# Buying points



## George K (Oct 24, 2014)

I realize that I can only buy 10,000 points per calendar year. But I have some questions about that.

1) Can someone else who is an AGR member (my daughter) buy points for me? I would, of course, reimburse her. Then, next year, I can buy myself another 10K points, and she can buy 10K points for me again.

2) When (calendar year) is the best time to buy points? I got a bonus this fall, does that happen at a regular time of the year?

3) From a purely economic standpoint, is it worth it to buy points? I mean, is the cost just about the same as if you bought a ticket?


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## TinCan782 (Oct 24, 2014)

1) From the AGR website: "Members may buy or receive up to a total of 10,000 points in a calendar year (Select Executive members have no annual buy points limit)."

2) I only buy points during the bonus time period. IIRC, that occurred near the beginning of the current calendar year. Early, 2015, I'll be looking to buy points again for both of us.

3) The maximum of 10,000 points (dismissing the bonus) costs $275 ($0.0275 per point). A current reservation I hold is a 2-zone bedroom redemption for 40,000 points. At $0.0275 per point, that 40,000 points "cost" $1100. At the time I made the reservation, the cash purchase price for the same ticket was $2026. You do the math. I should add, my points purchases are with the 3000 point bonus and I also earn points from Amtrak trips, my AGR credit card and, making purchases through the shopping portal. All of that will reduce the per-point value of points that I used for the above calculation. The actual points value was probably somewhat lower than the $1100 I calculated.

Don't know how travel works with you and your daughter but, with my wife and I who almost always travel together, my points pay for the trip out and her points pay for the return (or vice versa). We now have two separate reservations/tickets so if the outbound ticket doesn't get scanned, our return ticket isn't cancelled. Also, by doing that, we avoid sharing points which involves a transaction fee. For our next LD trip, we each had more than sufficient points for one leg although in total, we had enough for the entire trip and we avoided having to share points.


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## Orie (Oct 25, 2014)

Transferring and buying points both fall into the same category. This is to prevent people from simply creating AGR accounts and buying as many as they want I imagine. Unless they are select executive, then you can buy all the points you want.


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## George K (Oct 25, 2014)

So my daughter can't buy points for me?


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## TinCan782 (Oct 25, 2014)

George K said:


> So my daughter can't buy points for me?


As I understand it, you can't exceed 10,000 points from a combination of buying or gifting. If you buy 10,000, you can't receive any more. If you buy 5,000, your daughter could then purchase for you, up to 5,000 for a total of 10k.

From the AGR website: "Members may buy or receive up to a total of 10,000 points in a calendar year."

I guess, in the end, if you are at your annual purchase limit, have your daughter attempt to buy points for you and see what happens. All they can do is refuse your request.

Another way is to "share" points from one account to another...

"Members may share up to a total of 100,000 points, in 1,000 points increments in a calendar year (Select Executive members have no annual share points limit)." There is a transfer fee associated with this.


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## George K (Oct 25, 2014)

Thanks for the insights. I guess "sharing" will be the way to go.


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## the_traveler (Oct 25, 2014)

Another way instead of "sharing" (which has a fee) is for her to have her own AGR account, buy herself the points - and then when the time comes redeem an award for you from her account. You can redeem an award for anyone, the account holder does not have to travel on that award and there is no fee that way!


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## Rail Freak (Oct 25, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> Another way instead of "sharing" (which has a fee) is for her to have her own AGR account, buy herself the points - and then when the time comes redeem an award for you from her account. You can redeem an award for anyone, the account holder does not have to travel on that award and there is no fee that way!


How much of a fee is it, Dave?

Thanx


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## George K (Oct 25, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> Another way instead of "sharing" (which has a fee) is for her to have her own AGR account, buy herself the points - and then when the time comes redeem an award for you from her account. You can redeem an award for anyone, the account holder does not have to travel on that award and there is no fee that way!


That's interesting. However, I doubt that she'd have enough points (even buying them) for anything other than a coach trip. We're looking to take a trip to DC next year - 20,000 each way in a roomette from Chicago.


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## George K (Oct 25, 2014)

Rail Freak said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Another way instead of "sharing" (which has a fee) is for her to have her own AGR account, buy herself the points - and then when the time comes redeem an award for you from her account. You can redeem an award for anyone, the account holder does not have to travel on that award and there is no fee that way!
> ...


$10 per 1000 points.


