# Select Status Question



## Acela150 (Aug 12, 2011)

Was on Facebook and saw someone complaining that they traveled on a certain date and that they were select status for that period of time when they traveled. Here's the post:

I don't get it...because it took Amtrak 9 days to post my trips, I didn't get the bonus for Select status? This is crazy. "Thank you for contacting the Amtrak Guest Rewards Service Center. Your Select status became effective on 07/29/2011. Although you traveled on 07/20/2011 your points did not post until 07/29/2011, which means that you didn't actually become Select until after the points posted. Therefore you will begin to get your Select bonus points on any paid travel after that date."

and one more:

I called and was told I would get the points because I complained but that when I achieve Select Plus, the same thing will happen and they won't give me the points. Sounds like a sham to me!

Is it me or will this person get those bonus 25% points after the new year?? Or am I wrong?


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## AlanB (Aug 12, 2011)

Well first let me say that I think that we're missing a few details here as something doesn't quite make sense to me based upon the info provided.

However, if you started the year with no status and qualified for status during the year (which is what it sounds like this person did), then you start earning the 25% bonus from the date where the number of rail points earned pushes you over the 5,000 mark.

So if this person posting had enough points as of July 29th to qualify for Select, then they start earning the bonus as of that day on any future trips for the rest of this year and all of next year.


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## Acela150 (Aug 12, 2011)

AlanB said:


> Well first let me say that I think that we're missing a few details here as something doesn't quite make sense to me based upon the info provided.
> 
> However, if you started the year with no status and qualified for status during the year (which is what it sounds like this person did), then you start earning the 25% bonus from the date where the number of rail points earned pushes you over the 5,000 mark.
> 
> So if this person posting had enough points as of July 29th to qualify for Select, then they start earning the bonus as of that day on any future trips for the rest of this year and all of next year.


That's the thing about the people and the Amtrak Facebook page is they leave out SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! But I get the jist of what your saying.


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## The Davy Crockett (Aug 15, 2011)

AlanB said:


> Well first let me say that I think that we're missing a few details here as something doesn't quite make sense to me based upon the info provided.
> 
> However, if you started the year with no status and qualified for status during the year (which is what it sounds like this person did), then you start earning the 25% bonus from the date where the number of rail points earned pushes you over the 5,000 mark.
> 
> So if this person posting had enough points as of July 29th to qualify for Select, then they start earning the bonus as of that day on any future trips for the rest of this year and all of next year.


I agree that there is a lot we don't know, but I'm wondering: Could it be that they reserved a multiple segment trip under one reservation number? Therefore, even though one segment of their trip would have gotten them over 5,000 AGR points, they would not actually qualify to get the bonus until they took a trip with a different reservation number?


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## AlanB (Aug 15, 2011)

The Davy Crockett said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > Well first let me say that I think that we're missing a few details here as something doesn't quite make sense to me based upon the info provided.
> ...


Nope, that can't be it. The system doesn't look at it from a reservation point of view, it looks at things from the ticket level. Example with a 3 segment trip, if they ride all three segements and segment 2 posts first and its enough to push them over the 5,000 mark, when segments 1 & 3 post they will qualify for the bonus.


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## amamba (Aug 18, 2011)

Quick question about this. So I was 100 rail points away from Select, and I rode Acela FC last week, twice in one day. Both segments posted at 750 points and now I am listed as select. However, I didn't get the select bonus for either transaction. Am I misunderstanding how this works, or should I have received the 25% bonus on the SECOND 750 pt ride acela that posted because the first pushed me over select? Or does that not matter since both segments were on the same day and thus I don't get the bonus? If I am not entitled to it no big deal, but if I am, I would like to call to ask for it.


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## rrdude (Aug 18, 2011)

amamba said:


> Quick question about this. So I was 100 rail points away from Select, and I rode Acela FC last week, twice in one day. Both segments posted at 750 points and now I am listed as select. However, I didn't get the select bonus for either transaction. Am I misunderstanding how this works, or should I have received the 25% bonus on the SECOND 750 pt ride acela that posted because the first pushed me over select? Or does that not matter since both segments were on the same day and thus I don't get the bonus? If I am not entitled to it no big deal, but if I am, I would like to call to ask for it.


Your first trip that day on Acela qualifies you for Select. But you don't get bonus on THAT trip. When your second trip post, you SHOULD get the 25% bonus, 'cause the first trip qualified you for that.............I think. I'd call em.


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## AlanB (Aug 18, 2011)

That's actually very unusual to have both trips post on the same day, and I strongly suspect that is what caused the problem. Had one ticket posted the next day, you'd probably already have those bonus points.

I'm not sure just what kind of reaction you'll get from AGR. Personally I would think that you should get those points, but they could argue that because your status kicks in at the end of the day that you're not entitled to the points.


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## jis (Aug 19, 2011)

AlanB said:


> Nope, that can't be it. The system doesn't look at it from a reservation point of view, it looks at things from the ticket level. Example with a 3 segment trip, if they ride all three segments and segment 2 posts first and its enough to push them over the 5,000 mark, when segments 1 & 3 post they will qualify for the bonus.


Right. It is looked at from the _collected_ ticket level. Just riding a train with a valid ticket that is not collected by the conductor also does not get you the points. That is why the other day I was frantically chasing a conductor down the platform of Metropark at 3:35 am to have him collect my ticket before the train left. He had failed to do so in the 33 minutes between New York Penn Station and Metropark.


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## amamba (Sep 2, 2011)

Well folks, just to close the loop on this, I emailed first, got a not positive response, and then called. Still no bonus on my second acela trip of the day. Apparently it is because I became select the day that the first trip posted. Since both trips posted the same day, I didn't get the bonus. I would get the bonus on any trips posting afterwards. I might try to appeal to the AGR Insider over at Flyertalk and see what she says.


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## amamba (Sep 9, 2011)

Just an update - you know what they say about the squeaky wheel? My appeal to the AGR insider on flyertalk garnered me 188 points. She said I still wasn't eligible but offered the points as a "good will bonus."


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## gatelouse (Sep 10, 2011)

Same thing happened to me when I hit Select: about 5 segments from multiple days posted all at once, and so I missed out on a couple hundred bonus points. That's one of the weak parts of AGR: it shouldn't be that difficult to reprogram the computer to award bonuses retroactively based on travel date. Here's a hint: use the existing business logic for their other promotions, which handles the travel date and retro-credit issues swimmingly.

At least one airline (AA) awards the elite bonus on the qualifying segment. Amtrak ought to do the same.


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