Select Executive?

[VentureForth]

I've heard of Select and Select +, but I just saw Select E on the website. Who all here (other than the_traveller) qualifies?

I only have 19,722 more TQP needed to qualify!

 

[Acela150]

Dave uses points to travel. How else do you think the Penthouse is paid for?

 

[the_traveler]

Me PPPPPPPAAAAAAYYYYY to travel on Amtrak?

Now I can't even rite korect!

 

[VentureForth]

You gotta spend nearly $10,000 on Amtrak travel in a single year to qualify. OR - take a BUNCH of really short cheap trips. I guess that's only 200 trips under $50 - so if you commuted between Windsor Locks, CT and Springfield, MA for $5.50, you could "buy" Select Executive status for a mere $1100 and it would only take 100 round trip days.

Sigh. Maybe if I retire, I can take daily trips to Yemassee from Savannah for $28 per round trip and earn my Select Executive in the same 100 days, but pay $2800 for it. WAH!

Once you get Select E, do ALL your accrued points become TQP? So once you get it, then using your AGR MC could keep you on Select Executive for perpetuity?

 

[PRR 60]

...Once you get Select E, do ALL your accrued points become TQP? So once you get it, then using your AGR MC could keep you on Select Executive for perpetuity?

No. Only rail points, and the rare TQP promotions, would count toward the next year's status.

 

[VentureForth]

So what does this mean:

•100% tier point bonus on Amtrak® travel

You get a minimum of 200 TQP on every trip?

 

[Acela150]

So what does this mean:

•100% tier point bonus on Amtrak® travel

You get a minimum of 200 TQP on every trip?

No. You get 100 TQP points and 100 Bonus points. With Select you get a 25% bonus, Select + a 50% bonus.

 

[Misty.]

You gotta spend nearly $10,000 on Amtrak travel in a single year to qualify. OR - take a BUNCH of really short cheap trips. I guess that's only 200 trips under $50 - so if you commuted between Windsor Locks, CT and Springfield, MA for $5.50, you could "buy" Select Executive status for a mere $1100 and it would only take 100 round trip days.
Sigh. Maybe if I retire, I can take daily trips to Yemassee from Savannah for $28 per round trip and earn my Select Executive in the same 100 days, but pay $2800 for it. WAH!

Once you get Select E, do ALL your accrued points become TQP? So once you get it, then using your AGR MC could keep you on Select Executive for perpetuity?

Or be really patient with the downtime and make a lot of STL-ALN round trips - $600 can get me to SE if I want to push that hard.

 

[Afsheen]

I've heard of Select and Select +, but I just saw Select E on the website. Who all here (other than the_traveller) qualifies?

In my experience, it's mainly people who are frequent Acela riders between BOS-NYP/NYP-WAS or NEC monthly pass holders (a year of NYP-PHL or WIL-WAS, to name two common commuting pairs, gets you enough points to hit SE and then some). I see a lot of familiar faces going NYP-PHL, both in ClubAcela and on the AM/PM trains.

 

[lennyj17]

Not all are Monthly Pass Holders....You just have to be a frequent commuter throughout the year.....I'm a PHL/NYP commuter who does nothing but book 14-day advance fare for 3-4 days a week commuting and I've made SE for 2013 with ~24K TQP at the end of 2012.

I'm now hearing whispers that starting in 2014 you will need SE to get into the Acela Lounges, and that S+ people are going to get the shaft....I think it's F'D up if that's true.

 

[rrdude]

Not all are Monthly Pass Holders....You just have to be a frequent commuter throughout the year.....I'm a PHL/NYP commuter who does nothing but book 14-day advance fare for 3-4 days a week commuting and I've made SE for 2013 with ~24K TQP at the end of 2012.
I'm now hearing whispers that starting in 2014 you will need SE to get into the Acela Lounges, and that S+ people are going to get the shaft....I think it's F'D up if that's true.

Although I would get hosed, that makes sense to me. So if implemented, to get into CA/Metropolitan Clubs, it'd be. 1) SE. 2) Sleeper tix. 3) Acela 1st. 3-A) Upgrade Pass or similar.

 

[PRR 60]

Not all are Monthly Pass Holders....You just have to be a frequent commuter throughout the year.....I'm a PHL/NYP commuter who does nothing but book 14-day advance fare for 3-4 days a week commuting and I've made SE for 2013 with ~24K TQP at the end of 2012.
I'm now hearing whispers that starting in 2014 you will need SE to get into the Acela Lounges, and that S+ people are going to get the shaft....I think it's F'D up if that's true.

Although I would get hosed, that makes sense to me. So if implemented, to get into CA/Metropolitan Clubs, it'd be. 1) SE. 2) Sleeper tix. 3) Acela 1st. 3-A) Upgrade Pass or similar.

Also members of United Club can get in the Club Acela's.

A United Club membership is a backdoor way to buy a Club Acela lounge membership. Now, whether Club Acela access alone is worth the $500 annual fee is debatable, but for someone who also uses United or other Star Alliance carriers regularly in addition to Amtrak NEC travel, then the Club Acela access would be a nice additional perk

 

[BCL]

I could manage to do it for $600, but it would require a lot of time. OAC-OKJ-EMY-BRK-RIC would be $12 priced as a multi-city ride, and parking is free at OAC (if the lot doesn't fill). So that would be $12x50. Maybe $540 with a AAA discount. What makes this especially suitable for points runs is that one could make the return trip on BART for $3.15.

The biggest obtacle to being successful with this is that often the conductors won't find the passenger on time.

 

[VentureForth]

Neat ideas on how to earn SE. But is there any real benefit to being select or higher outside of the NEC?

 

[BCL]

Neat ideas on how to earn SE. But is there any real benefit to being select or higher outside of the NEC?

100% points bonus. Select gets 25% and Select Plus gets 50%. All promotions (like double points) are automatically registered. Transfer points are unlimited and one is allowed to buy as many points as desired.

 

[AlanB]

Neat ideas on how to earn SE. But is there any real benefit to being select or higher outside of the NEC?

100% points bonus. Select gets 25% and Select Plus gets 50%. All promotions (like double points) are automatically registered. Transfer points are unlimited and one is allowed to buy as many points as desired.

For those who participated and qualified in the 3 for 1 Acela promo back in the Winter, everyone except for SE members got a free BC ticket on Acela. SE members got a free FC seat on Acela.

 

[AlanB]

I'm now hearing whispers that starting in 2014 you will need SE to get into the Acela Lounges, and that S+ people are going to get the shaft....I think it's F'D up if that's true.

Stop listening to those whispers, because my sources say that it is not true. And AGR would have thousands of angry members on their hands if they did try it. And considering that some lounges are now granting access to BC passengers, it would make absolutely no sense to disenfranchise some of Amtrak's best customers.

However you don't have to take my word for it, you could also go over to Flyertalk and ask AGR management directly. I'm pretty sure that AGR Insider, who is and has always been a top level person at AGR, will respond.