# Amtrak GR Mastercard from Chase



## Dangerous Johnny O'D (May 9, 2012)

The other week, i responded to an email solicitation from Amtrak Guest Rewards.. Te original offer was 25,000 points for the first purchase using an Amtrak GuestRewards Mastercard from Chase - which sounded too good to be true. And it *WAS* too good to be true. After the card arrived, it turned out that the relationship is one point per dollar purchase.. Noting about 25,000 points. Okay, I got suckered - chalk it up to a learning experience

However, the second (and mind more disturbing) revelation was learning that a late payment would incurr a 30% Penalty APR (Annual Percentage Rate). With inflation below five percent, and the federal funds rate below one percent, this strikes me as simply *usurious, *This is not about me.. - thankfully my financial house is in order However, for folks who might makes a mistake they can ill afford, this represents predatory lending

Of course, I am not going to use the card , any more than i would establish a business relationship with the Mafia. But i am honestly surprised that Amtrak would allow its good name to be sullied by an alliance with such a sketchy organizations.


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## Texan Eagle (May 9, 2012)

I don't know what did you click on but the actual Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card from Chase *does* give upto 32,000 bonus AGR points after first purchase, if you enroll for it when the offer is on. I did it and as a proof of it, I can tell you my AGR score- 33,297 points without making a single Amtrak train journey after applying for AGR MasterCard. Also, the APR I have on the card is 15.24%, not 30% as you claim.


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## Steve4031 (May 9, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> I don't know what did you click on but the actual Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card from Chase *does* give upto 32,000 bonus AGR points after first purchase, if you enroll for it when the offer is on. I did it and as a proof of it, I can tell you my AGR score- 33,297 points without making a single Amtrak train journey after applying for AGR MasterCard. Also, the APR I have on the card is 15.24%, not 30% as you claim.


I got the bonus too. And was not even expecting it. I think I got another bonus for spending a certain amount. But I have 3 roomette rides courtesy of that bad boy.


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## sechs (May 9, 2012)

Dangerous Johnny O said:


> The other week, i responded to an email solicitation from Amtrak Guest Rewards.. Te original offer was 25,000 points for the first purchase using an Amtrak GuestRewards Mastercard from Chase - which sounded too good to be true. And it *WAS* too good to be true. After the card arrived, it turned out that the relationship is one point per dollar purchase.. Noting about 25,000 points. Okay, I got suckered - chalk it up to a learning experience


It doesn't say anything about the bonus points, no matter how many are due.


> However, the second (and mind more disturbing) revelation was learning that a late payment would incurr a 30% Penalty APR (Annual Percentage Rate). With inflation below five percent, and the federal funds rate below one percent, this strikes me as simply *usurious, *This is not about me.. - thankfully my financial house is in order However, for folks who might makes a mistake they can ill afford, this represents predatory lending


Welcome to the seventies, when the ability of a state to export it's interest rate rules made the lowest common denominator the national standard. You do have to admit, however, that a penalty rate should penalize, rather than follow, say, the prime rate.


> Of course, I am not going to use the card , any more than i would establish a business relationship with the Mafia.


Since, you already established a business relationship with Chase, I don't see how this furthurs your cause. Wouldn't it really sock it to them if you used the card and had to give you all of points?


> But i am honestly surprised that Amtrak would allow its good name to be sullied by an alliance with such a sketchy organizations.


I'm pretty sure that's just your personal opinion. Chase is hardly sketchy, since they're largely going with industry practices. If your problem is with how credit cards work, then cancel all of your cards and go back to cash and checks.


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## Blackwolf (May 10, 2012)

Out of interest, I opened up my filing cabinet and took a peak at all my Credit Card agreements. For all of my cards. Every single one of them has draconian "Penalty APR" policies that automatically go into effect if you miss a payment or otherwise go afoul of the agreement: Chase AGR is 30.99%; Chase Sapphire Preferred is 28.99%; Capital One Venture Visa is 31.99%.

