Best Bang for your points

[saxman]

I figure I would start a thread on deciding the best and longest trips you can take for the least amount of points. I never knew about the Slidell to LAX trick so thats a huge advantage I'm going to take I think. What else can you use that loophole for? Dallas to Minot or Minneapolis?

Also what are the best 1 zone, 2 zone and 3 zone trips to take. I have over 60 thousand points and was hoping to make a 50,000 point trip in a bedroom from Miami to the west coast. I haven't done much Florida trips, so that why I want to start in Florida. But now that I know about this Slidell trick, that sounds more appealing.

 

[The Metropolitan]

I've seen awards on some forums where people claim a benefit of over 10¢ per point. Not bad considering you can buy them for less than 3¢ a point!

It's not a "Loophole" trip by any means, but for my first major cash in, I was looking at a 2 nighter from Denver (eastern boundary of the Western Zone) to Portland (with a friend) via the CZ and CS in Roomette, which came in at 5.5¢ per point in value!

Then it dawned on me that I could book the Bedroom reward for only 5000 more points (as I'd never ridden Bedroom before) and the cash in benefit on this "basic" reward jumped to 7.0¢ per point for the date I was looking at!

Yeap, there is the Slidell Loophole that I once pondered as a way to get a transcon trip (SEA-WAS) out of a 2 zone reward, forfeitting the Crescent trip entirely in the process, but with my conscience, I'd feel bad thinking that my "non-trip" on the oft sold out Crescent would have bumped someone off that train that really needed it.

I'd imagine there are a few other similar semi-loopholes as well. (For example, is DETroit-MIAmi a 1 zone reward???) Wolf Point to El Paso looks like a single zone but due to the misconnects at CHI and LAX, apparently is not bookable in a single itinerary.

Oddly, ABQ-SEA via 5-14 is an OK itinerary while LAX-WPT via 14-bus-8 is OK too. So why isn't ABQ-WPT via 5-14-bus-8?? That would be a great reward for one zone!!!

For those who could use it, a BOS-NPN on the 3000 point Northeast Coach Reward offers a 6¢ value per point.

 

[Ispolkom]

Also what are the best 1 zone, 2 zone and 3 zone trips to take. I have over 60 thousand points and was hoping to make a 50,000 point trip in a bedroom from Miami to the west coast. I haven't done much Florida trips, so that why I want to start in Florida. But now that I know about this Slidell trick, that sounds more appealing.

Minot-Chicago-Charlottesville-New Orleans comes up as a valid 1-zone trip. You could start at Wolf Point, but the charms of that town are lost even on this High Plains drifter.

 

[the_traveler]

Not to brag :lol: but my BHM-(PDX)-LAX loophole trip yields a $/point ratio of 12.1¢/point for a bedroom (30,000 points)! I could have done better going from SDL - but that would also mean staying overnight and paying for it. A BHM connection can be done the same day between #19 and #20 (with ~3 hours connect).

 

[MrFSS]

These ideas are all well and good and very interesting, but most of us will have the problem of getting to the start point and then getting back home from the end point. Shouldn't that cost be factored in??

 

[the_traveler]

These ideas are all well and good and very interesting, but most of us will have the problem of getting to the start point and then getting back home from the end point. Shouldn't that cost be factored in??

Yes it should!

Here's an idea for saxman66 - who has "over 60000 points" and who's profile states New York. (Also assumes it is for 1 person who doesn't mind coach for 1 night):

• NYP-ATL - coach award for 5500 points
  
• ATL-BHM - paid ticket ($27.90 including 10% discount)
  
• BHM-(PDX)-LAX - 2 zone award bedroom award for 30000 points
  
• LAX-BHM - 2 zone award roomette award for 20000 points
  
• BHM-ATL - paid ticket ($27.90 including 10% discount)
  
• ATL-NYP coach award for 5500 points
  

Total cost = 61,000 points plus $55.80 (and earning 200 more points )! Or if you wanted roomettes both ways (BHM-LAX-BHM), it would be 51,000 points plus $55.80!

And if you wanted to start/end in Florida, just substitute (FL)-ATL for the 1st and last trip. It can be done as a 1 zone award!

 

[Ispolkom]

These ideas are all well and good and very interesting, but most of us will have the problem of getting to the start point and then getting back home from the end point. Shouldn't that cost be factored in??

Of course it should, but please, MrFSS, let me revel in the first time it has *ever* seemed advantageous to travel via my home town, Minot, No. Dak.

 

[MrFSS]

These ideas are all well and good and very interesting, but most of us will have the problem of getting to the start point and then getting back home from the end point. Shouldn't that cost be factored in??

Of course it should, but please, MrFSS, let me revel in the first time it has *ever* seemed advantageous to travel via my home town, Minot, No. Dak.

Oh = I'm on your side, and envious, as I don't live anywhere near an Amrak station. :angry:

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Compared to the airline frequent flier programs, AGR is about the best deal going as you can be to a reward level in no time, especially if you use the AGR card, and redeeming doesn't seem to be a problem. I have been hung up with Delta miles I cannot use because every time I try to redeem, no seats are available. And now the airlines want to start charging additional "vigorish" to redeem those almost worthless miles.

 

[the_traveler]

I totally agree! I have over 600K frequent flier miles, including over 200K with both Delta and United. Since they are so hard to redeem, I have given up my credit cards with them and gone with the AGR card. Besides no annual fee, AGR is so much easier to get an award! (If there is space - even the last room or seat on the train - you can redeem for an award ticket - and for the same level!) B)

 

[RailFanLNK]

Mine wasn't so much of a loophole, but to get the best bang for our non-buck as possible. We cashed in 80,000 points to go from KCY (it should have been LNK but due to flooding in IA we had to start our trip out in KC) to NYP via the SWC and LSL. We had two roomettes for the four of us. From NYP we paid $248 for four of us to go one way to WAS. We briefly toyed with taking Megabus from NYC-WAS since we could have booked the earliest bus from NYP for $8.50 total for the four of us. From there, we booked the CL back to CHI and the CZ back to LNK all of this trip other than the Carolinian was with two roomettes for the four of us. We figured we saved about $2000+ and it made all the hassle and effort of using the AGR card(s) and the troubles with the online mall seem worth it. I say "card(s)" because its definately to our advantage with Brenda having the AGR card and I. We can than book one way with my points and the return trip with hers. Our next "big gig" may be going from LNK-SEA via the CZ and CS, then take the EB from SEA to CHI and than the CZ to LNK. We are trying to make this trip a "bedroom" trip in 2010 when the Huskers play the Huskies in Seattle.

 

[saxman]

Lets assume that getting to the starting and end points of the journey is a non-issue. I really call Fort Worth area my hometown so I can leave from there too. I was thinking Fort Worth to Wisconsin Dells via SPI, Galesburg, EMY and PDX. Or they would route me to LAX, and up to PDX on the San Juaquins.

 

[Railroad Bill]

We just finished booking a two zone roomette from Toledo, Oh to Sacramento via Chicago (CL) then on the Texas Eagle via San Antonio to LA. , then bus to Bakersfield, San Joaquins to Sacramento.

Took a while to get the agent to send me along this route and avoid the SWC and CZ routes that showed up on the screen. She was very nice and PATIENT and made it all work.

(yes we could have also gone from LA to SAC via Coast Starlight, but we took CSL twice this year and wanted a different ride)

This trip came out to be over 6 cents per point which I thought was pretty good investment since most of our points come from the AGR MC.

I want to do the Slidell thing, but wife says that is too long on a train at one time-- probably my back might say the same thing

New Orleans Here We Come!! CONO in October.