Booking now... but canceling later?

[Austruck]

Howdy! Been on a bunch of trips in the past three years. I need to book a RT to Miami (from Pittsburgh) for May, for a vacation. But there's a slight chance we'll need to completely change the dates or cancel entirely.

What's Amtrak's policy on that? I'm a Rewards member (with a Rewards Mastercard too). Would I get Amtrak credit or anything if I had to change or cancel?

 

[TinCan782]

Here is Amtrak's rundown on ticket refunds and cancellations ...
https://www.amtrak.com/refund-and-exchange-policy

 

[Austruck]

Thanks! I'm a little embarrassed that it occurred to me to check HERE first and not actually Amtrak's site.

 

[bratkinson]

If you need to change the reservation, be sure to use the term 'modify' when speaking with an agent. If they give you a run around and talk about cancellation fees, etc, hang up and call back later and get an agent that knows how to modify an existing reservation without cancellation fees. However, note that you will pay whatever the then-current prices are for your trip on that day. They will likely be higher than you paid, but could be unchanged or even lower in some cases and you get a refund (voucher) for the difference.

Note that cancellation charges can be a bit steep, especially for sleepers. So if it looks like you need to cancel, it might be better to simply reschedule for sometime when you think you could make the trip...like September, or something like that. You can always modify that reservation later when things firm up.