# The Double Points Fall Promotion is back!



## The Metropolitan

Ok, I guess I jumped the gun on my last post about Double Points just being for Cascades - just visited the AGR homepage, and I saw my beloved banner ad on the bottom for Double Points for all trips taken 9/17 to 12/14.

Very good news for me, as I have somewhere around 2700 points worth of trips still to be taken - now it looks like I might have to book a few more!!!! LOLZ!!! :lol:


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## Trogdor

Thanks for alerting me. Great timing! The promotion starts September 17, and I take a nice long trip on the Empire Builder starting September 19. So, that'll turn my 2500-point trip into a 5000-point trip.

Too bad those point's don't qualify for Select/Select Plus status (not yet, anyway). If they did, I'd make Select Plus by the end of the month. Now I'll still be about 1500-2000 points away. Certainly doable, especially considering the few Milwaukee round-trips I'll be taking.


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## RailFanLNK

My girlfriend has applied for the new Chase AGR Credit Card. If we don't have the card by the get together in October, will she still get awarded the double points after she recieves the credit card? Is this strictly points awarded to you AGR account regardless if you have gotten the new CC and that you are a new AGR member?

Al


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## PRR 60

rail rookie said:


> My girlfriend has applied for the new Chase AGR Credit Card. If we don't have the card by the get together in October, will she still get awarded the double points after she receives the credit card? Is this strictly points awarded to you AGR account regardless if you have gotten the new CC and that you are a new AGR member?
> Al


The double points promotion is not connected to the credit card roll-out. It applies to any member, new or old, who signs up. Just go to the AGR web page, sign in, click on the promotion, hit the registration button, and you are in.


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## wayman

The Metropolitan said:


> Ok, I guess I jumped the gun on my last post about Double Points just being for Cascades - just visited the AGR homepage, and I saw my beloved banner ad on the bottom for Double Points for all trips taken 9/17 to 12/14.
> Very good news for me, as I have somewhere around 2700 points worth of trips still to be taken - now it looks like I might have to book a few more!!!! LOLZ!!! :lol:


Awesome! It's a little unclear on one key detail:

a ) "Travel between September 17 and December 14, 2007 (excluding November 20 through November 27, 2007) will qualify"

b ) "Make your reservation for travel between September 17 and December 14, 2007"

Does (b ) imply that "this offer applies for only to _reservations_ made between those dates (which are also for travel between those dates)"? Or is the only restriction on this promotion much looser, applying just to "travel between those dates (regardless of when the reservation was made)"? (That's how (a) reads, pretty unambiguously to me.)

This is important for me as last and this week, I just made a lot of reservations for travel within that date range. I'm hoping I don't have to cancel and rebook, which would be a nuisance.

(Also, there's now a link for the Chase card. But there's no way I can apply now, and get the card in time to rebook using it. No worries, I'll be taking Amtrak plenty often enough in the future  )


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## wayman

wayman said:


> The Metropolitan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, I guess I jumped the gun on my last post about Double Points just being for Cascades - just visited the AGR homepage, and I saw my beloved banner ad on the bottom for Double Points for all trips taken 9/17 to 12/14.
> Very good news for me, as I have somewhere around 2700 points worth of trips still to be taken - now it looks like I might have to book a few more!!!! LOLZ!!! :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome! It's a little unclear on one key detail:
> 
> Or is the only restriction on this promotion much looser, applying just to "travel between those dates (regardless of when the reservation was made)"?
Click to expand...

Heh. Should've called AGR before posting, not after  It's "travel between those dates (regardless of when the reservation was made)". Hooray!


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## AlanB

PRR 60 said:


> rail rookie said:
> 
> 
> 
> My girlfriend has applied for the new Chase AGR Credit Card. If we don't have the card by the get together in October, will she still get awarded the double points after she receives the credit card? Is this strictly points awarded to you AGR account regardless if you have gotten the new CC and that you are a new AGR member?
> Al
> 
> 
> 
> The double points promotion is not connected to the credit card roll-out. It applies to any member, new or old, who signs up. Just go to the AGR web page, sign in, click on the promotion, hit the registration button, and you are in.
Click to expand...

Al.

Just to make sure that you are clear on this, this promo is only awarding double points for rail travel on Amtrak. She won't be getting double points for things she buys on the credit card, unless that happens to be an Amtrak ticket that she then uses during the promo period.

