Aug 31, 2015, 6:08 am
Last edit by: beltway
Changes to Amtrak Guest Rewards in 2016
Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR) underwent numerous changes beginning on January 24, 2016. This wiki attempts to provide a summary of those changes (and Amtrak's ongoing unannounced revisions of the rules). For additional details, see the Amtrak website.
Table of Contents
Earning Status
AGR altered its expiration policy, which previously required paid travel once every 36 months. Effective August 27, 2015, any points-earning or redemption activity will reset the 36-month clock. Effective April 2019, points expire after 24 months of inactivity.
As today, AGR MasterCard cardholders' points will not expire as long as their credit card accounts are open. AGR has moved its co-branded credit card relationship to Bank of America, which now offers two different versions of the card, including one with no annual fee. All Chase AGR MasterCards were converted to Chase Freedom cards on September 30, 2015. Post-Rollout Issues/Unknowns
It remains unclear whether these are merely IT errors or unannounced program devaluations, particularly as in some cases the contradict explicitly stated terms and conditions.
Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR) underwent numerous changes beginning on January 24, 2016. This wiki attempts to provide a summary of those changes (and Amtrak's ongoing unannounced revisions of the rules). For additional details, see the Amtrak website.
Table of Contents
Earning Status
As in the past, members earn Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) for paid travel at the rate of 2 TQP per dollar. With the 2016 changes, however, AGR has eliminated In addition, AGR now provides new class-of-service TQP bonuses: 25% for qualifying travel in Business class and 50% for qualifying travel in Acela First class. (As noted below, passengers will also earn redeemable AGR points in the same amount.)
The number of TQP required to earn status remains the same: Benefits for each status level, including the Tier Bonus on cash fares (see below), remain the same.
Earning AGR Points Redeemable for Travel- the 100 TQP minimum (so fares under $50 earn fewer TQP), and
- the Acela "select city pairs" TQP minimums for Business class (formerly 500 TQP) and First class (formerly 750 TQP); see post #83
The number of TQP required to earn status remains the same:
- Select - 5,000 TQP
- Select Plus - 10,000 TQP
- Select Executive - 20,000 TQP
Members continue to earn redeemable AGR points for paid travel (except as discussed below in this section) at the rate of 2 points per dollar, plus a new 25% point bonus for qualifying travel in Business class and 50% for qualifying travel in Acela First class. Sleeper-car tickets do not earn a bonus.
With the 2016 changes, however, AGR eliminates In addition to base points, members with status continue to earn Tier Bonus redeemable AGR points (i.e., not TQP) at the same level as in 2015: As was the case before, members do not earn points for Amtrak 7000-series Thruway services or the Canadian portion of joint Amtrak/VIA Rail Canada services.
Redeeming for TravelWith the 2016 changes, however, AGR eliminates
- the 100 point minimum (so fares under $50 earn fewer points), and
- the Acela "select city pairs" minimums for Business class (previously 500 points) and First class (previously 750 points)
- Select - 25%
- Select Plus - 50%
- Select Executive - 100%
For 2016, redemption rules have changed drastically. AGR has discontinued its fixed-point awards and zone system, transitioning instead to a revenue-based system. Under the new program, the points required for an award ticket--including multi-ride tickets and monthly passes--are, with some exceptions noted below, proportional to the cash price of the ticket.
In general, an AGR point is worth roughly 2.9 cents for non-Acela travel and 2.56 cents for Acela. (For example, 5,141 points are redeemable for a WAS-NYP regional one-way $149 ticket.) However, several new restrictions result in a lower yield for award redemptions:
Note: Reward tickets booked before 1/24/16 are subject to the new redemption policy if modified or canceled on or after that date.
Redemption options: With the 2016 changes, AGR members are able to redeem points for multi-ride tickets or monthly passes as well as standard one-way & round-trip tickets.
Sleeper-car travel: The number of points required for sleeper-car travel is calculated using the prevailing fare, which reflects the actual number of passengers occupying the room. Amtrak assesses a single accommodation charge for the room, plus one adult/child rail fare per occupant.
Auto Train travel: Members are able to redeem points for Auto Train travel using the same process as for other itineraries. Vehicle(s) are priced the same as other portions of the itinerary per standard Amtrak Auto Train policies. Priority Vehicle Offloading may not be redeemed using points.