The reality is, these are the automatic rates. If something happened where, say, an honest mistake occurred and the penalty APR became tripped you _can_ talk with the credit card company and negotiate. They are not completely made of brick and mortar and do understand to a degree. But the best policy in all cases is to simply pay the card off as soon as you get the statement. Don't over exert yourself and don't let your account "manage itself" with the available Nanny software the companies offer. Those are the pitfalls where a Credit Card becomes a Bankruptcy Machine. Avoid them and you'll do well.

As far as not getting the bonus? I'd be having a serious *** discussion with Chase!!


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## Railroad Bill (May 10, 2012)

As stated by Mr. Blackwolf, be responsible with the card and it will pay great dividends.

Pay your Chase bill off each month to avoid any interest penalties-- "like borrowing money for free". 

Get all those AGR points on everything you buy. You will get occasional offers to spend money in a given category which will afford even more AGR points. Double points for Amtrak train ticket purchases. Bonus offers throughout the year. And no fees involved there.

Don't put yourself in a position to owe those large fees and it will be you and not the bank who will have the last laugh. :giggle:


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## Oldsmoboi (May 10, 2012)

Railroad Bill said:


> Pay your Chase bill off each month to avoid any interest penalties-- "like borrowing money for free".


You're not borrowing money for free. You are getting paid to borrow money!


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## lmctrouble (May 10, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> I don't know what did you click on but the actual Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card from Chase *does* give upto 32,000 bonus AGR points after first purchase, if you enroll for it when the offer is on. I did it and as a proof of it, I can tell you my AGR score- 33,297 points without making a single Amtrak train journey after applying for AGR MasterCard. Also, the APR I have on the card is 15.24%, not 30% as you claim.


How long did it take for the bonus points to show up? I got mine several weeks ago and have been using it but I haven't seen any points yet. Of course, I haven't had to make a payment yet either  .


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## Texan Eagle (May 10, 2012)

lmctrouble said:


> Texan Eagle said:
> 
> 
> > I don't know what did you click on but the actual Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card from Chase *does* give upto 32,000 bonus AGR points after first purchase, if you enroll for it when the offer is on. I did it and as a proof of it, I can tell you my AGR score- 33,297 points without making a single Amtrak train journey after applying for AGR MasterCard. Also, the APR I have on the card is 15.24%, not 30% as you claim.
> ...


A few days after the first statement is posted. I got them posted to my account in two parts- 16,000 from Chase and 16,000 from Amtrak. Who cares who is _contributing_ them, as long as I am getting the full 32,000 points


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## The Davy Crockett (May 10, 2012)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Railroad Bill said:
> 
> 
> > Pay your Chase bill off each month to avoid any interest penalties-- "like borrowing money for free".
> ...


Or maybe more accurately, one gets taken for a ride (on Amtrak) for borrowing money.


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## AmtrakBlue (May 10, 2012)

Dangerous Johnny O said:


> The other week, i responded to an email solicitation from Amtrak Guest Rewards.. Te original offer was 25,000 points for the first purchase using an Amtrak GuestRewards Mastercard from Chase - which sounded too good to be true. And it *WAS* too good to be true. After the card arrived, it turned out that the relationship is one point per dollar purchase.. Noting about 25,000 points. Okay, I got suckered - chalk it up to a learning experience
> 
> However, the second (and mind more disturbing) revelation was learning that a late payment would incurr a 30% Penalty APR (Annual Percentage Rate). With inflation below five percent, and the federal funds rate below one percent, this strikes me as simply *usurious, *This is not about me.. - thankfully my financial house is in order However, for folks who might makes a mistake they can ill afford, this represents predatory lending
> 
> Of course, I am not going to use the card , any more than i would establish a business relationship with the Mafia. But i am honestly surprised that Amtrak would allow its good name to be sullied by an alliance with such a sketchy organizations.


Go buy a candy bar with the card, and when you get your bill, the 25,000 points should post to your AGR (12,500 from Chase & 12,500 from Amtrak). Pay the bill then decide if you want to keep it or not.


