EQM by Amtrak
 

So ok. It looks like I will be under 50 miles short of Gold at the end of the year. Am I to understand correctly that if I take an Amtrak trip from Penn Station to EWR for $29, then I will get 125 EQM, thus putting me at Gold? I want to make sure I get this right.

No. You need to buy a ticket to Boston or DC.

http://www.continental.com/CMS/en-US...spx?ItemId=109

To be more acurate you need to purchase a ticket to Boston or DC. You can actually get off the train as soon as your ticket has been taken by the train staff. Not always the cheapest EQM, but often the fastest.

If you ticket to Boston, get off in Stamford and return to New York on Metro North. If you ticket to DC, get off at Newark or EWR and return to New York on Jersey Transit.

You have to call Amtrak after you make your reservation to add your OnePass number to the record as I've found no way to do so online. Then make sure you save your boarding pass in case they screw up.

This works, or you can go to any Amtrak ticket office, give them the reservation number, and they can add your OP number.

Thanks for the tips! I'm also just 36 miles short of qualifying for Gold. This will save loads of time.

It has to be in Business Class or Acela
 

Please be sure you purhcase the business class upgrade for the train or purchase Acela. It will NOT get you any miles if it is not one of the above.

You can purchase a one way NYP-WAS and get off at Metropark or possible EWR if they collect the tickets sooner.

Be sure to keep your stub as I have never had the miles credited without sending the stub to One Pass even though my OP number was in the record. Just a glitch I guess.

Does this need to be connected to a CO flight as the web site states? Does the origination have to be EWR (or could I get EQM for my Trenton-DC trips)?

I am not sure about the business class upgrade. Continental's site says Metroliner but that has offically been discontinued. Acela has replaced it (brought back briefly when Acela was down for break problems a couple of years ago).

I would not count on the Regional train with a business upgrade counting for onepass miles unless codeshared with CO as stated in their clause. The regional train, even with an upgrade, can be close to $100 less sometimes so they have little incentive to give a premium award. Even Amtrak offers only a standard reward structure (2 per dollar spent) for travel as oppose to Acela at 500 per one way.

Acela works just fine. I just go to the ticket counter instead of the machine and have them add my number. I seriously watch them type it though as it is EXTREMELY difficult to get them to get the miles after the fact. I've had to give up once or twice.

No. If you read the website carefully, you'll see they have two options. With Option 1 (my identification) , you fly on CO and make a connection at EWR to and from a variety of stations. With Option 2, you earn miles from New York City to BOS or DC, "no connecting flight required."

OPTION 1: Earn Base Miles, Elite Qualification Miles and Elite Qualification Point(s) (on qualifying fares) per Coach or Business class segment on Amtrak when you fly on Continental and make a connection at Newark Liberty International Airport to/from any of the following Amtrak destinations: New Haven Rail Station, CT; Stamford Rail Station, CT; Philadelphia 30th Street Station, PA; Wilmington Rail Station, DE. See the chart below for codeshare mileage accrual information.

OPTION 2: Earn 500 Base Miles, 500 Elite Qualification Miles and one Elite Qualification Point per Business class segment or 750 Base Miles, 750 Elite Qualification Miles and two Elite Qualification Points per First class segment on Metroliner and Acela Express trains (no connecting flight required) between New York's Penn Station and the following train stations: Boston's South Station, MA; Boston's Back Bay Station, MA; Boston's Route 128 Station, MA; Washington D.C.