# AGR fall promotion



## jdcnosse (Jul 21, 2012)

Just curious as to when the fall promotion will start, and whether or not it'll be something like last years's 50% extra deal...


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## the_traveler (Jul 21, 2012)

If you're talking about traveling, there is usually a 2x point bonus around the time of the Gathering in October. If you're talking of Buy Points, who knows?




Last year was the first time (that I'm aware of) that it was 50%!


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jul 21, 2012)

It's a crap shoot but usually just after you've maxed out on buying Points for the year, you can be sure a better offer will quickly come along. On the other hand, if you've already booked and paid for tickets and a 2 or 3x Promo comes up for your travel time, then you're automatically all set, provided you register for the Promo.


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## SubwayNut (Jul 22, 2012)

When the spring promo happened this year I was sitting on a train checking email on my iPhone quickly opened AGR and registered from the mobile site!


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## Acela150 (Jul 22, 2012)

Last year it was the 3rd week of September to the Day before Thanksgiving.. Smart business move there.. Although it would have been better off to go through the Holiday period to convince passengers to sign up for the program. Just saying.


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## benjibear (Jul 22, 2012)

Acela150 said:


> Last year it was the 3rd week of September to the Day before Thanksgiving.. Smart business move there.. Although it would have been better off to go through the Holiday period to convince passengers to sign up for the program. Just saying.



The promotions are to encourage people to ride. Amtrak is already packed Thanksgiving weekend and probably do quite well in December.


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## the_traveler (Jul 22, 2012)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> 1342916077[/url]' post='381834']It's a crap shoot but usually just after you've maxed out on buying Points for the year, you can be sure a better offer will quickly come along.


Well, I hope that you and others maxed out for the year, because I'm still waiting for the better offer to come along!


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## pennyk (Jul 22, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> OlympianHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> > 1342916077[/url]' post='381834']It's a crap shoot but usually just after you've maxed out on buying Points for the year, you can be sure a better offer will quickly come along.
> ...


I am hedging my bets. I bought 5,000 points with 30% bonus and am hoping to buy another with 50% bonus.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jul 22, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> OlympianHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> > 1342916077[/url]' post='381834']It's a crap shoot but usually just after you've maxed out on buying Points for the year, you can be sure a better offer will quickly come along.
> ...


I am but in a few hours I'll be stepping on board the _*Heartland Flyer*_ to begin consuming some of those miles on a nice 2 Zone to Seattle


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## Acela150 (Jul 22, 2012)

benjibear said:


> Acela150 said:
> 
> 
> > Last year it was the 3rd week of September to the Day before Thanksgiving.. Smart business move there.. Although it would have been better off to go through the Holiday period to convince passengers to sign up for the program. Just saying.
> ...


Yes the promotions are to encourage people to ride. Amtrak is packed during Thanksgiving but it would also encourage passengers to sign up for the rewards program. So when they ride during the holiday season.. They get double points. Why not?


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## jdcnosse (Jul 23, 2012)

Well hopefully it is a 50% buy points offer, I gotta travel home for the christmas holiday and I sure wouldn't mind paying only $275 for the points for a one zone roomette for two people lol


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## jdcnosse (Aug 13, 2012)

Just got an E-mail from AGR. 30% bonus when you buy points from now until Sept 30th. Just what I was waiting for, because I have about 2800 points, so I only need 12200 more


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## the_traveler (Aug 13, 2012)

I know many have been waiting (including me) for a 50% bonus, but I personally rather doubt that there will be another bonus this year! I myself would rather get 30% than to get -0-% more!


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## TimePeace (Aug 13, 2012)

Yeah I got the email too. I guess there is no point in holding out for 50% now. I'm gonna go for it before Sept 30.


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## boxcar479 (Aug 13, 2012)

Last year didn't they run two 30% buy points promotions, and then do a 50% buy points promotion before the second 30% was over? If not I thought the 50% promo came right on the heels of a 30% promo :help:


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## the_traveler (Aug 13, 2012)

But in 2012, haven't they already had 2 offers of 30% - and this will be the 3rd?