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 25, 2014)

As Dave showed Transferring Points in isnt a good idea unless you need only a few hundred or thousand points to book a reward trip! Alao remember that if you have the AGR Card you get a 5 % rebate from.AGR when you book so for example, a 20,000 Point Award Trip costs 19,000 after a 1,000 point rebate to your account after booking!

Having your a own account and using the AGR MC is the Best way to roll in Points!!!


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## the_traveler (Oct 25, 2014)

George K said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Another way instead of "sharing" (which has a fee) is for her have her own AGR account, buy herself the points - and then when the time comes redeem an award for you from her account. You can redeem an award for anyone, the account holder does not have to travel on that award and there is no fee that way!
> ...


Buy the maximum 10,000 points on 12/31/14 and 10,000 on 1/1/15 (you can buy 10K per CALENDAR year - 2014 and 2015 are different years). On 1/1/15, you now. have 20,000 AGR points!


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## TinCan782 (Oct 25, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> As Dave showed Transferring Points in isnt a good idea unless you need only a few hundred or thousand points to book a reward trip! Alao remember that if you have the AGR Card you get a 5 % rebate from.AGR when you book so for example, a 20,000 Point Award Trip costs 19,000 after a 1,000 point rebate to your account after booking!
> 
> Having your a own account and using the AGR MC is the Best way to roll in Points!!!


BUT, you must have sufficient points BEFORE you book the trip via AGR. You get the rebate after they take the points!


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## George K (Oct 25, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> Buy the maximum 10,000 points on 12/31/14 and 10,000 on 1/1/15 (you can buy 10K per CALENDAR year - 2014 and 2015 are different years). On 1/1/15, you now. have 20,000 AGR points!


Oh, yeah. I already bought my 10K this year, and I plan another 10K early next year. Actually, if my daughter buys 10K this year, and 10K next year, we can do our DC trip easily - one way on her, and one way on me!

Still trying to save up for a trip (bedroom) for me and my bride to NOLA.

Let's see...

Hmmm...

20K daughter to DC

20K me back home

That's 40...

Round trip to NOLA, 50K

Total of 70K for me to get.

Easily doable (already have 43!!)!


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## George K (Oct 26, 2014)

So, D4 got an AGR account, and she bought 10,000 points.

It was purchased using *MY* MasterCard.

So, do I get credit for the cash spent on the purchase? I mean, I will get credit for the actual dollars, but if it's spent on "Amtrak" do I get extra points to my account?


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## TinCan782 (Oct 26, 2014)

The points purchase was not from Amrak...it was from points.com. You'll just get the $1 per point on the credit card.


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## the_traveler (Oct 26, 2014)

Yes, you will earn 275 AGR points for the $275 purchase price that you spent.


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## TinCan782 (Oct 26, 2014)

BTW...on the one point vs two points on the AGR credit card... Obviously, you get 2 points per dollar for using your AGR MC for purchasing the ticket (in addition to the Amtrak points). I did discover that I got two points per dollar for using the AGR card at the official Amtrak souvenir stand at a recent National Train Day (LAUS) and when I used the card while onboard an Amtrak train (diner, cafe car, PPC) for purchasing adult beverages. Didn't have time to BYOB on a recent trip!


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## George K (Oct 26, 2014)

I'd get 275 just for the use of the MasterCard, right? IOW, if I had bought a couch, I'd get 275 (well, a cheap couch). But, if it's an Amtrak purchase, do I get ANOTHER 275?

Never mind - John answered my question.


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## the_traveler (Oct 26, 2014)

Anytime it is coded "Amtrak", you will earn 2 points per $. So besides buying tickets, it also includes purchases from the Dining Car and cafė. As explained above, you do not purchase points from Amtrak but from points.com instead. So they earn 1 per $, just like a purchase from EBay or Macy's.


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## George K (Oct 26, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> As explained above, you do not purchase points from Amtrak but from points.com instead. So they earn 1 per $, just like a purchase from EBay or Macy's.








I mean...


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## me_little_me (Oct 27, 2014)

George K said:


> So my daughter can't buy points for me?


Tell her to get an AGR M/C. My wife got 18K bonus this year w/ free companion ticket. Only have to spend $1K in first 6 months (and don't ever have to use it again). With Christmas coming up, that shouldn't be too hard. You can even help her out by having her buy some of your big purchases and then reimbursing her in cash (or better yet, you send the money directly to her Chase CC account so she never sees that portion of the bill).


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## reppin_the_847 (Oct 30, 2014)

As a fan of rail travel (and utilizing Michigan Services frequently to/from Chicago), I have benefitted greatly from the Amtrak Mastercard. Took a bunch of phone calls to make it happen, but I converted an old Chase Freedom card to the Amtrak card.