Credit card rebate: Holders of either new Bank of America co-branded credit card (see below) receive a 5% points rebates on Amtrak award tickets. This is the same as the benefit offered by the recently discontinued Chase card.
Blackout dateseliminated: On the plus side, AGR will eliminate award redemption blackout dates and Acela time-of-day restrictions. When the 2016 changes were announced, AGR claimed that blackout dates were being eliminated. As of January 24, 2016, the AGR website still makes that claim. Unfortunately, it is a lie.
On January 24--the day the new program changes took effect--AGR Insider posted new information making clear that the blackout-date policy has not been abandoned:
Amtrak quietly added similar language to the website in early February 2016. The website also indicates that the point costs for "peak travel" dates and times may be increased in addition to any increase resulting resulting from a higher cash fare. To date, additional points costs of 50% and 100% have been observed on certain itineraries.
Under the old program rules, AGR published an advance list of blackout dates. AGR has provided no public information specifying the "peak travel dates or times" when general members are charged additional points or blacked out entirely from redeeming for travel.
Cancellation penalties: Canceling or modifying a standard ticket incurs an automatic 10% penalty. Doing so less than 24 hours in advance for non-sleeper tickets (or 14 days for sleeper-car travel) results in a "close-in" penalty of an additional 10% (i.e., a total penalty of 20%) for most travelers; however, this additional 10%/close-in penalty does not apply to Select Executive members.
No-shows result in 100% forfeiture for the missed segment, as well as cancellation and forfeiture for any later segments on the same itinerary. (As a result, it is less risky to book round-trip travel as two separate one-way tickets and, where possible, to book passengers individually rather than on a single shared ticket.)
For multiple-segment tickets, you can cancel the remainder even after travel begins. Thus, on a round-trip ticket you can cancel the return leg even if you have already begun the outbound leg.
Points & cash redemption: AGR has indicated that a points+cash redemption option will be introduced in 2016. No details are available, and it is unclear how this will work with respect to earning TQP and redeemable points.
Points ExpirationIn general, an AGR point is worth roughly 2.9 cents for non-Acela travel and 2.56 cents for Acela. (For example, 5,141 points are redeemable for a WAS-NYP regional one-way $149 ticket.) However, several new restrictions result in a lower yield for award redemptions:
- Minimum award pricing: Regardless of the cash fare, a non-Acela award ticket costs a minimum of 800 AGR points. As a result, using AGR points for such tickets with a cash price under $24 (e.g., LNC-PHL or BWI-WAS) results in lower yields.
Acela award tickets cost a minimum of 4,000 points. Using AGR points for Acela tickets costing less than $103 results in lower yields.
- No redemption for Saver awards: Per AGR's FT representative, members cannot redeem points for tickets at the least-expensive Saver rate. For instance, even if a $52 Saver WAS-NYP cash fare is available, points can be used only to purchase tickets at the equivalent of an $86 Value fare or higher (resulting in a yield of 1.75 cents/point at best).
- Peak travel dates/times: As discussed below under "Blackout Dates," Amtrak has quietly introduced a "peak travel" penalty in which certain high-demand itineraries (not published in advance) will cost 50% or even 100% more points than would normally correspond to the available cash fare.
- Most discount fares inapplicable: Under the 2016 program, AGR points are redeemable for tickets based only on the Adult or Child price, and not at the equivalent of Senior, AAA, or other discounted fares. (See post #83.)
- As was the case before, members may not redeem points for Amtrak 7000-series Thruway services or the Canadian portion of joint Amtrak/VIA Rail Canada services.
Redemption options: With the 2016 changes, AGR members are able to redeem points for multi-ride tickets or monthly passes as well as standard one-way & round-trip tickets.
Sleeper-car travel: The number of points required for sleeper-car travel is calculated using the prevailing fare, which reflects the actual number of passengers occupying the room. Amtrak assesses a single accommodation charge for the room, plus one adult/child rail fare per occupant.
Auto Train travel: Members are able to redeem points for Auto Train travel using the same process as for other itineraries. Vehicle(s) are priced the same as other portions of the itinerary per standard Amtrak Auto Train policies. Priority Vehicle Offloading may not be redeemed using points.
