# Reaching status using long distance only



## NativeSon5859 (Oct 20, 2018)

I’m ridiculously close to Select Plus and I live in an area that is only served by long distance trains (NOL). I’m wondering how common this is? I figure it’s pretty easy to attain if you live in areas with frequent corridor service and are on the go for business. Could I be the only person in the state of Louisiana with Select Plus, when I pass that mark next month? Ha.


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## pennyk (Oct 20, 2018)

I live in Florida and travel almost exclusively on long distance trains. I am Select Executive and have been for several years.


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## Palmetto (Oct 20, 2018)

On the passenger manifest, is a passenger's status noted?


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## RichieRich (Oct 20, 2018)

deleted


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## J-train (Oct 20, 2018)

This is my understanding:

1000 TQPs/$5000 charged from AGR card.

At most 4000 TQPs/year from AGR card.


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## bratkinson (Oct 20, 2018)

J-train said:


> This is my understanding:
> 
> 1000 TQPs/$5000 charged from AGR card.
> 
> At most 4000 TQPs/year from AGR card.


That's what it is. Interestingly, for me, I get the 1K TQPs about 5 weeks after the billing cycle that put me past the next $5,000 multiple. One would think it would come from Bank of America when the CC is billed, but apparently it's AGR making the posting, as BofA sends them the total dollars spent one each and every bill.


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## RichieRich (Oct 21, 2018)

deleted


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## lordsigma (Oct 21, 2018)

I do northeast corridor travel and get some points from that, but I reached select plus this year mainly from doing some LD trips (all sleeper) - one way on the Star Columbia SC to WAS, two ways on the Crescent (NYP to Atlanta , Atlanta back to WAS) and I just actually hit Select Plus last week for one way on Auto Train (my return trip on the AT hasn’t been added in yet.) I got tons of total points from the AT especially because of the double days promotion currently going on.

Because of double days I’ll probably get 6600 points from this AT round trip (half TQPs)


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## lordsigma (Oct 21, 2018)

The LD trains give you a lot of points especially if you travel in sleeper. If you are only travelling on corridors shorter distances you have to be a very frequent traveler to get the same amount of points. As an example I'd have to do 3 round trips from Springfield (my local station) to Washington to get the amount of points I got from one leg of my recent Florida trip using the auto train. I mostly travel for personal reasons and not for business so I would not have gotten Select Plus (or even Select probably) if I didn't do my long distance trips this year and my one Acela first class ride that I did.


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## NativeSon5859 (Oct 21, 2018)

This year in the sleeper I’ve done NOL-WAS, NOL-CHI round trip, PDX-CHI, EMY-CHI, LIT-CHI, and CHI-CVS. I have three more sleeper segments and one Acela coming up during the double day’s promotion. Select Plus (assuming I make it) will be nice to have also since they are building a United Club in the new New Orleans airport.


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## scrollmaster (Dec 27, 2018)

NativeSon5859 said:


> This year in the sleeper I’ve done NOL-WAS, NOL-CHI round trip, PDX-CHI, EMY-CHI, LIT-CHI, and CHI-CVS. I have three more sleeper segments and one Acela coming up during the double day’s promotion. Select Plus (assuming I make it) will be nice to have also since they are building a United Club in the new New Orleans airport.


I live in Monroe, LA area and reached Select Plus. My closest train station is over 130 miles away. It is a bit more difficult on LD travel only. I would love Select Executive but still need 8043 TQP's. I made it to Select Plus by traveling a good bit, the 4000 TQP's for spending, and maximizing the use of purchases on my AGR cards. But that is a double edge sword because when redeeming points for travel it earns no TQP's. Wife and I travel so much by points we earn that doubt making SE is in our forcast.


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## bratkinson (Dec 27, 2018)

As evidenced by previous posters, making AGR status levels with LD trips is doable.  It just takes more trips and money to do so.  It would sure be nice if LD first class (when's the last time they called it 'first class'?) had a 25-50% TQP add on like business/first class do.