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## Shortline (May 11, 2012)

Is Chase shady? You bet. So is Bank of America, and most of the other Mega Banks. I know and understand their game, but I play it by MY rules. I got 32,000 points for getting the card. I use it for about $1500 in charges a month, which get paid off monthly. No interest, no worry. Between that Chase card, and my other travel (points from Hilton, and Hertz/Enterprise), referring people to AGR, shopping (just scored over 4000 in points for buying Mothers Day flowers I was going to buy anyway) etc, I think I'll probably earn about 50,000-60,000 points a year or so at this rate. Enough for a 2 zone BR trip. Not bad. So, yeah, I hate Chase, BoA, et all, but they're betting I'm going to use the card to rack up debt and pay interest on it for years. Unfortunately for them, I ain't gonna pay them a dime, but, I WILL get a couple thousand dollars worth in free travel a year, in part from them! Got the card and 32,000 points in Dec. Already redeemed 20,000 for a 1 zone 2 night BR trip in June, and still have nearly 40,000 points in the bank. (and counting)

And, you didn't get suckered-You just need to use the card once, to get the sign up bonus from the offer. After that, THEN you get 1 point/$. As to the interest, dont be late, pay in full, and rack up the points. I think my card is at around 13%, but frankly don't care if it's 40%, I'm not charging anything I can't write a check for, period!


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## dlagrua (May 15, 2012)

Name just one bank that has morals, integrity and compassion for its customers? They are in business to make as much money as possible. I have no problem with capitalism when it allows all Americans to participate in it, but when it becomes predatory and greedy, it becomes an unfair system. Today's capitalism no longer operates with any oversight and allows those in the financial world to profit handsomely at the expense of the taxpayer. Until we put the oversight factor back; that's the way it will be.

Use your Chase AGR card to earn points and don't run up a balance or you will pay dearly for it.


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## the_traveler (May 15, 2012)

If you pay the bill off in full each month, the interest rate is -0-%! I do, and earn over 1,000 AGR points each month and I pay -0-% interest. I really don't care if the rate is 3%, 30% or 300% - I pay -0-%!


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## OlympianHiawatha (May 15, 2012)

I signed up for the Card a few years ago and enjoyed a nice sign-on Bonus and even a 5 or 10% Redemption Rebate when I cashed in for a couple of Meaty multi-day trips in Roomette. Pay off monthly and you don't have to worry about interest to boot! No problems here


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## saxman (May 16, 2012)

Dangerous Johnny O said:


> The other week, i responded to an email solicitation from Amtrak Guest Rewards.. Te original offer was 25,000 points for the first purchase using an Amtrak GuestRewards Mastercard from Chase - which sounded too good to be true. And it *WAS* too good to be true. After the card arrived, it turned out that the relationship is one point per dollar purchase.. Nothing about 25,000 points. Okay, I got suckered - chalk it up to a learning experience


Umm, I got 25,000 points for the card or something similar. Just about every airline card offers similar miles for getting their card, including through Chase. You'll get the 25,000 AGR points, I'm betting. Then you can use the card for other purchases as well.



> However, the second (and mind more disturbing) revelation was learning that a late payment would incurr a 30% Penalty APR (Annual Percentage Rate). With inflation below five percent, and the federal funds rate below one percent, this strikes me as simply *usurious, *This is not about me.. - thankfully my financial house is in order However, for folks who might makes a mistake they can ill afford, this represents predatory lending


As others said, I don't know of any card agreement that doesn't jack up the APR when you get a late payment. They all do that. Whether it's predatory lending can be up for debate.



> Of course, I am not going to use the card, any more than i would establish a business relationship with the Mafia. But i am honestly surprised that Amtrak would allow its good name to be sullied by an alliance with such a sketchy organizations.


Chase Bank is the Mafia? I use the same card all the time for my large purchases, and enjoy a few extra thousand extra AGR points each month for purchases I make anyway. Quite similar to any other credit card.


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## Ispolkom (May 17, 2012)

Here's one data point with penalty fees. I always pay off my credit cards in full, at the end of each statement period. Or at least I intend to. Alas, every year or two I forget to make a payment on a particular credit card. I know, it's stupid, but it's happened. In every case a quick call to the credit card company (Chase, Citibank, American Express) has gotten the late payment penalty and interest waived. I grovel, to be sure, but that costs nothing but a little of my self-respect.

