# AGR Rez Question



## coachseats (May 24, 2010)

Hi- just had a question about an upcoming AGR trip I have made a reservation for. The AGR rep was very helpful, but it always helps to get a second opinion from frequent AGR travelers like yourselves. I booked a RT CHI-ATL in bedrooms next month. After checking a number of dates, the best I could do was find a trip where a sleeper was available on three of the four legs of the trip, but not ATL-WAS on the way back. The AGR rep said she could go ahead and book the trip with bedrooms on three legs and then coach for ATL-WAS and then if a sleeper opened up we could change that over the phone as long as I had not printed the tickets yet. Does this sound right? She said she would make a notation on the reservation and also jot a note down to herself to check each morning since cancelled/freed up accomodations can change each day. Would they do this automatically or should I check back online every day and then call if I see a sleeper opened up? One more thing- if we do end up in coach for that one segment would we still get meals in the dining car? Do you suppose I could ask to get a small portion of the points back? Any advice/opinions welcomed! Looking forward to the trip- our first in bedrooms not roomettes or coach!


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## Guest (May 24, 2010)

How many points did they charge you and what was your routing?


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## coachseats (May 24, 2010)

Guest said:


> How many points did they charge you and what was your routing?


60,000 CHI-WAS on 29/30 and WAS-ATL on 19/20. But I do have the AGR MasterCard so I immediately got a rebate of 6000 points  I asked about it being in one or two zones since ATL is on the border between the eastern and midwest regions, but the rep politely explained even before she made the reservation that it is two zones since you are travelling across both zones not just in one with a destination on the border of the next. So, not super great value based on how creative you get, but I was making this on fairly short notice with limited travel date choices so I didn't have much room to complain.


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## AlanB (May 24, 2010)

Well my first question is why didn't they try to get you a roomette if no Bedrooms were available? Were they sold out too? It's still better than coach.

That said, yes, she is correct that if a Bedroom opens up that they can modify the reservation taking you out of coach and putting you into the Bedroom. That's provided that you haven't picked up the tickets. I'm surprised that she offered to keep checking for you and she may well do so. But I would still keep checking myself and call immediately if you see a room available.

Additionally, while they can't do it right now, if there is still an unsold H-Room two weeks out from departure, they can then grab that room for you.

If you do end up in coach, you will not get free meals in the dining car. The crew will have no way to know that you "technically" paid for a room that you didn't get.

Finally I rather doubt that you can get any points back. I could be wrong on that, but in this case you accepted the downgrade so as to take your trip. It's not like you were forced into it because you misconnected due to a late arriving train.


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## coachseats (May 25, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. Yeah- no roomettes available either, otherwise I would have gladly taken that. Good advice about looking for the H room two weeks out- I'll make myself a note to check on that and in the meantime keep checking to see if one opens up.


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## RRrich (May 25, 2010)

If it was me, I would NOT trust the AGR Rep to check for available sleepers, I would do it my self, then call AGR if I found one.

I think that it is a damn shame that because AGR has to pull you so far east due to the unavailability of Amtrak routes that they charge you for the extra zone that you didn't want to be in in the first place!

They wanted 50K points for a sleeper from OMA to CBS, both of which are in the Central Zone.


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## amamba (May 25, 2010)

Am I the only one confused about why it would be 30,000 points each way from CHI to ATL? Shouldn't it be one zone and 20,000 points because ATL is in the midwest zone (and of course eastern zone)? Or have they totally changed everything on us now and its 30,000 points because coachseats is taking the Crescent to WAS and thus traveling in an eastern zone as well?


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## the_traveler (May 26, 2010)

I too am confused somewhat. :blink:

I know they're closing loopholes (such as OMA-CBS), but why should someone be penalized for a route on the Crescent where the route only goes to the Eastern zone or to NOL (which would require an overnight not paid for by Amtrak).

By this reasoning, a trip from say BHM to PDX would have you go


BHM-ATL

ATL-WAS-TOL

TOL-CHI-WPT

WPT-PDX

I can not find how many points a 4 zone award would be. I only see 1, 2 or 3 zone awards!