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## George K (Oct 30, 2014)

reppin_the_847 said:


> I converted an old Chase Freedom card to the Amtrak card.


ORLY?

I have a Chase Freedom Card as well, that I don't use anymore because I have the AGR MasterCard. I sent an email and was told that I could NOT transfer points. Any suggestions on how to proceed?


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## reppin_the_847 (Oct 30, 2014)

George K said:


> reppin_the_847 said:
> 
> 
> > I converted an old Chase Freedom card to the Amtrak card.
> ...


This was my situation. I had the Chase Freedom card & a Chase Slate card. I wanted to combine the two credit lines into one Amtrak card (and get rid of those other cards). At first their answer seemed to be "no". But, after some persistence & repeated calling into Chase I was able to get the job done. This is what I did per their instructions. I applied for the Amtrak card and was rejected. Then, I submitted a "reconsideration" request. I forgot the exact sequence, but during the reconsideration process, I indicated my desire to close the Freedom & Slate cards & use their past credit lines to roll up into the Amtrak card. With repeated phone calls & letters I was able to make it happen! I've been using the Amtrak card since August or September of 2012.


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## calwatch (Nov 12, 2014)

You can only transfer Ultimate Rewards points to AGR if you have one of the "premium" Chase cards that charge annual fees - Ink (Bold or Plus) or Sapphire Preferred. Fortunately both of those cards have annual fees waived for the first year. You can find links to apply for those (with 40,000 bonus points or more) through a Google search.


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## George K (Jan 5, 2015)

the_traveler said:


> Buy the maximum 10,000 points on 12/31/14 and 10,000 on 1/1/15 (you can buy 10K per CALENDAR year - 2014 and 2015 are different years). On 1/1/15, you now. have 20,000 AGR points!


And that's what we did. We got 20K points on HER account (that I paid for). I know, I should have waited (or timed) for the bonus period), but...

Now, as to worth it? Those 20K points were $550. The trip from Boston to Chicago (Roomette) is $640 (including my (Ahem) Senior Citizen discount. So, yeah, I saved $90 by buying points.

Thanks for all the tips.


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## the_traveler (Jan 5, 2015)

If you bought your 10K for 2014 late in the year, you should have received 13K! There was a 30% bonus open to everyone until 12/31/14.


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## George K (Jan 5, 2015)

the_traveler said:


> If you bought your 10K for 2014 late in the year, you should have received 13K! There was a 30% bonus open to everyone until 12/31/14.


I know, I know.... 

I didn't because she had already bought 10K in 2014, so she I couldn't do it again.


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## Bjartmarr (Jan 6, 2015)

the_traveler said:


> If you bought your 10K for 2014 late in the year, you should have received 13K! There was a 30% bonus open to everyone until 12/31/14.


Where does one find out about these bonuses? I would have bought points last year if I had known there was a bonus.


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## the_traveler (Jan 6, 2015)

The place I found out about that 30% bonus was right here on AU!  But if you sign into your AGR account, many times it's listed under the "My Promotions" tab. (However, this one was not!  )

Keep a lookout on AU - most times things are posted here!


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 6, 2015)

I just got an email offering the 30% bonus now thru 2/16/15.


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## George K (Jan 6, 2015)

AmtrakBlue said:


> I just got an email offering the 30% bonus now thru 2/16/15.


Damn!


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## Blackwolf (Jan 6, 2015)

Heads-up: Just got a brand-new offer for a 30% bonus on buying points starting as of this morning and extending through February 1st.


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 6, 2015)

Blackwolf said:


> Heads-up: Just got a brand-new offer for a 30% bonus on buying points starting as of this morning and extending through February 1st.


 Mine is thru Feb 16th. Nah, nah.


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## SarahZ (Jan 6, 2015)

AmtrakBlue said:


> I just got an email offering the 30% bonus now thru 2/16/15.


Ditto.


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## guest (Jan 6, 2015)

Predictions for the elusive 50% offer ?


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## VentureForth (Jan 6, 2015)

Where's my email!?!?!?

15,000 would put me over 50,000. 13,000 would put me close.

:wub:


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 6, 2015)

Ditto for me, I'll buy them tonite when I get home!


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## Shanghai (Jan 6, 2015)

I bought my points today.


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## George K (Jan 6, 2015)

VentureForth said:


> Where's my email!?!?!?


If you just log in, does the potential discount show?


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## jebr (Jan 6, 2015)

George K said:


> VentureForth said:
> 
> 
> > Where's my email!?!?!?
> ...


