tickets will be fully refundable? That sounds great to me! Is it possible to cancel through the internet? That would give me some security regarding that I fly standby. How long does it take to get the refund back to the credit card? Or is it possible to get cash back at the ticket counter? (even if you paid with credit card).

Click to expand...

Refunds are made the same way you pay, so if you pay with a credit card your refund will be posted back to that same credit card. Amtrak is usually very prompt about doing this; within 1-2 days at most. You can cancel on the internet as long as you have created an amtrak.com account and are logged in at the time that you reserve your tickets through Amtrak's web site.

Joel said:

Just-Thinking-51 said:

Be sure to sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards Card. You might not have enought points to help with your second trip, but with all the trips your going on it will help with your (not yet planned) third trip. Be advise you need to read the small print. Points expire after three years of inactive.

Have fun, be safe.

Click to expand...

Thought about getting a PO Box in the US, will that be possible?

Click to expand...

My PO box costs me $100 per year. (I do have a larger than minimum size box.) And how would you check it? You could look into mail forwarding services that will give you a US address and forward mail received to Argentina, but I think you would find that after you deduct the costs of such a service your benefits are marginal at best.

Joel said:

I wanted to sign up for AGR recently, but I couldn't register. I sent an e-mail to AGR customer service and they replied that "AGR registration sadly is only open to citizens of the US and Canada, or those who at least have an adress in those territories." I have no address there, don't have any friend/relative living in that part of the world. So sadly I won't be able to earn points in my trips (and I know that I'd be travelling at least four or five times a year.

Click to expand...

&

Joel said:

Thought about getting a PO Box in the US, will that be possible?

Click to expand...

AGR requires 15,000 points for a single zone roomette, and unless I'm mistaken that would require spending around $7,500 on Amtrak tickets at the standard earning rate. Are you planning on spending that much? If not then I probably wouldn't worry about it. I still use AGR myself, but earning AGR points through travel is a mug's game. Half the time my AGR number seems to just go missing from my trips and don't even bother requesting a retroactive credit because the payoff is so miniscule.

ehbowen said:

My PO box costs me $100 per year. (I do have a larger than minimum size box.) And how would you check it? You could look into mail forwarding services that will give you a US address and forward mail received to Argentina, but I think you would find that after you deduct the costs of such a service your benefits are marginal at best.

Click to expand...

Last time I looked into third party mail forwarding it also required a physical US address as part of the sign-up in order to combat fraud and terrorism and whatnot. You could just lie to the USPS I suppose, but legally that's even more questionable than simply lying to AGR. The worst AGR could do is take your points away and ban you from further use. The USPS is a whole other story, at least from a legal perspective. May not matter either way if you never plan to come back to the US again, but if you do it's probably best to just let it go. AGR is not for everyone, at least not in Amtrak's eyes.

Texas Sunset said:

You could just lie to the USPS I suppose, but legally that's even more questionable than simply lying to AGR. The worst AGR could do is take your points away and ban you from further use. The USPS is a whole other story, at least from a legal perspective. May not matter either way if you never plan to come back to the US again, but if you do it's probably best to just let it go. AGR is not for everyone, at least not in Amtrak's eyes.

Click to expand...

Do not even think about the fake address / lying to the postal service. The penalties that are on the books for doing so are very strong, and for we are talking about here relatively easy to enforce. You might find that you would be arrested on arrival and deported never to be allowed to return.

George Harris said:

Texas Sunset said:

You could just lie to the USPS I suppose, but legally that's even more questionable than simply lying to AGR. The worst AGR could do is take your points away and ban you from further use. The USPS is a whole other story, at least from a legal perspective. May not matter either way if you never plan to come back to the US again, but if you do it's probably best to just let it go. AGR is not for everyone, at least not in Amtrak's eyes.

Click to expand...

Do not even think about the fake address / lying to the postal service. The penalties that are on the books for doing so are very strong, and for we are talking about here relatively easy to enforce. You might find that you would be arrested on arrival and deported never to be allowed to return.

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The USPS is often slow to act, but once a crime is suspected they can launch their own internal investigation and/or hand over what they find to any number of other agencies who can launch their own investigations followed by potentially serious charges. There are numerous laws and judgements that give broad powers and severe legal recourse for disruption, tampering, and/or deceptive use of US mail. There was a time when it was legal to employ an anonymous mail forwarding service, but that hasn't been the case for probably a decade or more at this point. My guess is that not much would come from the eventual discovery of a fraudulent forwarding address used exclusively for AGR management purposes, but I still think it's probably best to just let it be and not risk it. At least not until we make some corrections to our government's lack of moral oversight.