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## Ispolkom (May 26, 2010)

It does look odd, though, if CHI-WAS-ATL is 20k points, and CHI-WAS is 30k. In the case you give, might they require you to get two award tickets? That was the impression I got from this thread.

I have to say, though, that coachseats' posting makes me think that they are serious about closing just about all loopholes.


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## coachseats (May 26, 2010)

Yep, the AGR rep was very upfront with the fact that CHI-ATL via WAS would be 30,000 points each way since it was traveling ACROSS two zones instead of solely WITHIN one zone, regardless of the lack of routes to make this possible. This is word for word what the Guest Rewards T&C says, so while of course I would have liked to spend less points I certainly don't feel I am being cheated out of anything, especially since she explained it first before booking the reservation. If I didn't like it I was under no obligation to book it for that amount of points. As a matter of fact, the dollar value of such a trip on fairly short notice would have been well over $1000 which I could never have afforded in cash so I'm not about to complain. I've still been checking each morning to see if a room opens up ATL-WAS but so far no luck- crossing my fingers that the H room is unsold two weeks out- I'm calling first thing that morning to check.


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## amamba (May 28, 2010)

Well coachseats, if that is the case, it truly is a shame! Up until about three months ago you would have had no problem booking ATL - CHI, via WAS, for 20,000 points each way in a bedroom. I completely understand WHY they are doing it, but it does demonstrate a shift in policy.


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## the_traveler (May 28, 2010)

So, as my example above shows, BHM to the west coast should be 4 zones. How many points are needed for 4 zones? :huh: I don't see an amount for a 4 zone award in the list!


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## Shanghai (May 29, 2010)

If you are not able to get an accommodation from ATL to WAS, I suggest you get to the ATL station early.

I traveled on the Crescent from ATL to NYP last Wednesday and the baggage checking and boarding process

was an absolute zoo. I was in a roomette so I wasn't impacted, but there needs to be some structure to the

line-up and boarding process. Also, I was surprized that we were offered dinner at 8:30pm.


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## coachseats (May 31, 2010)

Chapter 2: I have been diligently looking online every morning to see if a sleeper opens up, but so far no luck- until today! I saw a roomette was available so I quick called AGR so they could add it to our reservation, but lo and behold- they aren't open on Memorial Day! Doh!! As Homer would say. I thought about going ahead and reserving it anyways with a credit card and then calling and cancelling it tomorrow and then immediately calling AGR and seeing if they could pick it up and put it on my reservation- but I wasn't certain if this scheme would pan out or exactly how cancellations work so I decided I'd just hope it lasted until tomorrow. No such luck, checking back in tonight it is gone again. :angry: :angry: Anyone know if the cancelling plan would have worked? Oh well- back to checking again each morning as usual.


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## Ryan (May 31, 2010)

Yep, it would have worked. You could have even called Amtrak and reserved it without paying (I think that they'll hold it for a week) and then released it tomorrow while on the phone with AGR.


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## the_traveler (Jun 1, 2010)

Yes, as Ryan said, it would have worked!

A few weeks ago, I had a TOL-PGH-PHL-KIN paid reservation, but wanted to change it to an AGR award. The AGR agent said there were no BC seats from PGH to PHL. I explained I had one paid! Because I was calling on my cell phone while on the EB, I couldn't cancel it on line at that time. The AGR agent placed me on a conference call with her and an Amtrak agent. They cancelled my paid BC ticket, and the AGR agent kept the Amtrak agent on the line until the AGR agent saw it and grabbed it for me!


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 1, 2010)

coachseats said:


> I saw a roomette was available so I quick called AGR so they could add it to our reservation, but lo and behold- they aren't open on Memorial Day!


If airlines can handle requests 24/7 then Amtrak should find a way to do the same if it wants to be taken seriously. At least now I know what I can expect as I begin to build up miles with AGR. Maybe things will improve as AGR is reintegrated into Amtrak's own support systems.


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