No Amtrak travel in 3 years, lose all your miles
Jun 10, 10, 11:07 am
#76
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,781
Wallaby, any new account has 3 years from its opening. However, the transfer fees are excessive: $10 to transfer 1K points which aren't worth much more than that!
Jun 11, 10, 4:29 am
#77
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: MCY
Programs: AAdvantage, QFF, UA, Hyatt, SPG
Posts: 448
As for value, transferring 30K points would cost $300.
For that they can get a 2-zone bedroom ticket eg SEA-CHI worth about $1800
(based on a September 2010 reservation).
Not bad value really.
Jun 14, 10, 8:28 pm
#78
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,891
Moderator, can this thread's title be altered given that what the current title states as a fact ("No Amtrak travel in 3 years, lose all your miles") is not quite true any more:
Hi jackal -
We've updated the program terms and conditions on www.AmtrakGuestRewards.com to include the following under section D on Point expiration: "Points earned under the Program will not expire if the member is an active cardholder of the Amtrak Guest Rewards World MasterCard issued by Chase Bank."
Thanks
Vicky Radke
Program Manager, Loyalty Marketing
We've updated the program terms and conditions on www.AmtrakGuestRewards.com to include the following under section D on Point expiration: "Points earned under the Program will not expire if the member is an active cardholder of the Amtrak Guest Rewards World MasterCard issued by Chase Bank."
Thanks
Vicky Radke
Program Manager, Loyalty Marketing
Jun 14, 10, 10:31 pm
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,955
Unless you want to change the title to "No Amtrak travel in 3 years, lose all your miles, except if you have the AGR Master card, and it's confirmed that award travel does not count, even though the T/C's say otherwise"
Jun 15, 10, 10:40 am
#80
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: United States
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Amtrak
Posts: 4,647
I'm not a huge fan of stickies, but in this case maybe a simple one-post sticky titled "How to keep your AGR points from expiring" may be in order. That way a moderator or other volunteer could update it as needed and people could just check that without wading through a 6+ page thread. And then everytime someone starts the inevitable "Will my points REALLY expire if I don't ride an Amtrak train?" thread, we just point 'em to the sticky, lock the new thread up, and move on in life. ^
Jun 15, 10, 12:31 pm
#81
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,955
But look at the con in that trade-off -- you've got a sticky wasting space in the forum for a question that comes up maybe every 3 months. And it's question that's super easy to answer, and even if you have the sticky, you still have to answer the question and refer someone to it. Doesn't make sense to me.
Jun 25, 10, 1:01 am
#83
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,955
No trying to be harsh, but, after all, it's a frequent-traveler/loyalty program...
Jul 7, 10, 8:42 pm
#84
Join Date: Jun 2006
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold,IHG Plat Amb, CC Gold, Kimpton IC, United, AA, BA, Amtrak G.R.
Posts: 446
what would happen in this scenario:
i have 2500 points in my account, but have not travelled in 33 months, i then purchase points (13,000) from amtrak and do not use the points until 37 months after my last travel...i would i lose ALL my points? even thought i just bought some from amtrak??
i have 2500 points in my account, but have not travelled in 33 months, i then purchase points (13,000) from amtrak and do not use the points until 37 months after my last travel...i would i lose ALL my points? even thought i just bought some from amtrak??
Jul 7, 10, 8:56 pm
#85
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+), now an Elite Peon
Posts: 23,129
what would happen in this scenario:
i have 2500 points in my account, but have not travelled in 33 months, i then purchase points (13,000) from amtrak and do not use the points until 37 months after my last travel...i would i lose ALL my points? even thought i just bought some from amtrak??
i have 2500 points in my account, but have not travelled in 33 months, i then purchase points (13,000) from amtrak and do not use the points until 37 months after my last travel...i would i lose ALL my points? even thought i just bought some from amtrak??
You could probably get away with something like redeeming your points for an award at 35.5 months after your last travel and then holding that award until you decide what you actually want to do, at which point you can redeposit the points from that award and book a new one, but I haven't seen anyone post any experience doing that.
Jul 8, 10, 8:23 am
#86
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,781
Good point! AGR is not prompt on the 3rd Anniversary. I just got a notice after 3.5 years of no train riding that I have a few months left to save my points by riding a train. Of course, it's no big deal to lose my measly 300 points !
!
Sep 1, 10, 2:26 am
#87
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: MCY
Programs: AAdvantage, QFF, UA, Hyatt, SPG
Posts: 448
Sep 1, 10, 6:30 am
#88
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,955
If no Amtrak travel is purchased, recorded or reported within a 3-year period, or if you do not make and honor an Amtrak travel reservation within this timeframe, your points will expire.
Sep 1, 10, 10:23 am
#89
Join Date: Mar 2009
Programs: AGR,CO,PC,AA
Posts: 411
That is not really a condition since it used the word "or". It reads as an option to me.
I think AGR hired some cheap lawyers they saw on a late night uhf tv advertisement to write their t&C. The words don't work right, but the idea is buy a ticket and use it every three years or your points expire.
I think AGR hired some cheap lawyers they saw on a late night uhf tv advertisement to write their t&C. The words don't work right, but the idea is buy a ticket and use it every three years or your points expire.
Nov 4, 10, 11:20 am
#90
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 229
Is this a good idea?
The past two years my wife and I have traveled using award tickets. We will take another award trip in June and then a paid trip in September, but before then it will be three years since she has had a paid trip and I assume she would lose her points. What I would like to do is pay for a ticket for her from MKE to MKA, then use an award ticket for MKA to EFG. If we do this, should we give the conductor both tickets when we get on or wait until after the stop at MKA? I assume that the rule of not being able to separate trips on one train the same day (and getting points for each ticket) would not apply in her getting the points posted on the paid ticket. Thanks!
