# earning rewards



## lmctrouble (Mar 11, 2012)

I have a question regarding earning AGR points. The way I'm reading it I would earn more points booking 2 one way tickets vs 1 round trip ticket - correct?


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## Ispolkom (Mar 11, 2012)

lmctrouble said:


> I have a question regarding earning AGR points. The way I'm reading it I would earn more points booking 2 one way tickets vs 1 round trip ticket - correct?


Only if the two one-way tickets cost more than the round trip ticket. You earn two points per dollar fare.


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## lmctrouble (Mar 11, 2012)

Ispolkom said:


> lmctrouble said:
> 
> 
> > I have a question regarding earning AGR points. The way I'm reading it I would earn more points booking 2 one way tickets vs 1 round trip ticket - correct?
> ...


You get a minimum of 100 points for travel no matter what the price of the ticket - correct? So since I live in MI I can travel from say - Flint to Battle Creek for $10 and earn 100 points and then travel from Battle Creek to Flint for $10 and earn another 100 points. Round trip would be $36 - would I earn 100 points for the trip or 200 points (100 points each way)?


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## gatelouse (Mar 12, 2012)

First post is incorrect. 200 points for a $36 roundtrip.

You get 100 points minimum per segment, whether it's part of a one-way, round-trip, or connecting itinerary. In other words, 100 point minimum per printed ticket in hand. Just like the airline frequent flyer programs that offer a set minimum of miles per flight. Some exceptions apply (e.g. four minimums per day). Some nice tricks as well (e.g. forced connections on corridors with frequent service).


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## lmctrouble (Mar 12, 2012)

Thank you!!


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## the_traveler (Mar 12, 2012)

Gatelouse is correct. You earn a minimum of 100 AGR points per segment, as long as each segment has a different train number!






Example #1): You travel from Flint, MI to Glenview, IL. Since the 2 trains you will take have different train numbers, you would earn 100 points per segment, or 200 points total for the one way trip!





Example #2): I can take a single train from BOS to KIN, this would earn my only 100 points.

Example #3): However, on the NEC train service is frequent, and I can but 1 ticket from BOS to PVD on one train, wait 1-2 hours and book another train from PVD to KIN - and earn 100 points per segment or 200 points total!



And most times (although not guaranteed), the Conductor will take both tickets after I say I must get to KIN ASAP, I get to stay on that same train - and because the tickets show 2 train numbers, I earn 100 points per segment!


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## OlympianHiawatha (Mar 12, 2012)

And keep in mind these little short 100 Point runs can turn into nice Points builders during Double or better yet Triple Points offers, but again the 4 segment per day rule applies. And short runs can satisfy that crave to ride the train, at least for a while.


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## lmctrouble (Mar 12, 2012)

And if I bought two tickets - one for me and one for my child (under 16) - would I then earn 400 points because we have two tickets each?


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## OlympianHiawatha (Mar 12, 2012)

lmctrouble said:


> And if I bought two tickets - one for me and one for my child (under 16) - would I then earn 400 points because we have two tickets each?


You would only earn 200 Points (assuming these are RT) since you can only earn Points for yourself.


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## lmctrouble (Mar 12, 2012)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> lmctrouble said:
> 
> 
> > And if I bought two tickets - one for me and one for my child (under 16) - would I then earn 400 points because we have two tickets each?
> ...



That's what I thought - bummer - lol


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## gatelouse (Mar 12, 2012)

But your child would earn 200 points as well!


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## AlanB (Mar 12, 2012)

gatelouse said:


> But your child would earn 200 points as well!


Only if the child is registered as a member.


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## AlanB (Mar 12, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> And most times (although not guaranteed), the Conductor will take both tickets after I say I must get to KIN ASAP, I get to stay on that same train - and because the tickets show 2 train numbers, I earn 100 points per segment!


That should not work, even if the conductor takes both tickets. The train number isn't scanned from the ticket. The train number is entered in when the entire batch of tickets from that conductor is scanned. So for example let's say you book train #172 for the first leg and #86 for the second leg. If the first ticket scanned just happens to be the ticket for #172, it will record as trains #172. If the ticket for train #86 scans first, it too will record for train #172, despite what's printed on the ticket. Therefore when the second of your tickets scans, it too will record train #172 and the system will kick that ticket out and record zero points since you're not allowed to be on the same train twice in one day for AGR points.

The train number printed on the tickets has nothing to do with the number that goes to AGR. The batch provides the train number.


