I am just now doing a dummy booking for a Regional train that departs on Sept. 12 (i.e. more than 14 days out). I don't see any option for flexible vs. non-refundable (Advanced Purchase) on a given train, just the regular list of choices of available trains and their prices. I've never had a problem canceling/refunding a ticket I've booked via that screen.
Looking at the T&Cs for that ticket, they say (among other things):
Originally Posted by Amtrak
- 14 day advanced purchase required.
- Not combinable with any membership or promotional discounts.
- Non-refundable after ticket has been issued.
- Exchanges permitted for other rail fare purchases.
- Refund restrictions may apply. Special conditions apply for cancellation and refunds of sleeping accommodation bookings. See Refund Policy.
To me, that would imply that if you haven't printed out the ticket yet, it hasn't been issued. However, as you note, the Refund Policy says:
Originally Posted by Amtrak
Advance Payment and Prepaid Tickets
When purchased through either Amtrak's advance payment or prepaid programs, tickets are considered "paid for" and subject to the refund policies of any component rail fare, passenger type discount, and/or promotional discount, even if the actual tickets have not yet been printed.
To be honest, I am confused. I'm quite sure I've bought tickets more than 14 days out and cancelled them with no penalty before--I never print out my tickets ahead of time. Perhaps someone with a different experience can chime in on this.