# Finding Best Rates



## LPMaster (Dec 3, 2021)

A while back, we planned a trip using the old Biketrain/Amsnag website, which apparently no longer works? We are now looking to book a future trip in the spring on the CZ with friends. I randomly selected a date in May and was so excited that the rate was awesome! Unfortunately, our friends have a conflict. So I began to search other random dates and all were much higher. I even called Amtrak, and the rep also randomly selected dates…all basically the same, higher rate.

is there no way to search without going date by date? We are somewhat flexible.


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## me_little_me (Dec 3, 2021)

It's worse than that, I have found. Do too many tries in too short a time (like doing a "Back" button, changing date, then initiating a search) and suddenly Amtrak slows you WAY down. What I do is open multiple private tabs in Firefox, each with an unlogged in connection to Amtrak site, then initiate a search in each of them on successive days. I'm also doing it through a VPN.


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## willem (Dec 4, 2021)

me_little_me said:


> What I do is open multiple private tabs in Firefox, each with an unlogged in connection to Amtrak site, then initiate a search in each of them on successive days. I'm also doing it through a VPN.


Are you saying that gets around the slow-down? If so, that's useful.


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## me_little_me (Dec 4, 2021)

willem said:


> Are you saying that gets around the slow-down? If so, that's useful.


Yes. By using private tabs, the cookies in one tab are isolated from the other tabs. So the site sees it as an independent connection. You can verify it with any site you login to. In one tab, login to a site. Then open another tab and go to the same site in the SAME private tab and you will see you are logged in. Then go to that site in a different private tab and you will see that in that tab you are not logged in. Note that all sites in a private window are like being in one private tab.

As to searching Amtrak in multiple private tabs, it works the same way as sites use cookies to store all that info. So, if in one private tab, you change passengers to be two adults, when you open another private tab, you have to do the same as the default is one adult.


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## willem (Dec 4, 2021)

me_little_me said:


> [...] Then open another tab and go to the same site in the SAME private tab and you will see you are logged in. Then go to that site in a different private tab and you will see that in that tab you are not logged in. [...]


My easiest interpretation is that you're sometimes using tab when I would use window. Here is how I would phrase what I believe you are saying.

Then open another tab and go to the same site in the SAME private *window* and you will see you are logged in. Then go to that site in a different private *window* and you will see that in that tab you are not logged in.

If that interpretation is correct, then I understand and thank you.


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## me_little_me (Dec 4, 2021)

willem said:


> My easiest interpretation is that you're sometimes using tab when I would use window. Here is how I would phrase what I believe you are saying.
> 
> Then open another tab and go to the same site in the SAME private *window* and you will see you are logged in. Then go to that site in a different private *window* and you will see that in that tab you are not logged in.
> 
> If that interpretation is correct, then I understand and thank you.


NOTE - My firefox uses the wonderful Add-On called Temporary Containers. Note, it does NOT exist in Android but Firefox in Android is a crippled version compared to "Desktop" version in either Windows or Linux.

Yes, somewhat. With the Private Tabs (using Temporary Containers), the second private tab (use automatic mode and they each get a new number) has no indication that you are logged in in another tab but sometimes with private windows, the information is somewhat shared (it happens with my email). With Private tabs, they are totally isolated. I noticed that on Amtrak site, private windows are separate.

But with Private Windows, it is more difficult to go back and forth and keep track of which private window is which especially if you use full screen mode. With private tabs, both tabs are easily seen so it is easier to move back and forth.

I haven't tried it with Firefox's standard "Private Tabs" w/o the add-on.


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