How long does it take to transfer points from Amtrak to Choice Hotels?
 

It has been 1 week since I initiated the transfer. Nothing has showed up yet at Choice Hotels, but the points are deducted from Amtrak already. I am starting to get worried.

Our friends in the Southwest forum have figured it out. Read post #113. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=747794&page=6

Additional info in the 'Other' Hotel forums; and, the Amtrak forum.

Everything depends on the day of the week. Also, last week was Thanksgiving, so this may have delayed the transfer.

A few weeks ago I did an Amtrak->Choice transfer for my wife, and it showed up on Friday morning as expected.

Early last week, I did a transfer for myself, and it did NOT show up on Friday. I'm guessing that the Thanksgiving holiday messed up the normal processing schedule, so I'm giving it until this coming Friday before I start worrying too much.

Points (between any two programs) don't take a fixed time to transfer, they only tranfser at certain times. So "how long" is the wrong question; "when" is the right question.

Amtrak transfers to Choice on Thursdays (so show up on Friday), but obviously, only Thursdays that are business days, since last week no transfers happened, and Thursday was a holiday.

FWIW, such transfers are often not simple. It's not a matter of pushing a button or running a script. Many partners transfers between themselves using physical media of some sort (tape, disc, etc) through some sort of physical delivery system. Takes people working that day at both ends to do it, and their schedule may not allow for it to be done on a different day if the day it normally happens is a holiday in a given week.

Furthermore, because it's physical media, sometimes it gets corrupted. In that case, add another week!

(I know nothing specifically about how AGR to Choice transfers happen, other than the timing. I do know that some other trnasfers between other pairs of partners definitely happen by physical media being shipped, though.)

If only all transfers were as fast as AMEX to CO. Those happen instantly.

Go to Amtrak.com---click rewards---click redeem points----click hotels---click on view details in the Choice program (it's the first on the list)---allow up to sixty days for transfer. I've been waiting for the transfer made on 11/19Good luck

Still Waiting ...
 

I initiated my transfer on November 17 and it still hasn't shown up. :(

I requested the transfer on 11/20, but no joy. so. impatient.

Oodles of other people in a Southwest thread saying the same thing this morning: Whather they transferred before or after Thanksgiving, nothing has shown up. And anyone who calls Amtrak gets the standard "8 weeks" brush-off.

So it looks like for whatever reason (could be as simple as someone on vacation) they missed another week's "window". So give it yet another week (at least) probably, unless they go through some special effort.

The main thread mentioned by Stefan Daystrom is here.

It looks like the Amtak->Choice ratio has suddenly changed from 5000->25000 to 5000->15000 (a 40% devaluation). I suggest that everyone follow developments in the main thread.

Mods, please close this thread.

When I submitted the transfer of points on November 19th it was 5000 Amtrak to 25000 Choice points---however my transactions now show only 15000 points--this was obviously changed after the transaction went through--can they get away with this? Obviously the change to fewer points was made after 11/19. Thanks

You're not reading the other threads! Alreay mentioned and expalined.

They only have one place in their database where they list the description of the award. It comes up when you order, and it also comes up in your order history. When the changed it for the purposes of coming up on your new order, it also changed the description in your order history.

In other threads, people are reporting that orders they placed a month ago and which were completeed and did transfer 5k:25k are showing the same 15k description...

Game over. The music stopped, the earth moved, the tide changed last week, and people are waiting to see where their points land. The deal between AGR and Choice came undone, leaving Choice as the bottleneck. Big transfers are not moving in or out of Choice. Points I sent from Choice on 11/24 posted as RR, but they started as Choice stays, not the "pass through" type. I mention this example to note that at least those are still moving, and that ratio is still holding. Otherwise, bets are off (or on).

The two long threads on the Southwest board are the places to watch to get informed, sorted and fixed re the Big Game. (Sorry - it is that weekend...)