Credit card rebate: Holders of either new Bank of America co-branded credit card (see below) receive a 5% points rebates on Amtrak award tickets. This is the same as the benefit offered by the recently discontinued Chase card.
Blackout dates
On January 24--the day the new program changes took effect--AGR Insider posted new information making clear that the blackout-date policy has not been abandoned:
you may find limited availability on peak travel dates or times and it is possible that not every seat will be available for redemption. When redeeming points for trips during peak travel dates and times, some itineraries may be available only to our Select Plus and Select Executive members.
Under the old program rules, AGR published an advance list of blackout dates. AGR has provided no public information specifying the "peak travel dates or times" when general members are charged additional points or blacked out entirely from redeeming for travel.
Cancellation penalties: Canceling or modifying a standard ticket incurs an automatic 10% penalty. Doing so less than 24 hours in advance for non-sleeper tickets (or 14 days for sleeper-car travel) results in a "close-in" penalty of an additional 10% (i.e., a total penalty of 20%) for most travelers; however, this additional 10%/close-in penalty does not apply to Select Executive members.
No-shows result in 100% forfeiture for the missed segment, as well as cancellation and forfeiture for any later segments on the same itinerary. (As a result, it is less risky to book round-trip travel as two separate one-way tickets and, where possible, to book passengers individually rather than on a single shared ticket.)
For multiple-segment tickets, you can cancel the remainder even after travel begins. Thus, on a round-trip ticket you can cancel the return leg even if you have already begun the outbound leg.
CAUTION: The new policy is worded to imply that reservation "modification" and "cancellation" are treated differently. A "modification" ostensibly triggers a penalty only of "any fare difference returned to member," implying that changing to a more expensive fare should involve no penalty and changing to a less expensive fare should be subject to a penalty only on the refunded points difference.
Unfortunately, there are now multiple reports that there is no difference in practice: AGR is treating any change as a full cancellation and rebooking, and penalizing accordingly. This includes asking to be rebooked in a different room on the same train (at the same price), changing dates, or altering routing. It is unclear how the new policy will be applied to travel affected by service disruptions such as weather-related train cancellations.
For complete details on the 2016 change rules, including the special rules for multi-ride tickets and monthly passes, see the AGR website.Unfortunately, there are now multiple reports that there is no difference in practice: AGR is treating any change as a full cancellation and rebooking, and penalizing accordingly. This includes asking to be rebooked in a different room on the same train (at the same price), changing dates, or altering routing. It is unclear how the new policy will be applied to travel affected by service disruptions such as weather-related train cancellations.
Points & cash redemption: AGR has indicated that a points+cash redemption option will be introduced in 2016. No details are available, and it is unclear how this will work with respect to earning TQP and redeemable points.
As today, AGR MasterCard cardholders' points will not expire as long as their credit card accounts are open. AGR has moved its co-branded credit card relationship to Bank of America, which now offers two different versions of the card, including one with no annual fee. All Chase AGR MasterCards were converted to Chase Freedom cards on September 30, 2015.
- Class-of-service bonuses have been posting initially as non-TQPs, although subsequent data points suggest there is currently a delay of ~12 days in proper crediting.
- Agents have claimed that any change incurs the 10/20% penalty (up to and including asking for a changed room assignment) on the full value of the ticket, rather than just anything involving a reduction in price being penalized 10/20% on the changed portion
It remains unclear whether these are merely IT errors or unannounced program devaluations, particularly as in some cases the contradict explicitly stated terms and conditions.
Introducing the next stop for Amtrak Guest Rewards
Feb 18, 2016, 2:41 am
#451
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
The AGR Terms and Conditions specify Amtrak's right to change any of the terms and conditions at any time. This is boiler plate that most times is not called into play, but is does permit AGR to do pretty much whatever they want, whenever they want.
Amtrak provided notice of the change in the refund policy almost five months in advance of it going into effect. The fact that it was going to be retroactively applied to existing reservations was known early in the game. Anyone who did not approve of that change had the opportunity over multiple months to cancel an existing reservation and get a full refund of points. Using your car analogy, this would be like your warranty being changed, but being given several months to reject that change and get your purchase price back. In the end, it was the member's choice to retain existing reservations and accept the new policy or cancel the reservation with no penalty.
