# Question about benefits



## Rodd (Feb 5, 2020)

Hi all. Confirming existing Select
Plus annual benefits are not “use it or lose it” come March 1st and that you can stack those benefits, assuming you qualify again for another year of said status. Correct?


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## the_traveler (Feb 5, 2020)

While your AGR points will continue year to year, other benefits (such as upgrade coupons) will expire at the end of February each year.


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## Rasputin (Feb 5, 2020)

the_traveler said:


> While your AGR points will continue year to year, other benefits (such as upgrade coupons) will expire at the end of February each year.



I am not sure that the end of February date is true for everyone. I have coupons that expire the end of September. Maybe it depends on your anniversary date.


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## bratkinson (Feb 5, 2020)

Upgrade and companion coupons have a specific end date clearly indicated, one year from the issue date, which may happen at various times of the year, but mostly 2/29.

Also note that your 'regular' points regardless how obtained...Amtrak travel, credit card use, double points days, etc, don't expire as long as you ride Amtrak or use you card at least once every two years, not 1/1 to 12/31, but from last activity date.

Tier qualifying points, aka TQPs, are separate from 'regular points' and do expire every January 1st, and start 'fresh start' January 1st. As there's a delay in points posting, they wait until 2/29 counting those that occurred in the prior year to get the annual total. TQPs accumulate only from Amtrak travel (but are not doubled on double days) or from multiples of $5,000 credit card spending.


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## the_traveler (Feb 5, 2020)

Yes, if your coupons are from say your credit card, it would vary. But if from status, it’s 2/28-29.


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## TinCan782 (Feb 5, 2020)

TQP's are also earned on the "Business Class" point bonus on Amtrak business class travel.


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## bratkinson (Feb 5, 2020)

FrensicPic said:


> TQP's are also earned on the "Business Class" point bonus on Amtrak business class travel.



I was pressed for time to write my reply as I had to catch a METRA train in Chicago. Only after I wrote it, did I realize I forgot the 25% business class bonus for regular and TQP points.
I also neglected to add that there's an upgrade and companion coupon issued on the anniversary of ones' obtaining the Amtrak credit card.


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## neroden (Feb 9, 2020)

It took me a long time to work out how the TQP counting worked. If you earn the correct number of TQPs during Jan 1 - Dec 1 of 2019, you get the appropriate status for (1) the remainder of 2019 if any when you hit the target, (2) all of 2020 starting the first day the points are posted, and (3) until Feburary of 2021. 

Then if you earn the correct number of TQP during Jan 1 - Dec 1 of 2020, it will renew your status until February of 2022. Got it?

Plus there's a "soft landing" (though it isn't guaranteed, it's an "undocumented bonus"). If you don't earn the correct number of TQP, then your status will be renewed *one level down* (so Select Executive -> Select Plus, Select Plus -> Select, Select -> nothing) for the next year. So if you have Select Executive through Feb 2020, earning no points in 2020 will typically give you Select Plus through Feb 2021. (I haven't tested whether it will also give you Select through Feb 2022.)

P.S. This means that the theoretically optimum status-collecting move is to spend a huge amount on Amtrak right at the beginning of January 2021, getting you Select Executive through Feb 2023, Select Plus through Feb 2024, and Select through Feb 2025. Not really practical though -- you'd have to spend about $10000 on Amtrak tickets for yourself very quickly at the start of January, which would be about 20 transcontinental trips back to back. You can theoretically reduce that to $8000 if you also put $20K on the credit card in January but the TQPs from that are credited on a six-week cycle (!?!?) so they wouldn't arrive 'till late February. I know this is ridiculous but I figured it out because I could...


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## rrdude (Feb 10, 2020)

Oh, the spare time you must have... but it _was_ interesting!


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