Unsure about Guest Rewards

[warrencbennett]

I've read up a little on this and have signed up for the site. After I did, I got the email saying it is going to change next year. Yet, I'm still unsure about the current program.

Basically I'm taking a trip from Arizona to New York. A friend bought me the ticket so can I add that ticket to my Amtrak/Guest rewards account? And does it...like...count miles or money spent? The ticket wasn't expensive but I'll be riding the train for 2500 miles or something.

And is there any details on what the new program will be? I also saw there is a double miles or something coming up soon. I'll be riding the train in the middle of that in Nov, so will that count towards my trip?

Thank you for your time I have ridden Amtrak twice in the past but really haven't looked into any of these types of programs before.

 

[Ryan]

Leaving all the credit card stuff aside and sticking with the basics.

Now and after January, you'll earn two points per dollar spent paying for your ticket, as long as your AGR number is on your reservation. Mileage doesn't factor into it.

What is changing is the value of those points when they're redeemed. Today, the country is broken up into zones (east, central, west) and fares are priced as a 1-zone, 2-zone, or 3-zone, depending on the number of zones your travel takes you into. The current cash fare of the ticket you redeem makes no difference whatsoever. This leads to some really odd things like a Miami to Tampa ticket requiring the same number of points to redeem as a Miami to New York ticket. Good if you're going to New York, not so good if you're going to Tampa. Or, a similar short journey between Pittsburgh and Chicago costing two zones, because you cross the border, but a much longer Pittsburgh to Miami trip being cheaper since you stay in one zone. Also, it doesn't matter if tickets are cheap or expensive when you book, the points value required remains the same.

Starting in January, all of this goes away. Instead, whatever the current cash value of the ticket you're trying to obtain gets converted to points ($ * ~34). Short trips are cheaper than long trips (generally), and tickets bought just before departure are more expensive than tickets bought well in advance (again, generally). It's all about the prices.

 

[City of Miami]

The bad news is if you didn't buy your ticket you don't get the points; the person (account) who purchased the ticket gets the points.

Also the points start to exist in an account when the travel occurs, not when the ticket is purchased.

 

[SubwayNut]

That's not true! The ticketed passenger gets the points!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Call Amtrak and ask them to add your AGR account number to your ticket and you'll get the points (double since you're traveling in the double points time frame) for the trip.

 

[Ryan]

Subwaynut is corrected. Ticketed passenger gets the points, as long as their AGR number is on the account.

Think about it - when business travelers travel, it could be employer paid or client paid, but the traveller earns the points.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Subwaynut is corrected. Ticketed passenger gets the points, as long as their AGR number is on the account.

Think about it - when business travelers travel, it could be employer paid or client paid, but the traveller earns the points.

Or when two travel in a room. The 2nd person on the ticket (who probably didn't pay) gets points for the rail fare portion

 

[Ryan]

Yep!

 

[City of Miami]

Apologies to all for misinformation. I have been deluded all these years!

It doesn't make much sense to me.....but that never matters to anything now, does it?

 

[warrencbennett]

I am the ticketed passenger. They asked my friend for my AGR number, but I didn't have it at the time and the Amtrak rep said I could put it on later. I shall give them a call and add it. I'm glad the AGR stuff is so simple and easy to understand, hah. Thanks for all the info!

 

[abcnews]

Warren,

I would look at getting the credit card, but no big deal...

If you charge on average $10,000 to $15,000 per year you can pick up 10K to 15K Amtrak points.. But the best part is a nice 12,000 or 20,000 signup points bonus - depending on which card you choose. Then you could take a rather significant trip (under the old plan). To qualify under the old plan, you must book your itinerary by January 23, 2016. So you have plenty of time.

You could book a fun trip from Phoenix to Seattle for just 15K points under the old plan. And you can generally book travel under the old plan for about any non blackout dates in the entire calendar year of 2016 - as long as space is available on that train (regardless of fare). So the travel does not need to be completed by 1/23/16, just book by 1/23/16.

 

[warrencbennett]

Heh yeah well, I haven't even made 10 to 15 grand a year in the last few years much less spent that much. I'm heading to NY and getting a job up there, so maybe I"ll look into getting one of the cards after that. Thank you for the info but I know I won't be getting those points by the time the AGR program changes. .

 

[NW cannonball]

So forget the credit card, but you can earn points on weekend excursions from and to many places in NY State - it all adds up.

 

[warrencbennett]

I am looking to do that in NY. I want to go up and down the East Coast since I've (for the most part) always lived on the West Coast.

 

[iggy]

Never any harm in signing up for any rewards program if it is free. Amtrak Guest Rewards is free to join. If you never use the earned points that is by choice. But they are there if you choose to use them. In theory - next year on some routes - free travel will cost less points - so you benefit faster. Either way never a downside to earning points for your travel.