# Double/Triple Points Promotion, 3/21 - 5/21



## Ispolkom (Mar 16, 2011)

From the March 2011 issue of Amtrak Ink:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&p=1237608345018&cid=1241267284550

"Celebrate with Extra Points

Amtrak Guest Reward® members

will earn bonus points on all routes

starting on March 21. Between March 21 and May 6,

members will receive double points on

all travel.

Then, from May 7 (National Train

Day) through May 21, members will earn

triple points.

Registration is required, and certain

terms and limitations apply."


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## Ryan (Mar 16, 2011)

Nice!

Time to go ride some trains!


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## the_traveler (Mar 16, 2011)

Ispolkom said:


> Registration is required, and certain
> 
> terms and limitations apply."


This is great, *BUT* ...

There is nothing in the article or on the AGR site about how to register or what the terms and limitations are. Anyone know?


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 16, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> Ispolkom said:
> 
> 
> > Registration is required, and certain
> ...


Just got off the phone with AGR agent checking on missing points from another promo, (she took care of the problem rapido!  )she said that AmtrakInk did have the info posted here but nothing "official" yet had come to AGR. Im sure all members will get an e-mail when it gets closer to the time and well all fall all over each other signing up ASAP! :lol: :lol: :lol: Double/Triple isnt bad, lets hope Buy Points offers Bonuses this year like last year and that AGR offers the 10% rebate again in addition to the current 5% rebate Bonus!


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## amamba (Mar 16, 2011)

Did anyone else have the "boarding bonus" promotion that I have had? It is giving me double points until April 9th. I think I got it in the beginning of january. I have already racked up two roundtrip acela trips on it


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## Ispolkom (Mar 16, 2011)

Because of my work schedule, I usually don't travel the first five months of the year. The last two years that's been enough time off for Amtrak to give me a targeted three-month, triple-points promotion, which usually overlaps with the train day promotion. Sadly, I've never been able to book a quintuple points trip, combining the targeted triple points with the general triple points promotion. If only we had more than two trains a day!


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## rtabern (Mar 16, 2011)

Great news!! Especially since I just booked a quick trip on the Coast Starlight in 3 weeks. (Yes, I know, I just got back from vacation!) Flying to SEA... riding #11(09) SEA-LAX to do the detour over the Tehachapi Pass... then flying back LAX-MKE. 4 days total.


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## Cristobal (Mar 16, 2011)

rtabern said:


> Great news!! Especially since I just booked a quick trip on the Coast Starlight in 3 weeks. (Yes, I know, I just got back from vacation!) Flying to SEA... riding #11(09) SEA-LAX to do the detour over the Tehachapi Pass... then flying back LAX-MKE. 4 days total.


Has anyone ever spoken to you about your 'illness'?


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## the_traveler (Mar 16, 2011)

Cristobal said:


> rtabern said:
> 
> 
> > Great news!! Especially since I just booked a quick trip on the Coast Starlight in 3 weeks. (Yes, I know, I just got back from vacation!) Flying to SEA... riding #11(09) SEA-LAX to do the detour over the Tehachapi Pass... then flying back LAX-MKE. 4 days total.
> ...


The doctor told me



> Take 2 trains, and call me in a few days!


It didn't help, and I hope there's no cure found!


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## Anderson (Mar 17, 2011)

Nice...didn't know about this. Glad to hear I'll be getting doubled points for my "add-on" segments (ABQ-FLG and back).


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## Railroad Bill (Mar 17, 2011)

Yes, that will work well for our April trip to CLE-CHI-WAS-CLE trip. Have to watch for the registration.


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## transit54 (Mar 17, 2011)

This is great news! I have five segments already booked for that time period and three of them fall during the triple points period. And now that I have an incentive, I think I can probably manage another 4-5 segments - probably a few runs elsewhere in the state with the $12 anywhere in VT promotion and you can't beat getting 300 points for a run from Waterbury to Burlington for $7.65 with NARP discount. I'm trying to reach Select this year and this will give me yet another reason to hit the rails.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Mar 17, 2011)

While I have no long trips planned for that time period, I do believe a couple _*Heartland*_ _*Flyer*_ day trip lunch runs to FT. Worth or Dallas will be essential. I might even shove in for a trip to Austin to see how Texas Baseball is doing and if their Football is on the track to recovery for 2011 :lol:


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## Oldsmoboi (Mar 17, 2011)

Sweet! I have 3 hops scheduled for that time period with a possible 4th.