I'm happy to use Chase to get free travel. In the past four years Mrs. Ispolkom and I have gone through 4 Continental Airlines cards (never flew the airline), 4 Chase Sapphire Preferred cards, 2 Chase Freedom cards, two Chase AGR cards and three Chase Continental Airlines checking accounts (never lived within 400 miles of a Chase branch). In every case Chase has honored the terms of their offers, even though they've not gotten a dime of interest out of us. That's as much integrity as I can hope for in a large corporation.

I might feel a little guilty for the ride I've taken them for, but given Chase's propensity for losing billions of dollars on bad speculations, I imagine that my gains aren't even a rounding error for them.


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## Ryan (May 17, 2012)

dlagrua said:


> Name just one bank that has morals, integrity and compassion for its customers?


USAA is pretty darn good, although I've noticed even them slipping as they have opened up membership to even more people.

Agreed on the rest of your post, though. Local Credit Unions are another decent place to do business.

That said, I've had no issues with Chase and the AGR card. I occasionally end up in a position where I have to pay some interest from time to time (the most recent just last month when our 2 cats managed to run up over $2500 in vet bills in a week), but I don't see anything unfair about that.

On the flip side, it lets me build up a healthy "war chest" of points, which is darn useful. For example, we're leaving on the Crescent tonight to go to ATL to see Amy's grandmother. We found out late last month that her breast cancer was back, and Amy wanted to get down there and see her before the baby comes. Rooms on the Crescent were predictably expensive (somewhere between $1500 and $2000 for the round trip), but I had enough points to do the whole thing for free. Another time (and I think I've told this story here before too), my sister and her (brand new at the time) husband got stranded by Continental at EWR on the way home from their honeymoon (they live down here in DC). I called her up and said "I got this!" and put the two of them on a train back to DC on points.

We're far from rich, but the ability to do things like that on points really simplifies things sometimes.


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## AmtrakBlue (May 17, 2012)

Ryan said:


> dlagrua said:
> 
> 
> > Name just one bank that has morals, integrity and compassion for its customers?
> ...


Does your Vet accept CareCredit? If so, you get a certain amount of months to pay off the charge w/o interest (but the interest does accrue, so you'll pay it if you don't pay off the charge by the end of the promotion period). I think each doctor, vet, etc determines the number of months to pay off the charge.


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## alben (May 18, 2012)

Ispolkom said:


> Here's one data point with penalty fees. I always pay off my credit cards in full, at the end of each statement period. Or at least I intend to. Alas, every year or two I forget to make a payment on a particular credit card. I know, it's stupid, but it's happened. In every case a quick call to the credit card company (Chase, Citibank, American Express) has gotten the late payment penalty and interest waived. I grovel, to be sure, but that costs nothing but a little of my self-respect.
> 
> I'm happy to use Chase to get free travel. In the past four years Mrs. Ispolkom and I have gone through 4 Continental Airlines cards (never flew the airline), 4 Chase Sapphire Preferred cards, 2 Chase Freedom cards, two Chase AGR cards and three Chase Continental Airlines checking accounts (never lived within 400 miles of a Chase branch). In every case Chase has honored the terms of their offers, even though they've not gotten a dime of interest out of us. That's as much integrity as I can hope for in a large corporation.
> 
> I might feel a little guilty for the ride I've taken them for, but given Chase's propensity for losing billions of dollars on bad speculations, I imagine that my gains aren't even a rounding error for them.


Ha! Must be a fellow FlyerTalk member.  I, too, am using the various Chase cards to rack up the points and move them over to Amtrak. Just hoping that we can one day transfer Chase United MileagePlus points over to Amtrak.


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## winterskigirl (May 25, 2012)

I just joined AGR and saw the Chase credit card connection........................my response? Chase = Run for the hills!


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## PRR 60 (May 25, 2012)

winterskigirl said:


> I just joined AGR and saw the Chase credit card connection........................my response? Chase = Run for the hills!