So as long as she knows what her AGR number is, not to be confused with the credit card number, she can register for this promo and get double points for her trip when she joins you next month in Chicago at the gathering.


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## Rick J

rmadisonwi said:


> Too bad those point's don't qualify for Select/Select Plus status (not yet, anyway). If they did, I'd make Select Plus by the end of the month. Now I'll still be about 1500-2000 points away. Certainly doable, especially considering the few Milwaukee round-trips I'll be taking.


Last year in early November, I had about 6400 points towards Select Plus status when I got this email from AGR:

*It only takes 10,000 rail points to achieve Select Plus status and you're almost there!*

* *

*If you haven't already done so, register for the Fall promotion, travel on any train, and earn twice the Amtrak Guest Rewards® points on ALL city pairs September 17 through December 16, 2006!*

* *

*To help you reach Select Plus status even faster, November 6, 2006 through December 16, 2006, all bonus points earned in the Fall promotion will count toward reaching Select Plus status. This is a one-time offer, as typically only your base rail points qualify for status, so don't miss this opportunity!*

Hopefully, history will repeat itself and the Fall Promotion bonus points will count towards Select Plus.

I held on that email just in case I didn't get the points and never got around to throwing it away.


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## AmtrakWPK

Well, I registered for the promo. I'm assuming the double points means that if it is a run that has a 100 point minimum, that now for the duration of the promo, it's a 200 point minimum. If that's the case, I'm going to make myself take the time to do the WPK-ORL-WPK run on 91 (or 97) and 98 for $10 and 400 points a couple of times per week while the promo runs. Holycow! Can't beat that!


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## AlanB

AmtrakWPK said:


> Well, I registered for the promo. I'm assuming the double points means that if it is a run that has a 100 point minimum, that now for the duration of the promo, it's a 200 point minimum. If that's the case, I'm going to make myself take the time to do the WPK-ORL-WPK run on 91 (or 97) and 98 for $10 and 400 points a couple of times per week while the promo runs. Holycow! Can't beat that!


You assume correctly, you get double points regardless of how the initial amount was earned.


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## BobWeaver

AmtrakWPK said:


> Well, I registered for the promo. I'm assuming the double points means that if it is a run that has a 100 point minimum, that now for the duration of the promo, it's a 200 point minimum. If that's the case, I'm going to make myself take the time to do the WPK-ORL-WPK run on 91 (or 97) and 98 for $10 and 400 points a couple of times per week while the promo runs. Holycow! Can't beat that!


I did the same kind thing, but not necessarily for the points. If anyone lives in SC, NC, or VA, you could do what I did. Catch 80 out of Charlotte, ride to Salisbury, layover for an hour, and catch 73 back to Charlotte. Total time: a little over 2.5 hours. Regular fare is $16, but with the 20% off they're running right now (V630), 400 points comes at the cheap price of $12.80. I've done this twice already. :lol:

Heck, you could even get off at Kannapolis, NC, where the roundtrip fare would be a WHOPPING $8. And still, 400 points to your account!


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## Trogdor

rmadisonwi said:


> Thanks for alerting me. Great timing! The promotion starts September 17, and I take a nice long trip on the Empire Builder starting September 19. So, that'll turn my 2500-point trip into a 5000-point trip.


Well, it looks like my trip will be 418 points less than I originally thought.

This morning, I looked online and saw that the accommodation charge for 8(26) is $288. When I booked, it was $497. I canceled my original reservation and booked the new one. Got the exact same room (11/0831) at about 3/5 the price.

I also see that seats on 517(24) have opened up. That train had been "sold out" for the better part of a month. Things are going well for me today, Amtrak-wise.


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## PRR 60

Be aware of one condition with the double points. The promotion is limited to two segments (train or bus) a day. A round trip with one train each way will get double points for each train. A one way using two trains will get double points for each train. But if you use three trains or Thruway Buses in a day, only two will earn double points.

For almost all normal people, that limit will not matter much. But, hard as it may be to believe, there are people out there in frequent traveller world who make a sport out of accumulating as many points as possible for as low a cost as possible. One trick with Amtrak is to take a bunch of short, cheap segments, each earning 100 points. Those will still earn the base 100 points, but the third, fourth, and all others will not get double points. This is evidence that AGR has finally awakened and discovered the world of the points and miles addict.