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## the_traveler (Mar 17, 2011)

transit54 said:


> I think I can probably manage another 4-5 segments - probably a few runs elsewhere in the state with the $12 anywhere in VT promotion and you can't beat getting 300 points for a run from Waterbury to Burlington for $7.65 with NARP discount. I'm trying to reach Select this year and this will give me yet another reason to hit the rails.


Don't forget that of those 300 points, only the 100 rail points count towards status!



(Bonus points normally do not count toward status.)


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## transit54 (Mar 17, 2011)

the_traveler said:


> transit54 said:
> 
> 
> > I think I can probably manage another 4-5 segments - probably a few runs elsewhere in the state with the $12 anywhere in VT promotion and you can't beat getting 300 points for a run from Waterbury to Burlington for $7.65 with NARP discount. I'm trying to reach Select this year and this will give me yet another reason to hit the rails.
> ...


No worries, I'm aware (that would be a sweet deal if they did, though)...but if I'm going to make some point runs, I might as well do it when there's a great promotion running, right?


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## Visitor (Mar 17, 2011)

Are these points awarded for travel during those dates even if the tickets are already booked and paid for?


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## transit54 (Mar 17, 2011)

Visitor said:


> Are these points awarded for travel during those dates even if the tickets are already booked and paid for?


Yes, they are.


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## the_traveler (Mar 17, 2011)

It's based on the travel date. If your travel is within the promotion dates, you earn the bonus!



It doesn't matter if you booked that day, last week, last month or 10 months ago, you still get the bonus!


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## Shanghai (Mar 17, 2011)

*How do we register?*


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## Ryan (Mar 17, 2011)

AGR hasn't announced that.

And in previous promotions, AGR has specified a range of dates that tickets need to be purchased during to qualify, however tickets purchased outside that time period have earned the bonus. HOWEVER - with AGR going in house and tightening up on the rules, I wouldn't be surprised to see those provisions enforced in the future.


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## transit54 (Mar 20, 2011)

Looks like this promotion will be officially announced tomorrow. If I log out of my AGR account (completely, to the point where it no longer shows my name on right hand side) it says:

SPRING IS HERE

A great promotion is coming soon. Start watching for it tomorrow.

No mention of it anywhere when I'm logged in, but I'm betting this is the promotion in question.


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## The Journalist (Mar 21, 2011)

It's registrable now! Hopefully I'll get some travel in during this time. Some Reno-Truckee-Reno point runs might be in order.


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## pennyk (Mar 21, 2011)

I just registered. I am looking forward to getting triple points on my first Acela trip (round trip from WAS-BOS) on May 8th.


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## WhoozOn1st (Mar 21, 2011)

Registered and ready to ride! Thanks for the scoop, Journalist.


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 21, 2011)

Registered and Ready to Ride!  Can smell the Bar-B-Q Pits cooking in Taylor up the line, all you Infidels need to come on down and eat some real Texas Bar-B-Q!!! :lol:

Hoping Buy points.com will offer the 30% Bonus they had last year and that AGR will up the rebate to 10% from 5% again! The More the Merrier as they say! :wub:


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## rrdude (Mar 21, 2011)

Weird, I was able to register myself, and my three kids for the spring promo, but when entering my wife's account number, the Spring Promo option doesn't even show up........


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 21, 2011)

rrdude said:


> Weird, I was able to register myself, and my three kids for the spring promo, but when entering my wife's account number, the Spring Promo option doesn't even show up........


Im sure you know you can Call, :help: also try logging on to AGR seperately and use her AGR # to register her, its there on the site. Worked for me!


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## the_traveler (Mar 21, 2011)

rrdude said:


> Weird, I was able to register myself, and my three kids for the spring promo, but when entering my wife's account number, the Spring Promo option doesn't even show up........


Same here!




I registered myself and my sister, but it was not on my BIL's account!



And his AGR MC sign-up bonus dropped from 32,000 points to only 12,000 points!



(I could have used those 20K!)


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## grounded flyboy (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks for the heads up on this promo. Happen to have a SWC (Chi to LA) and a TE back to St Louis during the promo period. My SWC trip straddles the double and triple points changeover day... hope they score it that way.

I've only been an AU member since the first of the year and membership has already paid for itself. I'll send my money to the_traveler and he can distribute it to all !!!!


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## Ryan (Mar 21, 2011)

grounded flyboy said:


> Thanks for the heads up on this promo. Happen to have a SWC (Chi to LA) and a TE back to St Louis during the promo period. My SWC trip straddles the double and triple points changeover day... hope they score it that way.


