physioprof

Wow. Thanks for the heads up!

diesteldorf

It would be funny if it turned out that BOA rumors were true. For those that don't remember, Amtrak Guest Rewards used to be a BOA product when I applied in 2006.

I never got the Chase card because I already have Chase and didn't feel like opening up a new line of credit. However, if AGR reverts back to BOA, I might see if I can convert my current BOA card from a cashback program to AGR.

However, a lot of that will depend on the new AGR changes in January. Points won't be worth as much anymore and cashback is nice. As someone who likes Amtrak but doesn't live on the NEC, I'd be more than willing to pay BOA a few hundred dollars for lounge access, but that's a separate issue.

goriajk

Then, I'll decide where I'll go. All these changes are a BIG BOO thumbs down Amtrak. Have a nice evening. Joe G

discocoaster

I was in one of the BOA branches today doing banking and a rep confirmed for me that the AGR MasterCard is in their system but not available for sign up. She had very little details available although she did say it carried a $79.00 annual fee. I asked her about a no fee card and she said that was the only one loaded into the system so far. She had no rewards earning info as of yet. Guess we have to wait for the official announcement from AGR for all the details. Heads up to the keen eye of seeing Chris L. Martin on the pic of the card

rbw5t

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I'm hopeful that it being a fee card actually means there'll be some juicy benefits. Anniversary miles, free certificate of some sort, etc. Why would anyone pay a fee if you aren't getting something to make it worth it?

AGR Insider

The partnership between Amtrak Guest Rewards® and Chase will end as of September 30, 2015. If you have the Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard® credit card from Chase, you can continue to use your card and will continue to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points until September 30, 2015. After September 30, your account will be replaced with a Chase Freedom card and you will begin to earn points on your Chase Freedom Account. If you have an eligible Chase Card with Ultimate Rewards, you can continue to transfer points to Amtrak Guest Rewards until further notice.

Anthony Rizos
Director, Member Experience Solutions
Amtrak
Washington, D.C.

GrayAnderson

Ok, practical question: Let us say that my billing cycle ends on the 15th of the month. The bill for September/October will come on October 15th. Do I earn AGR points for purchases through September 30th, or will I effectively be getting Chase Freedom Uselessness [1] for the last 15 days of the month as well?

[1] I want to be clear that I expressly do not hold this particular point against AGR, Anthony, or anyone on "this end" of things. That being said, with due disrespect to Chase Freedom, a 1% cash back card is only useful to me as a bookmark. I declined such a card from my bank when I was offered it. I will not knowingly accept or use the replacement card (I'll leave the account out there for credit purposes, but I probably won't even activate it).

musicalbox

And the new card is?

GrayAnderson

Not yet announced officially, but we have an unofficial confirmation on BOA above.

musicalbox

Yes, I know the rumors, but it's hard to know what to do in terms of the Chase card until I know what the new card and its details are. For instance, rather than get the Freedom card, which, as you point out, is useless, I could call Chase and ask to switch to a Sapphire Rewards. Citi used to be able to do this for me when their affinity cards changed. However, if BoA's card has no fee and all the same benefits, I'll just close the Chase and be done. Having only half the info with one month's lead time is hard, particularly since I have about eight autopay accounts ties to the Chase card.

At least a date when there will be an announcement about a new card would be helpful.



Edited to add: Oh, I see the rumor mill says 9/12. Still late, but gives me a couple of weeks to decide what to do.

GrayAnderson

Ok, just called Chase and here's what I was told:
-Regardless of statement closing date, purchases through Sept. 30 will earn AGR points.
-They can't convert the card to anything but a Sleazedom account, but once that is done, conversion to Chase's other programs is possible on a case-by-case basis.

I informed them very politely (no, really, I was as nice as can be about this) that I understood the situation and that if I can't convert to another workable card (Sapphire, etc.) then I would cease using the card. FWIW, I don't see this as much of a negotiation...if Chase cannot make a move to another desirable card, then while I have another account with them I have no desire to use the changed card. I won't necessarily be closing the account until I can "age up" another card or two and get an authorized user transferred over elsewhere, but the card will be largely put out of use.

musicalbox

Good to know, thanks. If you obtain the Sapphire card through conversion, do you still get the 40k bonus points that you'd get if you spent $4k as a new cardholder? If not, it might be worth it to me to cancel and re-apply.

sdsearch

So what happens to point expiration, Anthony? Under the old program (which still be in effect as of Oct 1), point expiration (for non-status-holders) can only be avoided by having an AGR credit card. But you've only announced the end of the old credit card, not the availabliity of the new credit card. Are points which were kept alive only because of Chase AGR credit card going to stay alive during the transition period when there's no AGR credit card at all (not from Chase any more, not from BofA yet), no matter how little activity???

sdsearch

You never get signup points for a conversion (unless you're acting on a conversion promo, like Amex the bank sometimes has). You only get signup points by "applying from scratch", and even then only by using a specific application method (such as an online promo application).

musicalbox

Thanks, that helps. So my plan is:

- if the BoA card has the same basic framework as the Chase card (key for me are at least 2x points for Amtrak purchases and redemption rebates) and a not too onerous AF, I'll get that.

-if the above isn't true, I'll apply from scratch for Sapphire.

Either way, I'll be canceling the Chase card. I've only had it for three years, so I won't take a huge hit credit-wise. I also have the Amazon card from Chase and enjoyed seeing everything in one place, but it's not enough to outweigh the benefits of the branded card if it works.