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## The Metropolitan

PRR 60 said:


> Be aware of one condition with the double points. The promotion is limited to two segments (train or bus) a day. A round trip with one train each way will get double points for each train. A one way using two trains will get double points for each train. But if you use three trains or Thruway Buses in a day, only two will earn double points.
> For almost all normal people, that limit will not matter much. But, hard as it may be to believe, there are people out there in frequent traveller world who make a sport out of accumulating as many points as possible for as low a cost as possible. One trick with Amtrak is to take a bunch of short, cheap segments, each earning 100 points. Those will still earn the base 100 points, but the third, fourth, and all others will not get double points. This is evidence that AGR has finally awakened and discovered the world of the points and miles addict.


Are *you* _making FUN_ of my Columbus Day Keystone Adventure I have already booked?!? :lol:

Well at least I know I'm not alone in my "addiction!" I have the day off from work, and thought it would be neat to take a multi-stop excursion between BAL and HAR stopping off at several points along the way to sightsee and watch the trains and transit - all in all a total of 8 trains in 13 hours: 3 Regionals, 4 Keystones, and the Pennsylvanian.

While I won't be too irked if I lose 600 of the bonus points in this process, I will be ticked if I'm only credited for two trips of the 8 altogether, as this is my desperation attempt to hit Select for the first time. Still, I've noticed AGR to be a little lax in enforcing their own rules. Last years Fall Bonus Promotion had blackout dates through the Thanksgiving Week, yet I still got a double dip for my travels that week.


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## RailFanLNK

Ok...all you veterans can start rolling your eyes.  Ok....if I decide to go from LNK to HAS (Hastings NE, about 110 miles away) should I book two "one-way" tickets since the ticket price is around $16, then I would automatically get 100 points one way, which then would be made automatically into 200 points with this fall promotion. (one way) So if I'm correct, that would make the trip a 400 point trip if I booked it with two one way tickets. Am I correct? It would be so fun to ride the CZ at 2am for "the heck of it" but if I can take 4 or 5 trips, I can get a fist full of points.


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## AlanB

rail rookie said:


> Ok...all you veterans can start rolling your eyes.  Ok....if I decide to go from LNK to HAS (Hastings NE, about 110 miles away) should I book two "one-way" tickets since the ticket price is around $16, then I would automatically get 100 points one way, which then would be made automatically into 200 points with this fall promotion. (one way) So if I'm correct, that would make the trip a 400 point trip if I booked it with two one way tickets. Am I correct? It would be so fun to ride the CZ at 2am for "the heck of it" but if I can take 4 or 5 trips, I can get a fist full of points.


Al,

It wouldn't matter if you booked two one way tickets or a roundtrip. Either way you'll still get two tickets, and therefore 100 points for each ticket for a total of 200, which would then be doubled by the promo to 400 AGR points for your efforts.


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## RailFanLNK

My name is Al and I'm an AGRaholic! :lol: Sometimes I get so lost on all the "layers upon layers" of different schemes, different ways, illegal ways, legal ways to accumulate points. I could never be a person who sits down and hammers out labor contracts; ie, before employment of November 1987, but after the so said date but before pre-seniority status the said employee's time would be retroactive to the day the above stated person would be activated before a post-seniority furlough! What? Huh? :blink: So when I start thinking I got some of these AGR things figured out, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Thanks for making it all make sense. 

Al


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## Superliner Diner

PRR 60 said:


> For almost all normal people, that limit will not matter much. But, hard as it may be to believe, there are people out there in frequent traveller world who make a sport out of accumulating as many points as possible for as low a cost as possible. One trick with Amtrak is to take a bunch of short, cheap segments, each earning 100 points. Those will still earn the base 100 points, but the third, fourth, and all others will not get double points. This is evidence that AGR has finally awakened and discovered the world of the points and miles addict.


Now _who_ would do something like this?????


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## Gingee

Okay, I have been signed up for the reward system for a year or so. I think I have 4600 on my name. I just booked a few days ago for Chicago to NYC for next August. Should I cancel and rebook tomorrow? Would that give me more points or am I not going at the right time?


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## Trogdor

The double-points promotion only runs through mid-December. If you're traveling next August, it's unlikely that you'll qualify for any special bonus point promotions, unless they decide to specifically target the Lake Shore Limited for some reason (doubtful).


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## Gingee

Okay, I will stay as is. How would you know it is targeted?


