Amtrak rewards itself
Jun 8, 2016, 4:38 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 1
Amtrak rewards itself
I learned the hard way that the new Guest Rewards program penalizes you if you cancel/change a reservation, by keeping your hard earned points. Unlike the old program which made members feel like they were important by working with them when problems arose, the new program seems not to care. At all. When I tried canceling a reservation made only a few hours before, the "customer service" person was only too happy to tell me Amtrak was keeping 5,200 points of mine and that there was nothing she would, or that I could, do about it. Amtrak should have named the new program Amtrak Rewards Itself program.
Jun 11, 2016, 7:10 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: Amtrak Select Plus, Marriott Platinum, Marriott Lifetime Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,124
Don't know if you have the flexibility, but I get around the penalty by moving my rewards to future dates, at the same price/points level. I have about four or five rewards reservations in place now, and I move them around as necessary.
Jun 12, 2016, 5:41 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: I-95
Programs: DL, B6, UA, AGR
Posts: 117
Wouldn't a date change be considered a change and incur the penalty?
Jun 13, 2016, 6:46 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,134
Jun 13, 2016, 1:23 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 311
The penalty is only on the difference. If there is no difference between the new fare in points and the old one, there is no charge. So I also do what vatraveler describes if I need to cancel a trip booked on points, ie, just book a random date in the future to hold on to all of them without a penalty.
Jun 16, 2016, 11:59 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,147
I've heard of it being implemented as "any change triggers a cancel-and-rebook penalty" (e.g. switching rooms or asking to switch between 7 and 27/8 and 28).
This was among the worst parts of the "improved" program (my opinions of the new program are on record here, or can be summed up by checking my signature).
This was among the worst parts of the "improved" program (my opinions of the new program are on record here, or can be summed up by checking my signature).
Jun 19, 2016, 7:10 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 87
I've heard of it being implemented as "any change triggers a cancel-and-rebook penalty" (e.g. switching rooms or asking to switch between 7 and 27/8 and 28).
This was among the worst parts of the "improved" program (my opinions of the new program are on record here, or can be summed up by checking my signature).
This was among the worst parts of the "improved" program (my opinions of the new program are on record here, or can be summed up by checking my signature).
The sad thing is Amtrak's failure to make their cancellation policy clear on the issues of cancelling the same day and making a change - even a change in roomette number.
Even the airlines have always allowed a 24 hour cancellation.
Jun 20, 2016, 2:28 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: DL DM, AS MVP 100K, Amtrak peon, Colbert Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 4,534
That's a strict DOT regulation of airlines. Unfortunately, of all the onerous regulations on Amtrak, reasonable and basic passenger protections like 24-hour penalty-free cancellations are not among them. Amtrak could simply voluntarily match this in their policies, but they don't. 
Jun 21, 2016, 9:34 pm
#10
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,684
I'm not sure what the grace period is, but I have been able to cancel and receive full refunds right after booking, on Saver fares which are supposed to be nonrefundable.
