gsupstate

Have scoured Guest Rewards on the Amtrak website. I can't find out how much I will earn on an upcoming trip or how much redemptions are for various trips. Have I missed something??

FrensicPic

Earning is 2 points per dollar of Amtrak fare. You have to complete the trip to actually get the points.
For redemption, you need to do some "test bookings" selecting use points vs dollars.
Redemption for travel is roughly 34.5 points per dollar.

nerd

I think you mean 34.5 points per dollar: if the fare is $100, it is going to cost you 3,450 points.

Long Train Runnin

The earn side is very straight forward.

https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards/...ak-travel.html

The burnside as mentioned upthread is dynamic based on the cash price of a ticket.

There used to be zones and flat rate redemptions, but those days are gone.

FrensicPic

Yes. Thanks for noticing that. I'll edit my post.

strickerj

I assume 2 points per dollar on the "fare" includes the cost of a room on the LD trains (not just the nominal base fare)? And if 2 of us share a room (so, 2 fares plus the room), I'd only get points for my half of the base fare? Or is it points for any ticket bought on your AGR account? (My wife doesn't have her own.)

serpens

Yes.
The points for the room go to the person named first on the ticket; each person gets the points for his or her rail fare.

For example, if a $1200 ticket is $100 rail fare for each of two people and one room for $1000, the first named passenger gets 2200 points and the second named passenger gets 200 points. If a passenger has no AGR number on the reservation, the points that would have gone to that passenger are forfeited. (The passenger can claim the points for a period after travel, perhaps 90 days, by contacting AGR and retroactively adding an AGR number to the reservation.)

Corrections are welcome.

strickerj

Got it, then I'd get points for my half of the fare and the room, thus only forfeiting potential points from my wife's half of the fare. My wife isn't interested in having accounts of her own for these things, though I did talk her into getting Delta Skymiles.

serpens

My only quibble is with your terminology, but yes. In my mind (and I think in Amtrak's mind), you get points for your fare and room. There is no "half of the fare" for the rail charge; there are two rail fares. The ticket price (if this is a single leg journey) comprises two rail fares and an accommodation charge. As I said, it's a quibble over phrasing and the result is as I understand your description.

Amtrak has occasionally listed my companion first on the ticket, and therefore my companion got the points for the room. If this happens to you and your spouse does not have an AGR account, then the room points go to waste. One time, I called AGR and asked that the order of the names be reversed and the agent told me it couldn't be done. I believe, with no evidence, that the agent was ignorant, but I didn't press the issue because my companion had an account. If this ever happens to you, I would suggest pressing the issue until the names do get reversed or simply getting an account for your spouse. I've never done it, but there is some way to refer someone for an account and then get extra points for the referral, perhaps on both accounts.

strickerj

Right, that's what I meant. (I think in terms of "my half" and "wife's half" since the money all comes from the same place, but I understand that isn't how Amtrak quantifies it.)

Interesting point about whose name appears first... I assumed (ha!) it would automatically be me since I'm logged into my AGR account to make the bookings. Unfortunately I can't confirm that was the case since my last LD trip was in 2018, but I'll be sure to look for that from now on.

serpens

I should have been clearer. The reservations where my companion was listed first were, as far as I can recall, all made by telephone (and there weren't many of them). I expect that a reservation made from your account would list you first (but still encourage you to check).