Living in New England, I usually travel business class to get the extra 25% 'bump' in TQPs (and regular points) to speed my progress to the next level.  With their first time ever (if memory serves) double TQP days last July & August, I tossed in a couple of LD trips as well and made it to Select Executive.  I even did a couple of Acela first class trips to get a 50% TQP bump.


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## BCL (Dec 31, 2018)

Old topic, but at this point being near a corridor route doesn't necessarily make it easier any more.  It was when there was a 100 point per segment minimum.  However, I wasn't solely about the points, and I bought regular multi-ride tickets where a $108 10-ride ticket would yield me 216 points.  Or I could spend $180 dollars on 10 separate one-way tickets and get 1,000 points (or more if I split them up using multi-city).  There were some discounts I used that apparently have gone away, like the 25% Levi's Stadium discount that seemed to work on most days with or without an event.  Or one 50% discount.  But those made getting points cheaper because I'd still get the same amount of points.

Right not it's going to cost $5,000 to get those points to make Select Plus unless there are bonus TQPs.  And when I had it I never used an Amtrak lounge and only used a United Club once.


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## jis (Dec 31, 2018)

Acela First Class and Business Class bonus TQPs are available only in corridor trains and on very few LD trains. So being near a corridor has still some advantages. The old 100 points per segment was very usable on LD trains, so that was not a corridor specific advantage.


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## VTTrain (Jan 1, 2019)

jis said:


> The old 100 points per segment was very usable on LD trains, so that was not a corridor specific advantage.


Usable, but with much less frequency.


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## jis (Jan 1, 2019)

VTTrain said:


> Usable, but with much less frequency.


So what would stop me from traveling between Orlando and Kissimmee back and forth every day for as many days as I want and have the time for? Admittedly it is hard to do it multiple times a day. But one could still do multi-segment Orlando - Kissimmee - Tampa and back every day until one has had his or her fill of points. Just an example


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## VTTrain (Jan 1, 2019)

jis said:


> So what would stop me from traveling between Orlando and Kissimmee back and forth every day for as many days as I want and have the time for? *Admittedly it is hard to do it multiple times a day.* But one could still do multi-segment Orlando - Kissimmee - Tampa and back every day until one has had his or her fill of points. Just an example


The highlighted portion of your quote makes my point.


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## Ryan (Jan 1, 2019)

Given that there was a limit of four 100-point segments per day, you’re not missing out on a lot when you “only” do two.


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## jis (Jan 1, 2019)

VTTrain said:


> The highlighted portion of your quote makes my point.


Actually it makes my point more than yours because of the four segments per day limit [emoji57]


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## VTTrain (Jan 1, 2019)

jis said:


> Actually it makes my point more than yours because of the four segments per day limit


Let me make it very simple.  Someone living along the Northeast Corridor is going to have an easier time getting segments than someone on a long distance route.  The corridor offers greater frequency which means that there are more potential runs at more convenient times.  That is all.


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## jis (Jan 1, 2019)

Of course. All that I said was that if one is insistent one could do the max segments per day in some places on the LD network. Do you disagree with that?


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## VTTrain (Jan 1, 2019)

jis said:


> Of course. All that I said was that if one is insistent one could do the max segments per day in some places on the LD network. Do you disagree with that?


You specifically stated that the 100 points﻿ per segment rule was “not a corridor ﻿specific advantage﻿.﻿”

I disagree with that assertion for the reasons set forth above.  Someone living in Baltimore had an advantage over someone living in Whitefish, for sure.


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## jis (Jan 1, 2019)

It is not corridor specific because it is usable outside a corridor. To make that assertion I have to shows you just one example which I did. 

Admittedly there are more opportunities to use it in corridors. I have never contested that. Nor did I assert that it is effectively usable everywhere off corridors. But if you wish to carry on, be my guest. I am done. [emoji57]


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## VTTrain (Jan 1, 2019)

jis said:


> It is not corridor specific because it is usable outside a corridor.


Had you merely said that we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  But what you actually said was that the “*usability*” of the 100 point  per segment rule was not a “corridor specific *advantage.*”  

Try telling that to the guy living in Detroit Lakes, MN or Hastings, NE.