Only if you're eligible. I did not get the 30% email and I'm still at "normal" pricing on my AGR account.


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## iggy (Jan 6, 2015)

"Only if you're eligible."

Guess secret is what makes someone eligible. I made end of year purchase for 10000 with 3000 bonus. Maybe that is why I haven't received an email. Won't make another purchase until I get a bonus offer.


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 6, 2015)

And it may be a staggered emailing, so those who did not get it yet, may get it soon.


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## Slasharoo (Jan 6, 2015)

I got the 30% offer too. I got a 50% offer last year that I took advantage of, but I don't know if I should count on that again? I might wait just in case, they seem to always do an end of year 30% if I skip this one.


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## iggy (Jan 8, 2015)

Must be targeted - hasn't hit my account or inbox. Did get an Amtrak Winter sale email yesterday.


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## me_little_me (Jan 8, 2015)

iggy said:


> Must be targeted - hasn't hit my account or inbox. Did get an Amtrak Winter sale email yesterday.


Not targeted. I just went to the AGR site less than a week ago, selected buy and it offered the bonus. Posted in about 48 hours.


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## jebr (Jan 8, 2015)

me_little_me said:


> iggy said:
> 
> 
> > Must be targeted - hasn't hit my account or inbox. Did get an Amtrak Winter sale email yesterday.
> ...


It's targeted. When I go to try and purchase the points, no bonus offer is listed for me.


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## Ryan (Jan 9, 2015)

me_little_me said:


> iggy said:
> 
> 
> > Must be targeted - hasn't hit my account or inbox. Did get an Amtrak Winter sale email yesterday.
> ...


That just means you were targeted too. Like Jeb, no bonus for me.


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## Rail Freak (Jan 9, 2015)

None Here!!!


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## rile42 (Jan 11, 2015)

My friend intends to join AGR and redeem points for a trip from LA to Toledo. Let me make sure I'm correct on this. There is no way he can get 20,000 points through buying or transferring.


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## Ryan (Jan 12, 2015)

You're two weeks too late. He could have bought 10k on 12/31/14 and then 10k more now to get it.

The only way to get those kinds of points asap is to apple for a credit card with a bonus and complete the minimum spend.


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## tomfuller (Jan 12, 2015)

Just got the " pending" points for my dryer and refrigerator purchase from Sears. I now have over 27K points. I'll buy the 10K + 3K bonus at the end of the month to put me over 40K.

I'll get a 2 zone roomette from CMO to GBB and rent a car for a week (getting more points). Returning home using another 20K for a 2 zone Roomette.


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## VentureForth (Jan 13, 2015)

Just a refresher question - you don't get extra points using the AGR MC, do you?


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 13, 2015)

VentureForth said:


> Just a refresher question - you don't get extra points using the AGR MC, do you?


No. When you buy points, they're not directly from Amtrak but a third party.


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## neutralist (Jan 13, 2015)

reppin_the_847 said:


> As a fan of rail travel (and utilizing Michigan Services frequently to/from Chicago), I have benefitted greatly from the Amtrak Mastercard. Took a bunch of phone calls to make it happen, but I converted an old Chase Freedom card to the Amtrak card.


You could have keep the chase freedom and apply for the sapphire preferred. These two cards work much better that way, and you also get 2x points for Amtrak travel (you can easily convert UR points to AGR points), 2x on all public transit, parking, and car rental services.


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## calwatch (Jan 25, 2015)

The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 fee after the first year. Easily removed when you cancel but that is a fair warning.


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## Amtrak George (May 15, 2015)

Cost of Buying points?

I was considering buying the maximum allowable 10,000 points. How much will that cost me? Thanks!


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## JayPea (May 15, 2015)

10,000 points cost $275.


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## TinCan782 (May 15, 2015)

$275.00 ... go to https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/points/buy


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## me_little_me (May 15, 2015)

Amtrak George said:


> Cost of Buying points?
> 
> I was considering buying the maximum allowable 10,000 points. How much will that cost me? Thanks!


If you're not in a rush, wait until a bonus is offered.


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## tomfuller (May 15, 2015)

On 1/1/15 I had a little over 27K points. In January there was a 30% bonus offered. I paid the $275 and got 10K + 3K bonus to bring me to a little over 40K. The same day I scheduled two 20K two zone roomette trips. Unless you want to travel before the next bonus is offered, just wait until another bonus is offered.

To build up some points you can take some short trips (round trip) to get at least 100 points per trip.


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