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## lmctrouble (Mar 12, 2012)

AlanB said:


> gatelouse said:
> 
> 
> > But your child would earn 200 points as well!
> ...



Is there a way to transfer/combine the points? I know you can transfer points to other people but is there a cap on the amount you can transfer and/or a cost involved in doing so?


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## AlanB (Mar 12, 2012)

lmctrouble said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > gatelouse said:
> ...


Yes, you can indeed transfer points from one account to another. The cost is a penny per point and I believe that the limit per calendar year is 100,000 points.


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## lmctrouble (Mar 12, 2012)

AlanB said:


> lmctrouble said:
> 
> 
> > AlanB said:
> ...



So it just might be worth it to sign him up too. Are there any age restrictions as to who can sign up for AGR?


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## the_traveler (Mar 12, 2012)

Not as far as I know. AU members have children who were/are 2 or 3 and are AGR members!


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## the_traveler (Mar 12, 2012)

AlanB said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > And most times (although not guaranteed), the Conductor will take both tickets after I say I must get to KIN ASAP, I get to stay on that same train - and because the tickets show 2 train numbers, I earn 100 points per segment!
> ...


But it has worked for me every time! (What have I started that will be not allowed now?



)


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## gatelouse (Mar 13, 2012)

When signing up a child, don't forget to refer the child through your account, which gets you a 500 point referral bonus along with a 500 point signup bonus for the child. It's a bit tricky since most websites, including AGR, don't allow online setup of childrens' accounts. But you can do a "quick enroll" and get a number with just a first and last name and email. If the child's email address used for the quick-enroll matches the address you entered for your referral, then you should be golden.

So you could be looking at 1400 points between the two of you: 200 rail points for you, 200 rail points for child, 500 referral bonus points for you, and 500 new member bonus for child.

Short trips with half-fare children are a great way to earn more points, especially when a double/triple points promotion is active.


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## lmctrouble (Mar 13, 2012)

gatelouse said:


> When signing up a child, don't forget to refer the child through your account, which gets you a 500 point referral bonus along with a 500 point signup bonus for the child. It's a bit tricky since most websites, including AGR, don't allow online setup of childrens' accounts. But you can do a "quick enroll" and get a number with just a first and last name and email. If the child's email address used for the quick-enroll matches the address you entered for your referral, then you should be golden.
> 
> So you could be looking at 1400 points between the two of you: 200 rail points for you, 200 rail points for child, 500 referral bonus points for you, and 500 new member bonus for child.
> 
> Short trips with half-fare children are a great way to earn more points, especially when a double/triple points promotion is active.



I already sent him an email. :0)

I just signed up myself - wouldn't I also get the 500 new member bonus as well as 500 for referral?


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## the_traveler (Mar 13, 2012)

Yes!



As long as:


You register him/her for AGR by clicking on the link in the email that AGR sent, *AND*

It is a separate email from your AGR account. (Each AGR account *MUST* have a separate email address!)


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## white rabbitt (Mar 21, 2012)

ok let me understand this on aptil 25th i take the wolverine to chicago then i transer to the texas eagle to austin for that i get 100 points on my round trip return on the 30th i get another 100 points for the austin chicago part and another 100 for the wolverine dont i get double of triple points for the spring promotion?


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## trainman74 (Mar 21, 2012)

Depends on the fare you paid -- you get 2 points per dollar, and 100 points is only the minimum awarded for each leg. So if your fare for any individual leg is over $50, you'll earn more than 100 points for that leg.

And your points will be doubled _if_ you make sure to register for the "Spring Line" promotion, which you can either do at amtrakguestrewards.com or by calling 1-800-307-5000.


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## the_traveler (Mar 21, 2012)

No!

You would get the minimum 100 points for the Wolverine - assuming it costs under $50. And that would be doubled to 200 points! Then for the TE, assume it costs $225, you would earn 450 points, and that would be doubled to 900 points.

Thus for that one way, you would earn 1,100 AGR points!



And if the other direction cost the same, you would earn another 1,100 points!


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## white rabbitt (Mar 21, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> No!
> 
> You would get the minimum 100 points for the Wolverine - assuming it costs under $50. And that would be doubled to 200 points! Then for the TE, assume it costs $225, you would earn 450 points, and that would be doubled to 900 points.
> 
> ...


Rail $ 273.70

Accommodations $ 416.00

Subtotal $ 689.70

that includes my roomettes rt and business class on the wolverine rt

so what are my points also do i get credit for my hotel stay in austin


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## Ispolkom (Mar 21, 2012)

wabbitt said:


> Rail $ 273.70
> 
> Accommodations $ 416.00
> 
> ...


