# Redeeming points... How many?



## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

I'm trying to find like how many points I need for travel! I'm on the AGR site. Keep going round and round. Even got a 404 web error.


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## City of Miami (Feb 2, 2016)

Just go to Amtrak.com and put in your origin station and destination station and date and check the "points" option and it will tell you exactly how many points that trip will cost.


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

Ugh I don't have a computer. Just iPhone. Tried doing what you said and there was no mention of redeeming points or anything.


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

So I guess from now on I have to call them every time? Is this 1996 or 2016??


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## CCC1007 (Feb 2, 2016)

You could also go to a library and use their computers.


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

Ok I'll walk an hour each way to go the nearest library. Let's get real.


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## JoeBas (Feb 2, 2016)

Or go down to the telegraph office and see the dude with the arm garter and colored visor, and ask him to clack them for some info.

Seriously? There's a reason that points shouldn't work on the app? They had HOW LONG before making this change?


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

I think they should just go back to paper tickets and conductors with those punchy things. That's quicker and easier.


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

Ok tweeted Amtrak in the Twitter lol. Got immediate reply. Please call 800... I tweet back can't do online with smart phone? They tweet back just the URL for AGR. How helpful. (Sarcasm) in this day and age you should be able to do anything with a smart phone.


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## abcnews (Feb 2, 2016)

If I am on my iPhone, I alway just calculate... here is my scale...

$300 = 10,000 points $30 = 1,000 points and $600 = 20,000 points. You can get a pretty good estimate of the points needed by doing a quick calculation.

Example - if I see that a fare is about $400, I know that 10,000 points = $300, plus three 1,000 points ($30 each), so around 13,300 points needed...

I don't think a smartphone will offer the points option - just in dollars.


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## AmtrakBlue (Feb 2, 2016)

Do you have a browser on your phone? Go to Amtrak.com in the browser, go to the bottom of the page and click on Full Website. Then you can do what you would do on a computer. I just tested it and could see the points.


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## BuffaloBoy (Feb 2, 2016)

Aaaah, I am blonde, I don't understand. I am old, and I do not use a smart phone. My old computer works just fine though. You should try it


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## SarahZ (Feb 2, 2016)

BuffaloBoy said:


> Aaaah, I am blonde, I don't understand. I am old, and I do not use a smart phone. My old computer works just fine though. You should try it


Kind of hard to use a desktop computer when out and about, though. I'll keep my phone.


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## Anderson (Feb 2, 2016)

As long as you're not getting hit with a penalty fare, multiply the cash price by 34.5 (non-Acela) or 40 (Acela). Alternatively:
https://web.archive.org/web/20151017133108/http://agr.amtrak.com/rideon/#

Click the fifth dot on the left or just scroll down a ways...it's the old point estimator from when they first rolled this out, which (with variable accuracy) will give you a point pice.


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

Well it's just as we feared. Points can only be redeemed by phone or desktop or laptop.

You can use app only to purchase tix!

Come on Amtrak. It's 2016. I can order a pizza. Send money to friends around the world. Get an uber ride. Pay bills electronically. Even make paid reservations all by smart phone but not redeem points? #darkages lol


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## Anderson (Feb 2, 2016)

Don't you just love the simpler, easier-to-use system?

FWIW, what about not using the app? You should be able to pull up Amtrak.com on a straight smartphone browser and use that.


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## BLOND37 (Feb 2, 2016)

Well yea you can do that but it's hard using a full site on smart phone. I know I know. Stop my whining lol


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## City of Miami (Feb 2, 2016)

This is so totally Amtrak's fault, right? Everything is, so what else is new. Amtrak just this week enabled us to redeem points on line and immediately get thrown shade because phones can't do it too. Can't win. Is this the whipping boy syndrome?


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## SarahZ (Feb 2, 2016)

BLOND37 said:


> Well yea you can do that but *it's hard using a full site on smart phone*. I know I know. Stop my whining lol


So use your phone to call them.


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## PerRock (Feb 2, 2016)

So I just attempted to "buy" tickets on the mobile site ( m.amtrak.com ) and found out that their mobile website purchasing system seems to be completely bugged.

1) The 'One-Way' and 'Round-Trip' buttons don't do anything really, you still have to purchase your tickets one-way.

2) If you use the Calendar icon




to select your departure dates the system dumps in the dates in an incorrect format, which returns an error when you try to look up available trains.

3) If the system gives you a service or station advisory (there is one for Chicago, so chances are you'll get one) you can't actually go "Back" (yes there is a button) to your ticket choices; you have to restart

4) I don't see a way to do anything with AGR; on the Amtrak website (there is a link on the main page to the AGR site)

5) Not to mention the website in general is so horribly designed a 5yo with a crayon could do better.

I gave up before selecting a train so who knows what else is wrong.

peter


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## AmtrakBlue (Feb 3, 2016)

PerRock said:


> So I just attempted to "buy" tickets on the mobile site ( m.amtrak.com ) and found out that their mobile website purchasing system seems to be completely bugged.
> 
> 1) The 'One-Way' and 'Round-Trip' buttons don't do anything really, you still have to purchase your tickets one-way.
> 
> ...


I was referring to the full website, not the mobile website. The phone automatically takes you to the mobile site. At the bottom there's a link to the full site. The full site is not easy to use on a phone because of the size of the screen.


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## JoeBas (Feb 3, 2016)

City of Miami said:


> This is so totally Amtrak's fault, right?


Whose fault would you suggest it is, that a months-ahead-of-time well-publicized change to your core points program is not implemented in your official app? The app fairy?


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## OlympianHiawatha (Feb 3, 2016)

These "so-called" smart phones are by no means a substitute for a desktop or even laptop computer. I have found things that take several frustrating minutes to try and complete on an Android can be done in 2 seconds on the main computer; so any extensive on-line work I have to do, including travel arrangements, gets done on the PC.


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## jebr (Feb 3, 2016)

JoeBas said:


> City of Miami said:
> 
> 
> > This is so totally Amtrak's fault, right?
> ...


Considering the old program was also not really implemented in the app, it's no one's fault.

Would it be nice? Sure. But it seems like lunacy to fault Amtrak for not putting functionality in that the old program didn't have and the new program didn't advertise as having.


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## me_little_me (Feb 3, 2016)

SarahZ said:


> BuffaloBoy said:
> 
> 
> > Aaaah, I am blonde, I don't understand. I am old, and I do not use a smart phone. My old computer works just fine though. You should try it
> ...


Still living in the dark ages using a so-called "smart" phone that can't do anything as well as a PC? Carry the PC with you! It just takes a longer cord and ethernet cable and it only counts as one carry-on if you have the small form factor desktop.


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## BALtoNYPtraveler (Feb 8, 2016)

People do complain a lot. Between the following methods:

1. Phone app, 2. Phone website usage, 3. PC website usage, 4. Seeing an agent in person in a station, and 5. Calling an agent on the phone...

I think anything can be done. I have used all of those except maybe (2.) People forget that actually talking to a person, meaning in person at a station or on the phone if you have access to ANY phone at all, can get you ANYTHING ticket-related or account-related you need. I have always found the phone agents to be immediately available, extremely helpful and efficient, and polite. They get things done faster than I can finish asking for it. They have helped me out of jams when I flaked and and thought my train was at 8, but it was really at 6 and I didn't remember that until ten minutes before. I cannot complain. I have found the best and most efficient service is found by talking to a person at the desk or on the phone.


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## JoeBas (Feb 8, 2016)

Wait until talking to one costs $20...


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