Amtrak Guest Rewards - Sold Out---might seats open up?

Does it do any good to keep checking back in the hope of seats opening up? How does it relate to paid vs reward? I'm looking the day before travel. Thanks!

(I did a search)

Yes, seats can open up, as people change/cancel their travel plans. (You can cancel an Amtrak ticket for no charge if you haven't printed it out.)

Reward travel comes out of the same inventory as paid tickets.

I've had success at this, though it was about 3-4 days before travel, and not the day before.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

FWIW, I've often had great luck trying in the hours before departure, if you have that kind of flexibility, when trying for a revenue ticket on sold out NER's and AE's going North.

As nerd pointed out, it is the same inventory for both of us.

I have kept hitting refresh in the hours before departure to grab a seat on a sold out train. There are always cancellations - at least in the NE Corridor - the trick is being quick enough to grab a seat when it opens up.

Grabbing a seat for award travel will be much tougher. It is likely someone like me hitting refresh online will grab the available seat before you can book it as an award, although if you do it online and are fast you could be lucky.

I have kept hitting refresh in the hours before departure to grab a seat on a sold out train. There are always cancellations - at least in the NE Corridor - the trick is being quick enough to grab a seat when it opens up.

Grabbing a seat for award travel will be much tougher. It is likely someone like me hitting refresh online will grab the available seat before you can book it as an award, although if you do it online and are fast you could be lucky.

Don't bother trying to do all this if you're trying for a seat on the Pennsylvanian, btw. When that train gets sold out, they mean SOLD OUT. I'm 0/20+ in getting onto a sold out Pennsylvanian. I've stopped trying at this point. :(

And yeah, Beantown is right; you're gonna need really good luck for an award redemption. Or a really well timed call to the S+ line.

Grabbing a seat for award travel will be much tougher. It is likely someone like me hitting refresh online will grab the available seat before you can book it as an award, although if you do it online and are fast you could be lucky.You seem to imply that booking an award ticket online would be the exception. I would think (except for say a sleeper) the reverse would be the case.

You seem to imply that booking an award ticket online would be the exception. I would think (except for say a sleeper) the reverse would be the case.


Well for me it is not, that is how I do it, but I think many people make the phone call. In any event, I think completing an award booking online is a bit slower than a paid ticket (particularly if you are changing an existing paid ticket reservation which is what I am usually trying to do when I am trying to get on that "sold out" train.) So my point - which perhaps got lost in all of this - was simply that someone who can complete the purchase faster than you may grab that seat that opens up before you can.