I believe that the points are posted based on the day that you board the train (which I think has caused some problems for people when the train originates before a bonus period starts but they board on the correct day).


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## grounded flyboy (Mar 21, 2011)

Ryan, I figured that, but it is still not the answer I wanted to get.


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## Oldsmoboi (Mar 21, 2011)

Silly question, how does one calculate how many points are earned on a given city pair? For example, I'm looking at a PGH-LAB-PGH or PGH-ALT-PGH run just for the fun of it.


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## Ryan (Mar 21, 2011)

Fare paid * 2

Minimum earn is 100 points, unless you're taking the Acela between certain city pairs.


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## Oldsmoboi (Mar 21, 2011)

Ryan said:


> Fare paid * 2
> 
> Minimum earn is 100 points, unless you're taking the Acela between certain city pairs.


So I could get 600 points for a PIT-LAB-PIT run of $17.80?


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## Ryan (Mar 21, 2011)

With the triple points, yes.


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## the_traveler (Mar 21, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> > Fare paid * 2
> ...


*YES*!


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## Oldsmoboi (Mar 21, 2011)

hmm.. I might need to book a couple "work from train" days.


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## Dovecote (Mar 21, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> hmm.. I might need to book a couple "work from train" days.


As others have said yes! Just to be clear though you must make two one way reservations to get the 600 points (300 points for each trip).


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## Oldsmoboi (Mar 21, 2011)

Good to know. Thanks guys.


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## the_traveler (Mar 21, 2011)

Dovecote said:


> Just to be clear though you must make two one way reservations to get the 600 points (300 points for each trip).


Actually, you need 2 separate tickets to get the 300 points each. And a round trip would give you 2 separate tickets anyway!





But actually you can make tickets for separate train numbers and get more points!



Such as a trip from NHV to HAR would have 1 train NHV-PHL and another train PHL-HAR. Each separate train number would earn the 100 point minimum!


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## PaulM (Mar 23, 2011)

Dovecote said:


> As others have said yes! Just to be clear though you must make *two one way* reservations to get the 600 points (300 points for each trip).


I'm pretty sure in the absence of the promotion, an A-B-A *one round trip *reservation, or a single A-B,B-C reservation on two trains would each earn 200 points. Does the promotion change the concept?


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## the_traveler (Mar 23, 2011)

You must have a ticket to take a train, so even if you book A-B-A on one reservation, you will receive 2 tickets to board each train. One will be A->B and the other will be B->A. You would get 2x or 3x for each ticket that is processed!


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## Dovecote (Mar 24, 2011)

PaulM said:


> Dovecote said:
> 
> 
> > As others have said yes! Just to be clear though you must make *two one way* reservations to get the 600 points (300 points for each trip).
> ...


The promotion would not change the concept. I was always under the impression however that you needed to make two one way reservations to secure the 100 point minimum (for each trip) when a nominal fare such as $17.80 round trip fare is involved (as mentioned by the OP). If I am wrong I stand corrected but out of habit I will continue to purchase two one way tickets whenever I make a short trip like WAS-BWI-WAS to raise my rail point total.


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## PRR 60 (Mar 24, 2011)

Dovecote said:


> ... I was always under the impression however that you needed to make two one way reservations to secure the 100 point minimum (for each trip) when a nominal fare such as $17.80 round trip fare is involved (as mentioned by the OP). If I am wrong I stand corrected but out of habit I will continue to purchase two one way tickets whenever I make a short trip like WAS-BWI-WAS to raise my rail point total.


From the AGR standpoint, a round trip reservation and two one-way reservations are exactly the same. Both would earn points for each leg subject to the 100 point minimum per leg. Booking two one way reservations is still the preferred method to provide the greatest flexibility for changes and printing tickets, but from the AGR side, it make no difference either way.


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## Dovecote (Mar 24, 2011)

PRR 60 said:


> Dovecote said:
> 
> 
> > ... I was always under the impression however that you needed to make two one way reservations to secure the 100 point minimum (for each trip) when a nominal fare such as $17.80 round trip fare is involved (as mentioned by the OP). If I am wrong I stand corrected but out of habit I will continue to purchase two one way tickets whenever I make a short trip like WAS-BWI-WAS to raise my rail point total.
> ...


This was well explained. Thanks! I will keep this in mind for short point runs in the future.


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## jis (Mar 24, 2011)

OK, one more reason to do MET - WAS RT in Acela First on NTD!  4500 points here I come! Gotta collect enough points for AU Gathering and OTOL Fest next year afterall. What is a man to do?


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