must I print out e-ticket or can I use my phone?

[SandraW]

must I print out e-ticket or can I use my phone?

my phone has a 5.5 inch screen(Galaxy Note 2) and it displays the PDF just fine

I've always used it to board planes on airlines that offer it.

The station I'm boarding from is not staffed, according to the Amtrak website.

 

[SubwayNut]

You can definitely use your phone and display the Amtrak PDF. I've done it on my iPhone, although now with the Amtrak app I normally just flash that instead.

 

[SandraW]

You can definitely use your phone and display the Amtrak PDF. I've done it on my iPhone, although now with the Amtrak app I normally just flash that instead.

does the conductor scan the e-ticket QR code?

thanks!

 

[BCL]

You can definitely use your phone and display the Amtrak PDF. I've done it on my iPhone, although now with the Amtrak app I normally just flash that instead.

does the conductor scan the e-ticket QR code?

thanks!

Yes. And there can be issues with readability of the image, brightness, etc. The other issue I have (iPhone 4S) is that sometimes I don't have the app up and it can take almost forever to start it up. I've had cases where it locked up and eventually asked to restart. When it restarts, it might also log me off such that I have to log in again to pull up the reservation and eTicket. Also - the Amtrak app will refuse to come up if you don't have active internet access.

If I'm going to use my phone, I'll typically have my eTicket sent to the iOS Passbook application. That always comes up quickly and I can even turn off my internet access and the eTicket is available stored on my phone. Doesn't work in your case, but I thought I'd put it out there.

One thing you might try as a backup is to save your PDF eTicket (sent to your email address as an attachment) to your phone's storage. I have various means to save files for PDF reading apps. The QR code there is identical to the one that the Amtrak app brings up. You might need to zoom in on the code though.

 

[zephyr17]

As pointed out, you can use a phone, but if you have access to a printer, I'd bring a printed copy just in case it can't be scanned from the phone for some reason.

However, if all else fails, the conductor can look you up by name on the manifest now and "lift" your eTicket that way.

As an aside, I found out that apparently the QR codes on the PDFs are easier to scan then the bar codes on the Amtrak-issued "travel document". I know that the conductor had trouble scanning mine on the Hoosier State last December, and just looked me up by name rather than continue to fool around with it. The folks with printouts with QR codes had no problem.

BTW-the reason I didn't have a printout was that I purchased the ticket before the changeover to eTicket, but hadn't had the tickets printed, my standard practice when there was a long period between purchase and travel. The conversion changed all existing unticketed paid reservations to eTickets, but they never sent me the PDF, so I had an agent print me the travel doc/boarding pass.

 

[Texan Eagle]

You can definitely use your phone and display the Amtrak PDF. I've done it on my iPhone, although now with the Amtrak app I normally just flash that instead.

does the conductor scan the e-ticket QR code?

thanks!

Yes. And there can be issues with readability of the image, brightness, etc. The other issue I have (iPhone 4S) is that sometimes I don't have the app up and it can take almost forever to start it up. I've had cases where it locked up and eventually asked to restart. When it restarts, it might also log me off such that I have to log in again to pull up the reservation and eTicket. Also - the Amtrak app will refuse to come up if you don't have active internet access.

I have found a creative solution to this, thanks to a "life hacks" thread I read somewhere- when you have good internet access, open the Amtrak app and once your ticket with QR code shows up on screen, take a screenshot of your screen! Now that screenshot is saved in your phone as an image file and you can quickly open that up and show it instead of showing from the actual Amtrak app. You don't need internet access, or not even basic cellphone signal.. all you need is battery in the phone

 

[chakk]

nice workaround to those situation with no internet access! On my most recent trip, I observed the conductor scan another passenger's QR code on the passenger's smart phone screen. The conductor did ask the passenger to enlarge the code (using the two finger movement) on the screen so his reader would work better.

 

[BCL]

I frankly wouldn't rely on any phone. Unless I just purchased the ticket recently via the app (and don't have a means to print), I will always print out a copy or at least go to a QT kiosk to print up an eTicket on Amtrak ticket stock. I've had cases where my battery died on me, including times where the battery precipitously went from a few percent to ready to shut down immediately.

Also - there are multiple versions of tickets. The QR code on the email attachments are identical to the phone app. The Quik-Trak kiosks print in a PDF417 code. The Apple iOS Passbook app version is a shorter PDF417 code with less info (but enough). The eTickets printed a Amtrak ticket windows is a 1D barcode representing the ticket number. Amtrak certainly isn't consistent.

 

[BCL]

nice workaround to those situation with no internet access! On my most recent trip, I observed the conductor scan another passenger's QR code on the passenger's smart phone screen. The conductor did ask the passenger to enlarge the code (using the two finger movement) on the screen so his reader would work better.

That wouldn't work with the Amtrak iOS app. The size of the QR code is fixed, but it's generally pretty big. Even on my iPhone 4S it's always about an inch wide.

I'm guessing this guy had the email attachment saved and up in some sort of PDF viewer.

 

[TinCan782]

I save the PDF attached to the email as a backup to the "app". My Android app only works properly when I have a Wi-Fi connection. For some reason, I cant bring up train status, etc. although, I can go to m.amtrak.com with the browser and it works just fine via a 3G/4G wireless connection. I've discovered quite often that Wi-Fi on the Pacific Surfliner is terrible for internet access and usually shut off the Wi-Fi on my phone. Last weekend at LA Union Station that happened about the same time the conductor came by! And yes, I have a "hard copy" in my camera bag J.I.C.

 

[SubwayNut]

If worse comes to worse, especially because your boarding from an unstaffed station and your phone is having issues or dead the conductor can always simply ask your name or for ID and 'scan' your ticket by simply typing your name into his/her's iPhone and mark you as boarded. Getting on in Denver once the conductor was having issues with his reader and typing everyone's name in.

You won't be denied boarding (at a staffed station with gate ushers, New York-Penn Station, I've seen the ushers deny a women boarding who had changed her reservation but was truthfully told she didn't need to print out a new ticket, the issue is the gate ushers don't have scanners and need something to verify visually, they stupidly didn't at least tell her to scan a current ticket at a Quik Track machine to verify things, there was a cop even standing by)

 

[BCL]

If worse comes to worse, especially because your boarding from an unstaffed station and your phone is having issues or dead the conductor can always simply ask your name or for ID and 'scan' your ticket by simply typing your name into his/her's iPhone and mark you as boarded. Getting on in Denver once the conductor was having issues with his reader and typing everyone's name in.
You won't be denied boarding (at a staffed station with gate ushers, New York-Penn Station, I've seen the ushers tell a women that she had changed her reservation but was truthfully told she didn't need to print out a new ticket, the issue is the gate ushers don't have scanners and need something to verify visually)

You'd think they would have passenger manifests, although it's possible to reserve last minute. At a place like NYP with solid WiFi you'd think they could use iPads or something similar for a real-time updated passenger list.