I've been a Chase credit card customer for 24 years and have never had a single issue. I just this week had a need to contact customer service. My card had literally cracked in half (right down the mag stripe). The phone menu got me to a live rep with one touch. The rep processed the issue in 30 seconds. I made the call mid-day Wednesday. The replacement card arrived at my door yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. For quick response to a problem, that can't be beat.

As far as I'm concerned, Chase is as good as any firm I deal with, and better than most.


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## MrFSS (May 25, 2012)

PRR 60 said:


> winterskigirl said:
> 
> 
> > I just joined AGR and saw the Chase credit card connection........................my response? Chase = Run for the hills!
> ...


I agree - I don't have a Chase AGR, but another brand (hotel) with Chase. Last year I received a call on a Sunday afternoon advising that a suspicious charge had been made on my card from somewhere in Spain. They asked if I was there. When I said no, they removed the charge, gave me a new card number and I had the new card in two days. Great service!


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## me_little_me (May 27, 2012)

Here's another Chase gotcha. I always pay my bills off each month but I guess when you get old, you make mistakes. So when I paid my Chase bill a few months ago, I accidentally underpaid the sub $100 bill by $5. Next month there were fees and interest. OK, I made a mistake. I owe the fees and interest. So I paid the next bill of about $70 with fees and interest from the previous error IN FULL and WHEN DUE.

The next month's statement? More interest! Why? Apparently they continue to charge interest until that payment is made so even though I paid the second bill on time, the $5 underpayment accrued interest for the additional month. What nerve!

Anyway I called Chase to get the above explanation and they offered to waive the interest because "I was a good customer".

No matter, I will never use them for more than Amtrak travel (unless of course they have another bonus points offer like last November). USAA is so much more ethical and I get cash back.

why do I always feel I have to take shower or two after dealing with banks?


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## Ryan (May 27, 2012)

That's how credit cards work. You pay interest until they get their payment.

You call them up and they do you a favor, and you feel like you "have to take a shower"?


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## the_traveler (May 27, 2012)

Even if your bill closes on say the 10th, the interest shown on the bill is computed to the 10th. But if you pay it in full - including the interest computed to the 10th - on the 15th, then there are 5 days of Internet that you did not pay. And that is why there is interest on the next month's bill! And every credit card, not just Chase, does this!


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## me_little_me (May 28, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> Even if your bill closes on say the 10th, the interest shown on the bill is computed to the 10th. But if you pay it in full - including the interest computed to the 10th - on the 15th, then there are 5 days of Internet that you did not pay. And that is why there is interest on the next month's bill! And every credit card, not just Chase, does this!


Wait!

Say I borrow $100 from you and have to pay it back on the 1st of July w/o interest. I fail to pay it all back so you say I owe the remainder plus interest and fees and have to pay it by August 1. I do so. Then you tell me I owe more interest because I accrued even more interest between July 1 and August 1?

So on August 1, you send me a new bill with interest from July 1 until August 1. I pay it by August 5. On September 1, you send me yet another bill for the interest from August 1 until August 5. I pay that on September 5 then you ...

I am still washing!


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## the_traveler (May 28, 2012)

What I'm saying is that Chase (or any credit card company) prints the statement on the 10th (or whenever) and computes the interest that you owe until that date. Then they mail it to you and you do not receive it In the mail until a few days later (say the 15th). So there is a few days (in this example 5 days) of uncomputed, and unpaid, interest!


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## gatelouse (May 29, 2012)

Holders of the "original" Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card will remember that it was run by MBNA, which specialized in affinity credit cards. Never had a problem with MBNA.

Then Bank of America bought out MBNA, and the AGR credit card was briefly discontinued until a new bank, which turns out to be Chase, was selected to offer the AGR credit card. Good thing, because I won't do business with the current Bank of America.

Chase has been perfectly reasonable for me. They're not your hometown bank, but for a big national financial firm, you can get plenty worse.