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## Trogdor

Gingee said:


> How would you know it is targeted?


Because the promotion would say something like "Double points for riding the Lake Shore Limited."


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## Gingee

Where was this promotion? Under specials or something?


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## AlanB

Gingee said:


> Where was this promotion? Under specials or something?


It's mentioned on Amtrak's website and most AGR members got an email about it too.

And this one is based upon when you travel, not when you book.


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## Gingee

Hmmm. I wonder why I didn't get any information on it. Well thanks anyway. Have fun to the ones who get their points from this promotion.


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## rtabern

I definetly plan to rack up the points!!

Here's how to get 500 points in 34 minutes... and just for $14.40:

334 Hiawatha Service Milwaukee, WI- Airport(MKA)

11:00 am

17-SEP-07

Sturtevant, WI

(SVT)

11:13 am

17-SEP-07 0h 13m 1 Unreserved Coach Seat

Returning: Sturtevant, WI (SVT) To Milwaukee - Airport, WI (MKA)

Service

Departs

333 Hiawatha Service Sturtevant, WI

(SVT)

11:20 am

17-SEP-07 Milwaukee, WI

- Airport

(MKA)

11:34 am

17-SEP-07 0h 14m 1 Unreserved Coach Seat

34 minutes...

200 regular points plus 200 bonus points plus 100 extra points for being AGR select plus = 500 total points

Fare with NRPC discount --- $14.40

This rocks!!


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## RailFanLNK

Both my girlfriend and I are AGR members, we are going to be in CHI for the get together, is there any cheap and fast trips we can take to amass some quick points?

Al


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## The Metropolitan

rail rookie said:


> Both my girlfriend and I are AGR members, we are going to be in CHI for the get together, is there any cheap and fast trips we can take to amass some quick points?
> Al


Well, the Carl Sandberg is in the Weekly Specials for $3.30 to Naperville - From there, you can return on the Illinois Zephyr at $11.00 or just take METRA (If weekends, just get the weekend pass).

Also, Chicago to Joliet on many (but not all) Lincoln Service trains is just $5.00 per person - There's a 9:30 trip out of Union that leaves you an hour in Joliet to train watch before returning on the Northbound Lincoln Service train.

Also, if you're really twisted, you can take much of a day and catch successive Hiwathas along short segments of the line, alight, then catch the next one. However, unless you have something to do at each stop, it might be overkill.

So, with the Double Points in effect, you can each get 600 points for $13.30 over 2 days!!!


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## AlanB

The Metropolitan said:


> Also, if you're really twisted, you can take much of a day and catch successive Hiwathas along short segments of the line, alight, then catch the next one. However, unless you have something to do at each stop, it might be overkill.


Well remember that this double point promo only allows for two segments per day, so catching several Hiawathas would only net one 200 bonus points before the cut off. You'd still get the 100 points for all the other segments, but no double points.


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## RailFanLNK

Hmmnnnnn, most people think I'm twisted for riding trains and they think I'm really twisted now that my girlfriend is joining AGR and going to an Amtrak Get Together in CHI. You should see the look in peoples' faces when I tell them what we are doing the 12th-15th of October. I'm sure they are smiling, nodding and then walking away going....."have they lost thier minds!" :lol: I'm going to look into getting some points while I'm in CHI. Also, I was looking back at an e-mail that Amtrak shot me in August stating that I could make triple points during the same time period as the double points, so what was that promo and how is it different than the double points promo? I have signed up for both, will I get 5 times the points? (just kidding)

Al


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## tj722

The Metropolitan said:


> Last years Fall Bonus Promotion had blackout dates through the Thanksgiving Week, yet I still got a double dip for my travels that week.


Why do I have a feeling that computer glitch will be fixed when I rack up 2,000 base points on that week??


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## The Metropolitan

AlanB said:


> Well remember that this double point promo only allows for two segments per day, so catching several Hiawathas would only net one 200 bonus points before the cut off. You'd still get the 100 points for all the other segments, but no double points.


Just a little update: peeking at my account balance, I see where five segments of my eight segment trip on Columbus Day have so far posted to my account. All five have been given the bonus points.


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## Railroad Bill

Yes, we just received our points from the return trip on Amtrak Oct 14. Three segments (WAS-Philly): Philly to PGH, and then PGH to Cleveland. All were 100 point trips and each received the bonus points. 600 total. S  uch a deal!! h34r:


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