Amtrak Guest Rewards Questions

[jamesontheroad]

To be honest, if I really cared deep down about Amtrak's future, I should just pay full fare every time and not be so tight about saving money on hot deals or redeeming points for free travel. However, needs must, so your help and knowledge would be appreciated with these two questions.

1) When I booked my North America RailPass (for travel in April/May) the agent took my guest rewards number... can points really be accrued on the purchase of this pass, which in this instance (2 points per dollar) = 976 points? If so, that's neat...

2) Amtrak Guest Rewards sent me the regular email update with this offer:

Book online and travel now through March 31, 2006 and receive 500 bonus points for your first trip and 250 bonus points for each additional trip. Just register using promotion code 21506, and your points will be automatically deposited with your travel. Offer limited to member and member number addressed in this communication. Terms and Conditions may apply.

... so I guess the last sentence is important. Does the bonus apply to tickets booked through the 'Hot Deals' page, and in fact are any points earned on 'Hot Deals' tickets?

To specify... I'm thinking of booking MTR-WAS return as a normal fare, and then WAS-ATL as a hot deal fare ($53.10 each way). Would that mean 500 bonus points for the first leg and 250 bonus points for the hot deal? Since they wouldn't be able to booked together they would technically be two separate trips.

Thanks for all the info.

James :blink:

Montréal, QC

PS... can anyone send us some spare snow...... all ours has melted

 

[MrFSS]

PS... can anyone send us some spare snow...... all ours has melted

70 degrees + in Central Kentucky today. We don't have any.

 

[AlanB]

PS... can anyone send us some spare snow...... all ours has melted

Sadly all of ours here in NY City is pretty much gone too. However, less than 2 weeks ago I was in Timmins, Ontario and they had plenty to spare. :lol:

It's been a warm winter in Canada this year I understand. They actually had to close the canal in Ottawa to skating for a while in February, it had gotten so warm. :blink:

 

[AmtrakFan]

We don't have any spare snow but maybe CA can lend us some.

 

[sechs]

There won't be much around here, but you're welcome to all of it.

Not missing the snow in Pennsylvania....

 

[GG-1]

PS... can anyone send us some spare snow...... all ours has melted  

Aloha

All ours is above 25thousand feet on the other island. :lol:

 

[jamesontheroad]

Just to provide the information I omitted in the original post, here's how this trip could break down:

MTR - NYP (Adirondack)

NYP - WAS (Regional) = $74.80 (ISIC)

WAS - ATL (Crescent) = $53.10 (weekly special)

ATL - WAS (Crescent) = $53.10 (weekly special)

WAS - NYP (Regional)

NYP - MTR (Adirondack) = $74.80 (ISIC)

= round trip MTR-ATL for $255.80, or very roughly 10¢ / mile (thanks to MileTrak!)

I'd prefer to stay on the Crescent through to NYP, and overnight there rather than WAS before heading north, because it would mean an extra city and a later morning lie-in. However from what I can see the Crescent can't be booked WAS-NYP, which is what I would want to do to dove tail with the weekly special that's only available from ATL-WAS.

Comments, suggestions, and any news on the original Guest Rewards questions appreciated.

Thanks!

*j* :blink:

 

[The Metropolitan]

To answer one of your questions, yes you do get full credit for Hot Deals tix, and it does qualify for your 500 point bonus. Enrolled in AGR recently, with my first trip an hour long jaunt on the Cardinal from Washington to Manassas a little over a week ago. Ticket price was just $7.20 from a "Hot Deal" :unsure:

My AGR screen shows 100 points for the Hot Deals ticket, and the 500 point enrollment bonus, as well as the initial 250 points, bringing me up to 850 for just this little trip. If only the rest of the points were as easy to accrue!

 

[The Metropolitan]

May have found another hiccup in the Guest Rewards system.

On my recent trip from Baltimore to Pittsburgh via Philly, I booked it as a Multi-City trip instead of a simple One Way, as I wanted to extend my layover time in Philly to 4.5 hours in order to explore Philly for a bit before moving on. Despite the extended layover, the booking price was exactly the same as a "continuous" trip - $42.00.

Went to check my AGR account just now, and come to find that they credited me with 200 points for this trip, 100 for each leg!

Is this a hiccup, or would they have given me 200 points if I had simply booked it as a continuous one-way trip with the already forced change of trains at 30th St?

 

[Trogdor]

Each ticket coupon you submit carries a minimum credit of 100 points (provided that the ticket wasn't free). So, if you rode from San Francisco to Sacramento via Emeryville (bus SFC-EMY, train EMY-SAC), you'd get 200 points since your trip included two ticket coupons. Doesn't matter how you booked it.