I'm a bit surprised that the credit card requires no annual fee to this day. I have to imagine this is at AGR's request; most of the other travel affinity cards have one. Though I'd be open to a second AGR card that offers additional perks (Club access, bonus points, upgrade certs, more point transfer opportunities, etc.) in exchange for an annual fee. Since Chase would purchase these benefits from AGR, Amtrak could benefit if enough people are interested.


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## Devil's Advocate (May 29, 2012)

1. My personal customer service experiences with Chase have been pretty good so far. I've only had a couple issues and they were resolved to my satisfaction. However...

2. That doesn't change the fact that today's credit card contracts are allowed to make loans with rates and fees that were once the domain of loan sharks and mafioso. There is no situation I'm aware of where actually using their revolving credit line for its stated purpose makes any financial sense at all. None. Ever. If you don't pay off your entire debt every single month you're going to get shafted, even if it's entirely beyond your control. Every credit card is a gamble that you play every single month. Just because you won "free" points 99 months in a row doesn't mean you won't slip up and get burned on the 100th month. Once you make even a single mistake things starting going down hill mighty fast. Unless you're able to immediately settle your unpaid debts you're going to be ruing the day you ever signed on the dotted line. Credit card companies can tip each other off to any late payments through the credit reporting agencies and thus bring even more punitive rates and fees to the table for accounts that have never lapsed themselves. Don't believe it? Try reading the fine print in your most recent credit card contract.

3. Don't forget that "too big to fail" JP Morgan Chase required a sudden "investment" of $25,000,000,000 courtesy of the American taxpayer. This same "too big to care" company recently pissed away between two and four _billion dollars_ on a single trade. Do you think they're going to care if they're penalized with an after-the-fact government imposed penalty that numbers in the millions? Of course not. Regardless of if you think Chase is right for your own finances, I think we can all agree that Chase is probably not that good for the country's finances as a whole. At least I hope we can.

If you want to do business with Chase that's certainly your decision, but please don't do it because of some false equivalency rubbish about every bank being equally bad or some Pollyanna nonsense about customer service overriding basic financial math.


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## VentureForth (May 29, 2012)

One thing I don't like about the card is the $95 annual fee. Do you get AGR points for that annual fee?


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## Texan Eagle (May 29, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> One thing I don't like about the card is the $95 annual fee. Do you get AGR points for that annual fee?


Um what? Chase AGR credit card does not have any annual fee. Did you opt for Chase Sapphire Preferred card that was giving some 50,000 points that can be moved to various airlines (and Amtrak?)


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## VentureForth (May 29, 2012)

I applied and was accepted today to so I could apply to travel this weekend. Only 12k points, and yes - no fee first year, $95 subsequent years. If this isn't typical, and I know it may seem to defeat the purpose, I will plan to cancel by this time next year after using it and paying off.


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## Bob Dylan (May 29, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> One thing I don't like about the card is the $95 annual fee. Do you get AGR points for that annual fee?


***?? Is this something new, there has never been an annual fee for the Chase AGR MC, did you perhaps have less than Tier I Credit or apply for a different card or is Chase planning on Surprising all of us when our Cards renew?? :angry2:


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## Devil's Advocate (May 29, 2012)

There are at least two cards in play every time you apply for the Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard. The first is a "World" card and the second is a "Platinum" card if you're not approved for the World card. This may be why VF received different terms compared to others.

Also, and I really can't stress this enough, it is not advisable to sign up for the 12,000 points offer. Wait until you receive the 32,000 point offer before signing up and save every page of the process that mentions the point total. If you sign up for the 12,000 point offer you'll then need to spend between ten and twenty _thousand dollars_ of your own money just to catch up to where you would have been if you had waited. Why would you want to do that?


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## Texan Eagle (May 29, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> VentureForth said:
> 
> 
> > One thing I don't like about the card is the $95 annual fee. Do you get AGR points for that annual fee?
> ...


Seems like a case of false alarm. The AGR credit card page on Chase website clearly states *No Annual Fee*.


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## VentureForth (May 29, 2012)

No false alarm. I was degraded to platinum which does carry fees. Notice the asterisk by "No Annual Fees".

I guess I'll just be a good boy, cancel when my year is up and maybe in the future join again under a 32k program.


