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RCBev

RCBev

Train Attendant
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Messages
35
Location
South East
I know it is "standard" practice in travel to book "14 days" in advance. Is this generally the same with Amtrak price wise?? This Friday is the cut-off day for me for travel 1st week of June thus trying to save for $$. I currently pull up a $481 RT on coach for myself and son to DC from Birmingham (with discounts). I would LOVE to get it below $400. Should I risk it? Better on-line price or try calling for reservations? Yea, nickel and dime'ing it BUT I LOVE trying for the best price! Suggestions??

THANKS!! :p
 
Agreed. The "buckets" are priced to sell the low bucket first and that is why you will see a variety of prices on different days on amsnag.net. Also keep in mind, if someone cancels a reservation that day's ticket could drop back to a lower bucket. There is no "advance purchase" requirement; you may get a low bucket on the day you travel. The only exception is that for some discount plans like AAA, Amtrak does require a 3-day advance purchase.
 
Thanks!! I check Amsnag daily since I began planning this trip a couple of weeks ago. Would love to get a roomette at the price that is listed but the days doesn't fit into our travel schedule. I've also read that if you check on a Thursday or Friday and that sometimes people will cancel and prices could drop too. Need to get a "bucket" but we are riding on the Cresent which is a popular route. It was nice that Amtrak had the 25% discount for travel early this year. Travelled from Missouri to San Antonio for $182 RT .. cheap than gas!! LOVED it!! Guess I will decide Thursday or Friday based on what Amsnag lists.
 
You can book and then keep checking Amsnag. If you find a lower price, you can call and have them MODIFY (not cancel) your reservation with the new price. If the agent seems to be clueless how to do this, ask for a supervisor or decline and call back later to get a different agent.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
You can book and then keep checking Amsnag. If you find a lower price, you can call and have them MODIFY (not cancel) your reservation with the new price. If the agent seems to be clueless how to do this, ask for a supervisor or decline and call back later to get a different agent.
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Thanks for the tip!! Just found something "strange" when I did a dummy reservation. I have a Veterans Advantage card, I can apply the discount to the LD part of the trip which is great. BUT if I apply the discount on the NE regional from Williamsburg VA to WAS I get changed $10 more verses just the adult selection. I know the cheaper fare is that bucket, but why didn't they apply the 15% discount to the bucket fare?? Or does Amtrak even do that??
 
You're getting the 25% discount (assuming this is 14 days out) w/o the Veterens Advantage card. If you use the card's discount, it will go against the low, non-discounted fare.

I usually book NEC more than 14 days out, so I don't use my disability discount or AAA discount.
 
UGH!! Just checked AmSnag for low bucket's and the fare went UP $38 dollars. :( .. What does this mean?? That seats are "limited"???
 
Yes the seats are limited and apparently the low bucket seats are sold out. You can keep checking Amsnag and hope that someone cancels. But June starts the summer travel season when many trains will out.
 
rusty spike said:
Yes the seats are limited and apparently the low bucket seats are sold out. You can keep checking Amsnag and hope that someone cancels. But June starts the summer travel season when many trains will out.
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Thanks!!! I will keep checking today and tomorrow. I was not in the position to book yesterday. Might have to just bite the bullet and pay the higher fare. *sigh* :(
 
OP, another aspect to consider is that sometimes last minute price reductions to sleeping accommodations can occur and then the subsequent rail fare is discounted to lowest bucket. I noted this for a departure tomorrow including the SWC where the family bedrooms are discounted to 565.00, which is nearly 300 less than the roomette, and selecting that option discounts the rail fare from 353 back to 191, making the whole fare, including family bedroom, less than the cost of the roomette. Also, as another poster mentioned, indeed the booking engine removes my AAA discount, due to the limitation on booking timings with that discount.

Over all, though, crap shoot. Depends on your risk tolerance and how firm your travel plans must be. Good luck!
 
camachinist said:
OP, another aspect to consider is that sometimes last minute price reductions to sleeping accommodations can occur and then the subsequent rail fare is discounted to lowest bucket. I noted this for a departure tomorrow including the SWC where the family bedrooms are discounted to 565.00, which is nearly 300 less than the roomette, and selecting that option discounts the rail fare from 353 back to 191, making the whole fare, including family bedroom, less than the cost of the roomette. Also, as another poster mentioned, indeed the booking engine removes my AAA discount, due to the limitation on booking timings with that discount.

Over all, though, crap shoot. Depends on your risk tolerance and how firm your travel plans must be. Good luck!
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Yes .. it is a crap shoot. Looks like I can get the low bucket on the way back which offsets the higher cost going north somewhat. Also going to have to book the "jog" from Williamsburg VA back to WAS Union Station seperately to get the 14 day advanced purchase discount on the NEC. Has anyone used the military discount before? My daughter might come with us on this trip and she is soon to go Active Duty (just commissioned and waiting for orders) and she does have an ID.
 
Except for the "saver fares" that require 14 days in advance for the lowest fare, on Amtrak there is no such thing as "14 days out give the lowest fare" like on airlines. All fares depend on how many tickets are sold for that specific train. If the train has very few tickets sold, it's possible that today's train in 3 hours has a lower fare than a train in 4 months!
 
Just wanted to let everyone know I was able to snag the last "bucket" ticket going northbound!! Yea!! Had to call and make reservations because the on-line ticket purchasing on website kept giving me the regular price. I noticed the price drop on AmSnag this morning and verified it with "Julie". One. Happy. Camper!! Love me some discounts!! :p
 
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