Acceptable use of AAA Card
 

Is it okay for me to allow my children (travelling alone) to use my AAA card to receive the AAA discount for Amtrak travel? Also, the date of travel is April 6th, which is the day after my current card expires. Do they really check the card that closely?

If an e-ticket is issued I have never seen or experienced a conductor asking for the AAA card. Likewise, prior to e-tickets, if a ticket was printed from the quik-tik machine, I never saw anyone ask for a AAA card.

Having said that, the Amtrak website is not clear on this point. It says members and their immediate family are eligible for the discount, but then goes on to say you must carry the card with you and be prepared to present it - and perhaps could be read to say the immediate family is only eligible if the cardholder is accompanying them.

Why not get AAA cards for the whole family btw?

http://www.amtrak.com/aaa-adult-passenger-discount

My experience as well.

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I have ridden Amtrak weekly for 4 years, often on a AAA discount. Have not once been asked for card (I do have one.).

I've never been asked for my AAA card either, but always have it ready just in case (it's always in my wallet anyways)

Ditto. I have never been asked for my AAA card on Amtrak, but like others, I always have it. The only time I take it out of my wallet is when I go overseas and try to slim down my wallet (both to fit in my front pocket easier and avoid losing valuable cards due to pickpocketing). Of course, having done that, I then walked by the local Argentinean version of AAA in Buenos Aires, where it would have been useful to get maps, but my AAA card was back in my backpack in my hotel room. :\

I always use my aaa discount, but...
 

Like many on this thread, I've NEVER been asked for my card. EVER. I've only rediscovered Amtrak
two years now, but I always have my SoCal AAA 'Premier' card just in case (and might need it if I get stuck in Bakersfield and need that FREE 100+ mile tow to L.A. - No Throwaway Bus requested) ;):p:p:p Joe G. typing this on the AMTRAK SJ #701

Never been asked. In case you need it, would it be acceptable to use the AAA membership card on your iOS passbook? Yes, you can add your AAA card to your passbook on your iPhone (through AAA app).

I don't see why not.

I have been asked for my AAA card or my NARP membership card, depending on which discount I happened to use.

Using a discount to which you're not entitled or not carrying proof for a discount for which you are would be a pretty silly reason to get kicked off the train.

Would they really kick you off?

I once boarded a peak Keystone train with an off-peak ticket, and the conductor just told me to call Amtrak and upfare it to a peak ticket. I did, and he came back by a bit later and scanned me.

It sucked doubly so, as I lost the AAA discount due to the advance purchase restriction--if I'd have remembered that Sundays were peak days, I'd have waited until the train two hours later and saved myself $10 and had a nice dinner in PHL.

Would they? That's up to the conductor.

Could he? Definitely. That's theft of service.

Yeah, at least once a week I see someone dragged out of a hotel lobby or off a train in handcuffs, arrested for not having their AAA card. I am pretty sure in Texas and Florida it is a death penalty case.

I just came here to ask about the AAA discount on Amtrack because I bought tickets in January for our trip in 2 weeks and just realized I used our AAA discount but our membership expired and we didn't renew! We decided not to renew because we weren't really using the benefits.

Was kind of sweating that I'd be in trouble if they asked for it but seems they don't ask for the AAA id. I remember my Mom saying they didn't ask her for it last year either.

Guess I won't worry too much about. Thanks everyone.