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## Devil's Advocate (May 29, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Seems like a case of false alarm. The AGR credit card page on Chase website clearly states *No Annual Fee*.


From your very own link...



> You will first be considered for a World MasterCard. If you do not qualify for that product, you will automatically be considered for a Platinum MasterCard, which has different rates, fees, benefits, and credit availability.


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## Texan Eagle (May 29, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> No false alarm. I was degraded to platinum which does carry fees. Notice the asterisk by "No Annual Fees".
> 
> I guess I'll just be a good boy, cancel when my year is up and maybe in the future join again under a 32k program.


This is strange. Generally I have seen the higher-end credit cards have fees (and additional benefits) but the "fallback" credit cards if one does not qualify for the original one are generally free or with *lower *annual fee than the "prestigious" card. Amtrak card is a rare case where the supposedly higher-end card is free but the fallback card has an annual fee!

Good to know for folks planning to get AGR card in the future.


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## Devil's Advocate (May 29, 2012)

As I understand it there are at least five MasterCard levels.

1. Standard MasterCard

2. Gold MasterCard

3. Platinum MasterCard

4. World MasterCard

5. World Elite MasterCard

In this case the secondary card is still considered a premium card by Chase and the annual fee is probably there to pay for things like price protection, third party refunds, insurance liability, etc. which may or may not overlap with the features of the World Card depending on the issuer. I have a Platinum MasterCard through another issuer that does not have any sort of annual fee or even a minimum payment. In any case the $95 charge is still cheap compared to the _American Express Platinum_ card, which costs $450 annually and is _not_ waived for the first year.


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## Blackwolf (May 31, 2012)

I have been spending some quality time scouring through all the documents regarding my Platinum AGR MasterCard, and nowhere can I find _any indication_ of an annual fee. I have never paid one, and in the most recent contract agreement, under the reference line of Annual Fee there is $0 listed. I am no legal advisor, but wouldn't Chase be legally obligated to notify at least 30 days in advance of a change in contract where a fee would be instituted? I know American Express does this when ever something major changes in the contract, and so does Capital One. I would regard a new fee as a very large change in contract.

As such, my credit now as to when I first recieved the card has vastly improved (I am very much a Tier 1 credit score holder.) If Chase would decide to charge an annual fee for the Platinum but not for the World, then I would request an upgrade to World in a heartbeat. If Chase, for reasons I'm not remotely aware of, declined to upgrade then I would just cancel my account outright.


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## amamba (Jun 1, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> No false alarm. I was degraded to platinum which does carry fees. Notice the asterisk by "No Annual Fees".
> 
> I guess I'll just be a good boy, cancel when my year is up and maybe in the future join again under a 32k program.


You might want to check the terms of the bonus points - I am not sure that you are eligible for the 32K points if you have already had the AGR card from chase.


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## VentureForth (Jun 5, 2012)

You're probably right. I didn't know of a 32k program, so I'm hosed no matter what. Best I can hope for is the World card without any fee, even if I don't get to get points again.

Anyone know if Chase can issue cards with RFID?


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## Blackwolf (Jun 9, 2012)

I just finished my phone call with Chase. The agent, Kyle, was somewhat dumbfounded with the talk about there being a tier of AGR credit cards that have a membership fee. When I asked him bluntly if any of the AGR cards (standard MC, Platinum MC, World MC) have a membership fee, he flatly said "No." None of the cards Chase manages for Amtrak have any membership fee, absolutely none. So, either Chase is giving me a load of BS or someone here is getting hosed and needs to call Chase ASAP and figure out what is wrong!!

Membership fees and Credit Card companies have a relationship with the rewards programs who service them; most require a fee to offset the cost of the program across the whole breadth of the members. AGR does not, and it is AGR who would decide if a fee should be charged or not. Chase has no say in the matter, they are just the credit card issuer on behalf of both MasterCard and AGR. Call them the middle-man.

Also, it was clarified: AGR has *NO* plans for charging a fee. Everyone is safe; those AGR points will still rack up free of charge (except if you hold a balance at the end of your payment period!! :excl: )


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