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## benale (Jan 1, 2019)

Under the old AGR I would make two round trips from Harrisburg to Elizabethtown in one day during Double Days. $11 r/t 400 points and my select bonus. I amassed quite a few points back then.


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## BCL (Jan 1, 2019)

benale said:


> Under the old AGR I would make two round trips from Harrisburg to Elizabethtown in one day during Double Days. $11 r/t 400 points and my select bonus. I amassed quite a few points back then.


Cheapest points I’ve ever gotten was for a Capitol Corridor weekend 50% off special on a Sunday morning.  $12 for RIC-EMY-SFC-EMY-RIC.  Scheduled time was less than 2-1/2 hours, even with a half hour at the Ferry Building where I got coffee at Blue Bottle and bread at Acme.  It would have been cheaper ($10.50) starting in Berkeley, but I would have run the risk of not getting scanned.


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## jebr (Jan 1, 2019)

VTTrain said:


> Had you merely said that we wouldn’t be having this discussion.  But what you actually said was that the “*usability*” of the 100 point  per segment rule was not a “corridor specific *advantage.*”
> 
> Try telling that to the guy living in Detroit Lakes, MN or Hastings, NE.


Except there are plenty of examples where someone could relatively easily earn 200-400 points a day solely on long distance trains. Basically anywhere that you could do a same-day turn on Amtrak, you could earn 200 points. If there were two train numbers (say, 8 and 28,) you could get 400 points in a day just by doing a split ticket on those trains and going two stops. For example, someone going from MSP - WIN could do MSP - RDW 8, RDW - WIN 28, WIN - RDW 7, and RDW - MSP 27 for under $50 on low bucket with the multi-city tool. That's solely long-distance service, all generally during waking hours, and while there's a long layover in Winona there's a small bus system Monday - Saturday that can get you around to explore the town, go to a restaurant, coffee shop, or whatever. There's certainly tighter connections that could be done elsewhere along the routes. It was certainly "very usable" along at least parts of the long distance routes, so it's fair to say that it wasn't a corridor-specific advantage.


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## VTTrain (Jan 1, 2019)

jebr said:


> Except there are plenty of examples where someone could relatively easily earn 200-400 points a day solely on long distance trains. Basically anywhere that you could do a same-day turn on Amtrak, you could earn 200 points. *If there were two train numbers* (say, 8 and 28,) you could get 400 points in a day just by doing a split ticket on those trains and going two stops. For example, someone going from MSP - WIN could do MSP - RDW 8, RDW - WIN 28, WIN - RDW 7, and RDW - MSP 27 for under $50 on low bucket with the multi-city tool. That's solely long-distance service, all generally during waking hours, *and while there's a long layover* in Winona there's a small bus system Monday - Saturday that can get you around to explore the town, go to a restaurant, coffee shop, or whatever. There's certainly tighter connections that could be done elsewhere along the routes. It was certainly "very usable" along at least parts of the long distance routes, so it's fair to say that it wasn't a corridor-specific advantage.


 My point was, and remains, that living along the corridor makes this easier to accomplish.   That’s all.


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## Anderson (Jan 5, 2019)

You mean that having multiple daily trains makes it easier to use them?

*faints from shock*


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## VTTrain (Jan 6, 2019)

Anderson said:


> You mean that having multiple daily trains makes it easier to use them?
> 
> *faints from shock*


Only on Amtrak Unlimited would that be debated.


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## Ryan (Jan 6, 2019)

That isn’t what was debated. Your (false) claim that it was a corridor specific advantage (it isn’t, as it provided an advantage to many off-corridor people, with examples provided) is what was debated.


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## cpotisch (Jan 6, 2019)

VTTrain said:


> Anderson said:
> 
> 
> > You mean that hav﻿ing multiple daily trains makes it easier to use them?
> ...


So just making sure I understand, you joined 34 days ago, and you are now declaring that AU is the only place where that point would be debated, even though it was never actually debated. Cool. hboy:


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## jebr (Jan 6, 2019)

Posts that were considered personal attacks (and conversation that built off of those) have been hidden.


