# Can't book with new Program



## TylerP42 (Jan 25, 2016)

I can't seem to find the page to redeem. I click on the link to redeem and it sends me to the normal booking screen and asks me to pay with credit card.


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## Ryan (Jan 25, 2016)

On the normal looking screen click where it says "points".


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## TylerP42 (Jan 25, 2016)

Ryan said:


> On the normal looking screen click where it says "points".


If it was a snake it would of bit me! My bad! Didn't really "jump out" at me, so I didn't see it. Thanks!


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## Ryan (Jan 25, 2016)

Southwest's web page is very similar, so the logic was already hard wired for me.


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## tim49424 (Jan 25, 2016)

Ryan said:


> On the normal looking screen click where it says "points".


I was having the same problem and tried the solution and I get a message "*Sorry for the inconvenience. Currently there is a system issue preventing your request from being processed."*

Apparently bugs in the system are being worked out. I guess patience is key until all are fixed.


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## Big Iron (Jan 31, 2016)

I'm on the payment screen right now and do not see "points" anywhere. Payments methods are Vouchers and credit card only.

Also, I cannot find the "points estimator" on the AGR website. Can someone point me in the right direction. I'm trying to determine how many points would be need for a trip costing $934.00.00


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## Ryan (Jan 31, 2016)

You have to select "points" before you get to the payment screen.


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 31, 2016)

Big Iron said:


> I'm on the payment screen right now and do not see "points" anywhere. Payments methods are Vouchers and credit card only.
> 
> Also, I cannot find the "points estimator" on the AGR website. Can someone point me in the right direction. I'm trying to determine how many points would be need for a trip costing $934.00.00


Go back to the 1st screen that shows the trains. There are two buttons near top left Dollars / Points.


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## Big Iron (Jan 31, 2016)

AmtrakBlue said:


> Big Iron said:
> 
> 
> > I'm on the payment screen right now and do not see "points" anywhere. Payments methods are Vouchers and credit card only.
> ...


I am trying to book using the "multi-city" option and I don't see it. I do see it trying to book round trip. What I'm trying to do is book a trip departing RVR to CHI but I want to take the Cardinal west from WAS rather than taking the bus option from RVR to CVS. I'd rather wait in the Acela lounge than taking the bus.

Also, where can I find the point estimator tool on the AGR website?

Thanks, I'm trying not to be dense.


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## TinCan782 (Jan 31, 2016)

And, I discovered if you switch from dollars to points, you have to re-select your desired accomodation. If you are on dollars and select sleeper bedroom, it goes back to roomette when you switch to points!

The "Points Estimator" went away when AGR 2.0 went into effect. Wish it was still around!


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 31, 2016)

Big Iron said:


> AmtrakBlue said:
> 
> 
> > Big Iron said:
> ...


Ah. Don't fret about it (being dense). It's a new system and a lot of people are having problems navigating it. I haven't even tried to book anything with the new AGR. Maybe all the bugs will be revealed, if not fixed, by the time I do want to book something.

I think, but not sure, I read that you have to call for multi-city bookings. And I also think I read they removed the estimator tool.


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## Big Iron (Jan 31, 2016)

Thanks everyone!!! I did a test booking round trip WAS-CHI with roomette on the Card and on the CL, came to 32,155 points which would have been, IIRC, 40,000 points under the original AGR setup. Roomette on the Card and bedroom on the CL was 48,542.

That doesn't factor in the RVR-WAS round trip but that would be a nominal cash outlay.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jan 31, 2016)

Along this line, I have yet to see any option where you can combine "Cash" and Points, other than booking 1 way with Points and the other with Cash on separate reservations. If you call AGR, can they do a Cash/Points combo?


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## BCL (Jan 31, 2016)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> Along this line, I have yet to see any option where you can combine "Cash" and Points, other than booking 1 way with Points and the other with Cash on separate reservations. If you call AGR, can they do a Cash/Points combo?


Supposedly not ready yet.


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## Carolina Special (Jan 31, 2016)

They still want you to buy points for that.

Although I think it would be interesting to see people start doing their own 2.0 "Toledo Shuffle" at whatever location they run out of points...


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## Anderson (Feb 1, 2016)

The "Points Estimator" got pulled from the AGR website (probably about the time someone realized it was, in fact, not true for many trips). _However_...

https://web.archive.org/web/20151017133108/http://agr.amtrak.com/rideon/

The Wayback Machine is your friend! Feed it cookies! Click on the fifth dot down. If the points cost doesn't roughly line up with what the cash price estimate converts to there, you have a Bad Deal (since that's the baseline price).


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## Big Iron (Feb 3, 2016)

Anderson said:


> The "Points Estimator" got pulled from the AGR website (probably about the time someone realized it was, in fact, not true for many trips). _However_...
> 
> https://web.archive.org/web/20151017133108/http://agr.amtrak.com/rideon/
> 
> The Wayback Machine is your friend! Feed it cookies! Click on the fifth dot down. If the points cost doesn't roughly line up with what the cash price estimate converts to there, you have a Bad Deal (since that's the baseline price).


Thanks Anderson. I've downloaded plenty of music from the archives but have never spent much time on the wayback machine.


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## Big Iron (Dec 30, 2017)

I'm going back to the well of knowledge again. I am trying to use the multi city option to book an AGR trip and cannot determine how to pay with points? The payment section only shows credit card or voucher payment.

I am working on a RVR-NYP-CHI-WAS-RVR trip. The routing using the round trip option (where I see the button for points) only offers a too close for comfort connection from 88 to 49 of 56 minutes. I would prefer to take 164 that offer more cushion but that option does not appear. Train 164 is not sold out for my travel dates.

Thanks in advance for the help.


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## AmtrakBlue (Dec 30, 2017)

I've booked trains separately in cases like that. Used points to WAS then used either points or cash for a later regional home. If 164 gives a good cushion, then consider booking it separate from the rest.


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## Big Iron (Dec 30, 2017)

Good thinking, thanks. I'll just book 4 separate one way trips using points.


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## bratkinson (Dec 31, 2017)

You would be better off to book your trip on the phone. That way, the agent can 'tie' each reservation together so that if train #1 is running late, their computer 'knows' you are connecting to train #2 and they can make arrangements as needed. If you book them without an agent, even if train #1 is super-late, their computer doesn't know there's a connecting passenger to reaccomodate if needed.


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## Big Iron (Jan 1, 2018)

bratkinson said:


> You would be better off to book your trip on the phone. That way, the agent can 'tie' each reservation together so that if train #1 is running late, their computer 'knows' you are connecting to train #2 and they can make arrangements as needed. If you book them without an agent, even if train #1 is super-late, their computer doesn't know there's a connecting passenger to reaccomodate if needed.


Good information. A question though. Am I reading the multi-city policy a bit harshly when I understand that if you use the multi-city option that connections are not guaranteed?


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## Hotblack Desiato (Jan 1, 2018)

There is no such thing as "tying" (or "linking" or whatever) separate reservations together. An agent might be able to book all your trains in one PNR, but if they are made separately, there is nothing they can do that would make a computer automatically know that a passenger is making a connection. All they can do is put text comments on the reservation, but that really doesn't do anything unless someone (a human) is manually looking up your individual PNRs, which they wouldn't have any reason to do in 99.99% of circumstances, even if a train was late and you were at risk of missing a connection.


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