It should be noted that retroactive application of a new refund policy was also enacted by Amtrak on paid reservations a couple of years ago. The fact that they also did it with the new AGR policy should not come as a surprise. Just to be clear, I don't like the new AGR penalty. It is pretty onerous and materially reduces the value of the program to me.
Amtrak provided notice of the change in the refund policy almost five months in advance of it going into effect. The fact that it was going to be retroactively applied to existing reservations was known early in the game. Anyone who did not approve of that change had the opportunity over multiple months to cancel an existing reservation and get a full refund of points. Using your car analogy, this would be like your warranty being changed, but being given several months to reject that change and get your purchase price back. In the end, it was the member's choice to retain existing reservations and accept the new policy or cancel the reservation with no penalty.
It should be noted that retroactive application of a new refund policy was also enacted by Amtrak on paid reservations a couple of years ago. The fact that they also did it with the new AGR policy should not come as a surprise. Just to be clear, I don't like the new AGR penalty. It is pretty onerous and materially reduces the value of the program to me.
I need to do a change to an award shortly. I'm going to be polite (though I suspect I'll be respectfully escalating...I've pulled a screenshot of the 2016 Redemption Guidelines) but the guidelines still state that the 10% is to apply to the difference in a change (I'm only altering dates of travel, not the city pair) rather than the whole amount. We'll see how this goes...
Feb 18, 2016, 9:20 am
#452
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: PHL
Programs: AA(PPro), UA, AGR, BW(Plat), HH, WoH, MB(S)
Posts: 778
I absolutely agree about the conflicting and ambiguous wording of the AGR cancelation and modification policy. I was hoping a revised FAQ would clarify it, but no such luck.
The FAQ says this:
OK, so go to the 2016 Redemption Guidelines, and first it says this:
That makes me think that the penalty is 10% of the points redeposited. In that case, a change to a new itinerary with a points cost equal or greater than the original reservation would incur no penalty since there would be negative fare difference and zero points "returned to the member."
But, wait: the second bullet says this:
Now, that says the penalty is 10% of the points redeemed - period. Which is it? It's a pretty big difference. I presently hold a 40,000 point original program reservation for a trip in July. My assumption was that if I modified that trip to a trip costing more points, there would be no penalty. Now it sounds like if I would rebook into a 60,000 point trip, I would not only pay the 20,000 additional points for the new trip, but also a 4000 point penalty (or 8000 points close in). That is nasty.
It's kind of ridiculous that this issue has not been officially clarified. If you call to make a change, you are at the mercy of the phone agent for application of the penalty. We all know the inconsistency of AGR agents. With the posted policy so unclear, we have no way to know if the agent is correctly applying the policy or not.
The FAQ says this:
Q: What is the policy if I need to cancel or modify my redemption reservation?
A: For complete details on canceling or modifying a redemption reservation, please see the 2016 Redemption Guidelines.
A: For complete details on canceling or modifying a redemption reservation, please see the 2016 Redemption Guidelines.
For modifications on one-way, round-trip or multi-segment reward travel, the following will apply:
- Points difference (to new prevailing fare) will apply in all cases with a 10% points penalty withheld on any fare difference returned to member
- Points difference (to new prevailing fare) will apply in all cases with a 10% points penalty withheld on any fare difference returned to member
But, wait: the second bullet says this:
- If modifying a non-sleeper ticket within 24 hours prior to departure, or a sleeper ticket within 14 days prior to departure, an additional "close-in" penalty of 10% of the points redeemed will be collected (waived for Select Executive).
It's kind of ridiculous that this issue has not been officially clarified. If you call to make a change, you are at the mercy of the phone agent for application of the penalty. We all know the inconsistency of AGR agents. With the posted policy so unclear, we have no way to know if the agent is correctly applying the policy or not.
Last edited by NovaEngr; Feb 18, 2016 at 10:30 am
Feb 18, 2016, 5:06 pm
#453
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
(1) I would see the "close-in" penalty (which I should be immune from as Select Executive) as distinct from the boilerplate 10% change penalty...which is excessively arcane. Basically, the change close in (for your example and presuming that it wasn't waived) would be 10% of the difference PLUS 10% of the total. Hooray for new math...