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## VTTrain (Jan 6, 2019)

Call me stubborn, but I’m going to stick with my belief that it’s easier for someone who lives along the corridor to accrue segments than someone who lives in Yuma, AZ - even if I’ve only been here for 34 days.


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## Ryan (Jan 6, 2019)

Nobody is arguing otherwise.


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## VTTrain (Jan 6, 2019)

Ryan said:


> Nobody is arguing otherwise.


Good to know.


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## Steve4031 (Mar 2, 2019)

With the 100 points per segment rule I took more short trips such as Chicago to Joliet RT or Chicago to Mendota RT.  Each segment was well below the 50 dollar cost that would normally make 100 points.  

With the agr 2.0 there is no benefit to taking these short trips.  One is still going to be required to spend 5,000 dollars to make select plus. I don’t like riding horizon or amflleet cars that much so I will focus on long distance trips where I can book roomettes.  From Chicago I’ll book a couple of round trips to msp in a roomette.


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## jis (Mar 2, 2019)

Unless you take short business class trips, in which case you can get it for somewhat less than $5000, something that you can't pull off with Sleepers of any kind.


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## cpotisch (Mar 2, 2019)

jis said:


> Unless you take short business class trips, in which case you can get it for somewhat less than $5000, something that you can't pull off with Sleepers of any kind.


Having to spend $4,000 on Business Class is also a bit high.


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## jis (Mar 2, 2019)

cpotisch said:


> Having to spend $4,000 on Business Class is also a bit high.


I have no position on whether it is high or low, since it really is no ones birthright to get status on Amtrak, nor will they die or fall ill if they don't get it, or something like that. As long as a credible number of people are able to make it, all is good. That's how business works.


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## cpotisch (Mar 2, 2019)

jis said:


> cpotisch said:
> 
> 
> > Having to spend $4,000 on Business Class is also a bit high.
> ...


My point was that it's at least as difficult to spend $4K on Business Class as it is to spend $5K on sleepers.


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## Ryan (Mar 2, 2019)

Actually, it's about 80% as difficult.


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## cpotisch (Mar 2, 2019)

Ryan said:


> Actually, it's about 80% as difficult.


That would only be correct if Business Class was available on the same routes as sleepers and was comparable in cost. But because BC is mainly available on short distance routes and is a much cheaper option, it takes MANY more trips to reach that $4,000.


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## jis (Mar 2, 2019)

I would actually recommend Acela First Class as the most time efficient way to get AGR status. Just five or less RTs BOS-WAS will likely get you there, and if done right will likely take just five days.

Remember, AGR was created to be competitive with the airlines. The rest it just sort of tagged along.


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## benale (Mar 3, 2019)

AGR 1 with the 100 point minimum enabled me to rack up a lot of points. During Double Days I would spend $11.04 rt from Harrisburg to Elizabethtown Pa and receive 450 points with my Select bonus. With AGR 2 if I did the same trip during Double Days I would receive 87 points. As another poster pointed out there is no reason to take short trips to accumulate points.


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## jis (Mar 3, 2019)

benale said:


> AGR 1 with the 100 point minimum enabled me to rack up a lot of points. During Double Days I would spend $11.04 rt from Harrisburg to Elizabethtown Pa and receive 450 points with my Select bonus. With AGR 2 if I did the same trip during Double Days I would receive 87 points. As another poster pointed out there is no reason to take short trips to accumulate points.


Since that was a major reason to go to AGR 2.0, i.e., to make it harder to pile up AGR points and extracting more money for the points, that should be no surprise to anyone.

The reason AGR 1.0 had the minimum 100 points is mainly because airlines then had minimum 500 points, and AGR was one of the things that Amtrak created to make NEC service competitive with airlines. Back then you could convert AGR point to airline miles and vice versa, again to gain feature parity with airlines. That I believe went away during the United-Continental merger, while simultaneously Amtrak basically won the battle for NEC traffic, thus reducing the need to be more like airlines. Now that 100 minimum is more or less meaningless on the NEC given the fares, and so it is gone bye bye.

I am not defending AGR 2.0. I am speculating about the thought process that went behind it.


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