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## jdcnosse (Aug 13, 2012)

I would totally hold out for the 50% deal, but I doubt they'll do another deal this year...unless they're just doing more 30% off ones (instead of one 50% deal)


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## dlagrua (Aug 13, 2012)

jdcnosse said:


> I would totally hold out for the 50% deal, but I doubt they'll do another deal this year...unless they're just doing more 30% off ones (instead of one 50% deal)


I'll hold steadfast until the 50% offer is repeated BUT the 30% bonus now goes to the end of Sept 2012. I would say that its probably a 50/50 shot at best that the 50% bonus will repeat but who knows? Since the points requirements have skyrocketed this year for AGR trips, I feel it necessary to get more points for my money. I'll hedge my bet that towards year end Amtrak will need to raise revenue and repeat the offer. We will see.


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## jdcnosse (Aug 14, 2012)

dlagrua said:


> jdcnosse said:
> 
> 
> > I would totally hold out for the 50% deal, but I doubt they'll do another deal this year...unless they're just doing more 30% off ones (instead of one 50% deal)
> ...


I would wait with you, but I unfortunately can't wait too long...Christmas-time books up quick.


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## the_traveler (Aug 14, 2012)

Just keep in mind that last year was the *FIRST* time *EVER* (that I remember since AGR began) that a 50% bonus was offered! I personally would not count on it!


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 14, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> Just keep in mind that last year was the *FIRST* time *EVER* (that I remember since AGR began) that a 50% bonus was offered! I personally would not count on it!


Maybe _you_ should keep in mind that a 50% bonus at 2012 award rates is not all that different from a 30% bonus at 2011 award rates.


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## the_traveler (Aug 14, 2012)

Texas Sunset said:


> 1344964500[/url]' post='387237']
> 
> 
> the_traveler said:
> ...


That seemed like a personal attack with the italicized "_you_", but I will not play your game. I'll just say that I always redeem Roomette awards, and they (and coach awards) have not increased from last year, so it *IS* very different from the 50% of last year. (It's 20% less that i get, but I still pay for an award the same amount of points that I paid last year!)


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## Devil's Advocate (Aug 14, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> Texas Sunset said:
> 
> 
> > 1344964500[/url]' post='387237']
> ...


It's not my game so much as it's Amtrak's game. And, to be fair, most of the airlines play the same runaway inflation game themselves. I'm simply drawing attention to the fact that a 50% bonus isn't quite what it used to be in many situations.



the_traveler said:


> I'll just say that I always redeem Roomette awards, and they (and coach awards) have not increased from last year, so it *IS* very different from the 50% of last year. (It's 20% less that i get, but I still pay for an award the same amount of points that I paid last year!)


That sentence is very confusing to me. For one thing coach class on some routes did in fact go up, by as much as 30-50%. So did Business and First Class. Of the three main bedroom types only _one_ did not increase. But I suppose if we choose to focus entirely on how you travel and _only_ how you travel then nothing has changed after all.


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## the_traveler (Aug 14, 2012)

Yes, some award rates on rooms (Bedrooms and Family Rooms), Special Routes and AE travel did rise in April, but 1, 2 and 3 zone coach and 1, 2 and 3 zone BC awards and Roomette or H-Room awards did not rise at all! Just looking at 1 sleeping car, 6 room rates did rise but 14 did not at all. Thus 65% of the car is still the same cost in points! And on a train with 2 sleepers, over 90% of the seats and rooms are the same award rate!





So it's not "just me"! And I bet if you poll most of the members on AU, I think you'll find many others who redeem Roomette awards also - so their award levels did not rise either!





And I won't post in this thread again.


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## jdcnosse (Aug 15, 2012)

I'm just going to throw my two cents in there, and say that perhaps they also did the 50% bonus to get more people to ride...after all Amtrak did seem proud of the 30 million riders it accomplished last year...maybe that was part of it. I would love another 50% bonus...but seeing as buying points is already a heck of a lot cheaper the paying full-fare for a sleeper accommodation, I really doubt they'd do it too often...I feel like they'd lose too much money on it...and as we all know, Amtrak (at least the LD trains) are always losing money unfortunately.

That's what transportation is. A big money pit. Too bad we don't have teleportation devices yet haha


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