(2) I called to try and do the reservation change and got hit with an out-of-sorts penalty that I'm trying to sort out (the "new" price should have been either 77 points or 827 points, depending on the handling of the 5% (750 point) credit card rebate; it was neither of these. I'm going to reconfirm with a friend when I need to be in Florida...and then I'm going to escalate and see if I can't get this fixed).
(2b) I'm sorely tempted to do the change and then take AGR into Small Claims Court in DC for violating their own policy. They have the legal right to set T&Cs and change them without warning; I'm really skeptical of the idea that they have the right to openly violate a stated policy on the website which is not contradicted by those T&Cs (and indeed which is referred to directly by those T&Cs). They refer to exclusive federal court jurisdiction [1], but there's a floor on what can be taken to federal court ($75,000 per Wikipedia) and reference to being governed by DC law would seem to leave that as an avenue. Ideally I'd like to win a case on them, but failing that the slap in the face should say enough.
[1] "These T&Cs and the relationship between Members and the Program shall be governed by the laws of the District of Columbia without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Each Member agrees to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts located within the District of Columbia."
(2) I called to try and do the reservation change and got hit with an out-of-sorts penalty that I'm trying to sort out (the "new" price should have been either 77 points or 827 points, depending on the handling of the 5% (750 point) credit card rebate; it was neither of these. I'm going to reconfirm with a friend when I need to be in Florida...and then I'm going to escalate and see if I can't get this fixed).
(2b) I'm sorely tempted to do the change and then take AGR into Small Claims Court in DC for violating their own policy. They have the legal right to set T&Cs and change them without warning; I'm really skeptical of the idea that they have the right to openly violate a stated policy on the website which is not contradicted by those T&Cs (and indeed which is referred to directly by those T&Cs). They refer to exclusive federal court jurisdiction [1], but there's a floor on what can be taken to federal court ($75,000 per Wikipedia) and reference to being governed by DC law would seem to leave that as an avenue. Ideally I'd like to win a case on them, but failing that the slap in the face should say enough.
[1] "These T&Cs and the relationship between Members and the Program shall be governed by the laws of the District of Columbia without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Each Member agrees to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts located within the District of Columbia."
Feb 18, 2016, 10:52 pm
#454
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
Well, and let's just add to the pot of misery here...
At the end of my call earlier today I said "No, don't do that, I need to coordinate with someone" since I thought I was on 97 and I was on 91. So the agent changed my reservation against my instructions. I got the same agent (I think it might have been a Sue? No, that's not a pun...) when I called back and when I said that I wanted her to undo it as she had followed through with the changes against my explicit instructions, she said she was unable to [1] but that she could do whatever else I wanted with the reservation.[2] At this point I asked to be escalated...
Well, she tried to escalate me to a supervisor...but I went to hold for a bit and lost my signal. Called back and the agent told me that the supervisors had left about an hour earlier (so I was put on escalation when there was nobody to escalate to). Unbelievable. Guess this gets to take up a bunch of my time tomorrow. Sigh.
[1] I believe this...IT limitations and all
[2] Suffice it to say I sort of doubt that...
At the end of my call earlier today I said "No, don't do that, I need to coordinate with someone" since I thought I was on 97 and I was on 91. So the agent changed my reservation against my instructions. I got the same agent (I think it might have been a Sue? No, that's not a pun...) when I called back and when I said that I wanted her to undo it as she had followed through with the changes against my explicit instructions, she said she was unable to [1] but that she could do whatever else I wanted with the reservation.[2] At this point I asked to be escalated...
Well, she tried to escalate me to a supervisor...but I went to hold for a bit and lost my signal. Called back and the agent told me that the supervisors had left about an hour earlier (so I was put on escalation when there was nobody to escalate to). Unbelievable. Guess this gets to take up a bunch of my time tomorrow. Sigh.
[1] I believe this...IT limitations and all
[2] Suffice it to say I sort of doubt that...
Feb 19, 2016, 7:31 am
#455
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: PHL
Programs: AA(PPro), UA, AGR, BW(Plat), HH, WoH, MB(S)
Posts: 778
This all begs the question, "Where is NARP?" Why should a passenger have to contemplate court action to force Amtrak to comply with its own rules when there is organization that, theoretically, exists to represent passengers and passenger issues.
