`Can I re-bill an Amtrak Reservation to my new Amtrak GR Mastercard?

[ThriftyWanderer]

Greetings! I applied online, and was approved for a Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard (on 5/18/2016). I need to book some Amtrak travel on the Coast Starlight soon, for a departure on 5/31/2016.

Because the new Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard has not yet arrived by mail, i cannot book the Amtrak travel with that card at this time. I called two different Amtrak GR Reps today, and got two different answers to this question:

If I book my Amtrak travel now, using a non-Amtrak credit card, can I change the billing to the new Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard, once this new card is in my wallet?

One AMtrak Rep stated no, we cannot change the billing credit card on a paid reservation. The second Rep told me that it is possible to change the credit card billing to the Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard, once we know the account number, expiration date, and security code.

I would prefer to book these upcoming travel plans soon, and not wait a week or more for the new Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard to arrive by mail, if I can be confident that Amtrak will re-bill the trip, when I call them with the new Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard info.

Does anyone know the answer to my question?

Using the new Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard for this trip will net extra bonus points on the cash portion of the itinerary, and also points for booking the award portion of the trip - a significant amount for round-trip sleeper accommodations aboard the Coast Starlight.

Thanks in advance for any useful advice!

 

[the_traveler]

The credit card is charged immediately when you book your travel. The only way to change your credit card is to cancel and rebook using your new card. However, there are 2 problems with that.

#1) You will be charged a 10% penalty for the refund to the original credit card. #2) There is a chance that the fare has risen between when you had originally made your reservation and when you rebook. The new charge will be the then current fare.

 

[thriftywanderer]

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated!

I guess that I will have to wait until the new Amtrak Mastercard arrives.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Maybe call BoA and ask them if they can provide you with the #, exp date & code?

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Simplest solution is to CALL Amtrak by phone. Make and have the reservation put on hold. Amtrak will do this for "called" in reservation and hold the reservation a week to ten days or so. This should give you plenty of time to receive and activate the AGR credit card.

 

[pennyk]

Simplest solution is to CALL Amtrak by phone. Make and have the reservation put on hold. Amtrak will do this for "called" in reservation and hold the reservation a week to ten days or so. This should give you plenty of time to receive and activate the AGR credit card.

With upcoming travel in the near future, they often only hold about 3 days. The most I have seen is for a week.

 

[thriftywanderer]

Thanks so much to everyone! I did call B of A, and they could tell me the new CC# and Expiration date, but not the security code.

I also called Amtrak, and they said they could not use the new CC number, unless I also had the security code.

I will call Amtrak back, and see if they can hold the reservations - that was not an option that any Amtrak Rep told me about.

Happy travels to you all!

 

[thriftyWanderer]

Simplest solution is to CALL Amtrak by phone. Make and have the reservation put on hold. Amtrak will do this for "called" in reservation and hold the reservation a week to ten days or so. This should give you plenty of time to receive and activate the AGR credit card.

With upcoming travel in the near future, they often only hold about 3 days. The most I have seen is for a week.

Update: Thanks to the advice from all of you Amtrak Savvy travelers, I again called Amtrak, and this time, asked if we can "hold" the reservation. The rep was able to hold the "cash reservation" for 3 days, so I have until Midnight Monday 5/23/2016 - probably not enough time to receive my new AMtrak credit card. The AMtrak Rep was not able to hold the awards reservation, and we decided it was a good idea to book this 6/1/2016 departure now.

I will write to Amtrak Guest Rewards, and try to make a case for the bonus points, because, on Amtrak's own website, it states that you can apply for the Amtrak Mastercard online, and start earning rewards today! I applied online and was approved 5/18/2016. I think that Amtrak should honor the statements made in their advertising. Wish me luck?

Really looking forward to this upcoming journey on the Coast Starlight!

 

[Kami]

You've probably already booked, and maybe others know this... When I was booking my current trip, I had amtrak's site open and was looking right at the seats I wanted, but I decided to call to reserve. The woman on the phone had a heck of a time trying to find the low bucket fare I had found, until we realized I had to back out of amtrak's site. The site was reserving my bucket fare for me while the search page was open on my side, and while it was doing that, she couldn't bring it up on her end! Once I closed it, it popped right up for her.

Also, congrats! I haven't had the pleasure yet, but I hear the starlight and its PPC are wonderful! Come back and tell us all about it! I'd love to hear your thoughts, I'll be riding it later in June

 

[ThriftyWanderer]

You've probably already booked, and maybe others know this... When I was booking my current trip, I had amtrak's site open and was looking right at the seats I wanted, but I decided to call to reserve. The woman on the phone had a heck of a time trying to find the low bucket fare I had found, until we realized I had to back out of amtrak's site. The site was reserving my bucket fare for me while the search page was open on my side, and while it was doing that, she couldn't bring it up on her end! Once I closed it, it popped right up for her.

Also, congrats! I haven't had the pleasure yet, but I hear the starlight and its PPC are wonderful! Come back and tell us all about it! I'd love to hear your thoughts, I'll be riding it later in June

I will come back here with a trip report when we return in mid-June