Henry Newberry

hi I am traveling from NYP to DC at least once a week roundtrip (on the same day leave 7am NYP and leave DC 5pm). I was wondering if anybody had advice to get the cheapest fares if I know I will be doing this for the next 3 months at least. If it helps I am a student.

Thanks!

beltway

IME the soundest approach is to purchase as early as possible. Saver fares (the cheapest) are capacity-controlled and also require purchase 14 days in advance. If there's no Saver availability, you can get a 15% discount off the Value fare (assuming you're under 26) on non-Acela trains.

There's also the Student Advantage card, a third-party discount card that may or may not be of use. It's not free, and IME isn't worth the expense, but YMMV.

3Cforme

If the date you travel is flexible even where the travel times are not, perhaps you will find some benefit in the Amsnag price/train search tool.

http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php

hi55us

Amtrak also sells 10-ride tickets that will give you the flexibility to ride any regional train between NYP and WAS. The price is steep - looking at $957 right now - but will guarantee you won't pay more than $95.70 a trip. Also, there is no need to book tickets for a particular train. Just show up on any NYP-WAS regional train (even if it's sold out).

KENNECTED

Take the Acela. Not the regional trains!

Often1

Need more information to help you. How much flexibility and time of day is key. Does length of trip matter (to some, time is money).

If money is the sole determinant, then look at the mid-day non Acela's, typically regionals and look at advance purchase. Sometimes the student fares will work well, but if flexibility is an issue, be careful.

hi55us

I disagree with this advice, I don't find the 2x price difference worth it on the Acela. If they are close in price, I agree with booking the Acela, but far in advance the Acela is routinely 2x the price, sometimes more, especially for WAS-NYP travel.

Looking out ~2 months, on Monday April 3rd, the 7:05 AM Regional is pricing at $49 and the 7:00 AM Acela is an absurd $223. Simple not worth it for the extra 30 minute time savings.

Also - to the OP - consider signing up for the Amtrak credit card. The card with the annual fee will earn 3x points (worth roughly 9% since AGR points are valued at 3 cents apeace).

ne52

I did this for about 2 years. If your schedule is fixed, the low bucket Saver fares are your best bet and it doesn't matter if you're a student.

-Get the Amtrak CC and run your travel charges through that. Obviously make sure you have a Amtrak Guest Rewards account and watch for promotions to earn extra points.
-Just pick a day to sit down and just book all your train trips for the foreseeable future. Prices are based on how much of the train has sold, so it will almost never go down from what you are seeing that day. If you're booking ahead and can get Saver fares, it will be less than the 10-ride book.
-When you run into cancelations or have a schedule change, you can dip into the points
-Also get familiar with your alternate options (BoltBus, Greyhound, etc) so you can adjust quickly if train service is completely out

If it's related to a job or school work, you should be able to deduct it, so save all of your receipts

musicalbox

I do this NY to Baltimore. Like you, one round trip a week and like you, price is important to me.

I buy all my trips for the upcoming period every couple of months. Too far into the future and Saver fares aren't always available during peak times. Too close and they're all sold out. So, you have to time it just right. Right now I'd be buying May-June, for instance. But if you are going during non-busy times, Saver fares will be available now and you can book any ride you know you're taking.

If you are forced to buy Flexible (one bucket up from Saver), it helps to use a student or AAA discount to get 10% off.

Definitely join Amtrak Guest Rewards and think about getting the credit card. I put every single thing possible on it and it nets me 1 or even 1.5 rides free a month.

Every once in a blue moon I will buy a 10-trip, primarily if I'm not sure when I'm going, but buying Saver can beat it by 40%. And I never ride Acela.

guv1976

Which credit card the OP should get -- assuming that he is creditworthy -- will depend on what he wants. If he just wants to maximize the number of AGR points he earns, then sure: get the B of A Amtrak card. But if he prefers other rewards, there are a number of cards that award bonus points for all "travel" purchases; and those points can be a lot more versatile than AGR points.

ibrandsguest

You might want to get a NARP membership, which results in a 10% discount on some trains. I believe that it applies to the highest fare only (I could be wrong), but it could save you some cash if you have to buy a last-minute ticket here and there. narprail.org.

NovaEngr

NARP, and other organization discount programs like AAA or student, require three-day advance purchase. So, for last minute tickets, it's a no-go.

GrayAnderson

True, but it would apply if he had to switch days somewhere between initial purchase and "the last minute" and/or if for some reason when he goes to book Saver fares are sold out.

paytonc

The student/AAA/NARP/senior/veteran discounts apply to Value Fares, but not Saver Fares. For a far-advance purchase, the 15% Student Advantage discount knocks the $91 Value Fare down to $77.35, but that's still far more than the $49 Saver Fare.

If Henry's times and dates are fixed, he's best off just buying the Saver Fares ASAP. Student Advantage won't save any money, and won't be of any help in a last-minute change situation, either.