Sadly, in my opinion, NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers) actually represents Amtrak and is effectively a lobbying arm of Amtrak. NARP will enthusiastically support Amtrak in funding and regulatory issues, but is typically mute when it comes to going after Amtrak for passenger issues. Here is a case where NARP could actually help its members - the passengers who pay dues. I'm not holding my breath.
Sadly, in my opinion, NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers) actually represents Amtrak and is effectively a lobbying arm of Amtrak. NARP will enthusiastically support Amtrak in funding and regulatory issues, but is typically mute when it comes to going after Amtrak for passenger issues. Here is a case where NARP could actually help its members - the passengers who pay dues. I'm not holding my breath.
Feb 19, 2016, 11:42 am
#456
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: DL DM, AS MVP 100K, Amtrak peon, Colbert Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 4,534
Have you personally called or e-mailed the NARP office for help with this? Speaking from past experience as a NARP staffer, I can tell you definitively that the small staff are almost constantly deluged with Beltway machinations, public communications, and member assistance tasks.
They can and do quietly push Amtrak behind the scenes on issues like this, but only if you as a member bring it to NARP's attention as an area of concern. Reading forums like this is a much higher level of effort than setting news alerts for relevant key terms. But the more members complain, the more aggressively NARP will escalate. Look at the link in my sig to NARP's home page -- the very top item is their fundraiser campaign to shame Congress into stopping micromanaging Amtrak's food budget after the Silver Star"vation" diner loss. That's additive to the ongoing back-channel communications with Amtrak on the issue.
They can and do quietly push Amtrak behind the scenes on issues like this, but only if you as a member bring it to NARP's attention as an area of concern. Reading forums like this is a much higher level of effort than setting news alerts for relevant key terms. But the more members complain, the more aggressively NARP will escalate. Look at the link in my sig to NARP's home page -- the very top item is their fundraiser campaign to shame Congress into stopping micromanaging Amtrak's food budget after the Silver Star"vation" diner loss. That's additive to the ongoing back-channel communications with Amtrak on the issue.
Feb 19, 2016, 2:08 pm
#458
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: Amtrak Select Plus, Marriott Platinum, Marriott Lifetime Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,123
Has there been a definitive report on changing dates on a reward (not sleeping car)? In theory, if there is no points difference, there should be no penalty.
Feb 19, 2016, 8:31 pm
#459
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
My saga resolved positively...the supervisor let me do a change retaining the pre-devaluation point cost as a result of the agent screwup, and from what she said it sounds like a reservation which doesn't involve a reduction in points cost should not be hit with a penalty. That being said, the computer is not being cooperative, so the answer seems to be that you have to escalate to get things to work "correctly".
Feb 23, 2016, 10:52 am
#462
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,926
My friend, who is an AGR newbie and relatively infrequent traveler, has a question about points expiration that I did not know the answer to. If he has the no-fee CC, will transactions on that card every 18 months (or whatever) keep his AGR points from expiring? Or does he have to keep the $85/year World MC in order to keep his account alive? Or can he keep neither CC and simply take one Amtrak trip every 18 months (or whatever)?
Feb 23, 2016, 11:08 am
#463
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: SW Michigan, ex SF Bay Area
Posts: 831
My friend, who is an AGR newbie and relatively infrequent traveler, has a question about points expiration that I did not know the answer to. If he has the no-fee CC, will transactions on that card every 18 months (or whatever) keep his AGR points from expiring? Or does he have to keep the $85/year World MC in order to keep his account alive? Or can he keep neither CC and simply take one Amtrak trip every 18 months (or whatever)?
Otherwise, any point earning or redemption activity on his AGR account will extend the expiration date to 36 months from the date of activity.
Source: https://amtrakguestrewards.com/faqs/show/pointsexpire
See also: http://agr.amtrak.com/apply/
Feb 23, 2016, 12:48 pm
#464
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
Feb 23, 2016, 1:14 pm
#465
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: BOS
Posts: 2,315
Seriously?! I am speechless. Its the wiki police. That's literally your signature?!