That's insufficient information. You have to break it down by train. How much does the Wolverine cost? How much does the Texas Eagle cost? Without those two pieces of information, no one can answer your question.

You can earn AGR points from some hotel stays. You have to belong to the hotel frequent-traveler program and choose AGR points as your earnings mode. Check your hotel's chain Web site for further information.


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## white rabbitt (Mar 21, 2012)

Ispolkom said:


> wabbitt said:
> 
> 
> > Rail $ 273.70
> ...


ok travler

i called amtrak they broke it down for me

wolverine---- business class rt royal oak- chicago 87.50

texas eagle--roomette class rt chicago-- austin	602.20

total 689.70


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## the_traveler (Mar 21, 2012)

wabbitt said:


> wolverine---- business class rt royal oak- chicago 87.50
> 
> texas eagle--roomette class rt chicago-- austin	602.20
> 
> total 689.70


You would earn 175 AGR points (doubled to 350 points) for the Wolverine

You would earn 1204 AGR points (doubled to 2408 points) for the TE

Total points earned would be 2758 AGR points for the train trip!




As far as the hotel, if they are a hotel partner with Amtrak, *AND* you belong to their hotel frequent stay program *AND* you made Amtrak your earning choice - you can also earn AGR points for your hotel!


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## white rabbitt (Mar 21, 2012)

cool traveler i will have points after my trip


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## Ispolkom (Mar 21, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> wabbitt said:
> 
> 
> > wolverine---- business class rt royal oak- chicago 87.50
> ...


Since it's a round trip, you'd actually earn 200 points, doubled to 400 for the Wolverine trip.


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## the_traveler (Mar 21, 2012)

Good catch!





Assuming that's the round trip cost (which we both now do), since each way is under $50, you would get the 100 point minimum, or 200 points when doubled - each way!


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## frugalist (Mar 24, 2012)

You can also buy points directly from AGR to speed up your next reward trip. Points can be bought in increments of 1,000 and cost $27.50/1,000 points. Now, thru the end of March, AGR is offering a bonus of 30% additional points on top of what you pay for. There is a calendar year limit of 10,000 purchased points per AGR account.

But, if you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa card, you can do even better than that! The Sapphire Preferred card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a rate of 2 points for all dining (including fast food) and travel charges and 1 point for all other charges. You can purchase UR points directly from Chase. Points can be purchased in increments of 1,000 and cost $25.00/1,000 points. There is a calendar *month* limit of 5,000 purchased points per UR account. Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred for free to your (or anyone else's) AGR account on a 1:1 basis in increments of 1,000 points. There is no limit to the number of UR points you can transfer to AGR and the transfers are executed virtually instantaneously. In 12 months, you can purchase enough UR points for a cross-country trip on Amtrak in a bedroom at the new rate of 60,000 points for a total of $1500. Depending on your actual itinerary, that could be less than a third of the retail cost of the trip. Or, in 3 months, you can purchase enough UR points for a 1-zone trip in a roomette for $375. Miami to New York on the Meteor is at least twice that much, sometimes, triple.


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## gatelouse (Mar 26, 2012)

For potential newcomers to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, it looks like the sign-up bonus has dropped from 50k to 40k. Still a solid deal. I was lucky to get mine before the drop.

Didn't realize that you get 2x UR on dining and can buy at 2.5c per point. (If the 7% annual point bonus applies to purchased points, the effective cost comes down to--I'll do the math for you this time--about 2.34 cents per point.)


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## white rabbitt (Apr 21, 2012)

gatelouse said:


> For potential newcomers to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, it looks like the sign-up bonus has dropped from 50k to 40k. Still a solid deal. I was lucky to get mine before the drop.
> 
> Didn't realize that you get 2x UR on dining and can buy at 2.5c per point. (If the 7% annual point bonus applies to purchased points, the effective cost comes down to--I'll do the math for you this time--about 2.34 cents per point.)


with the wolverine canncelled my trip was changed

with my royal oak chicago ticket being honoured

i now take the thru way bus detroit to toledo

then i get the 29 capitol limited from toledo-chicago

to conrct with the texas eagle

will my points change :help:


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## white rabbitt (Apr 21, 2012)

:help:


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## white rabbitt (Apr 23, 2012)

wabbitt said:


> :help:


with the wolverine canncelled my trip was changed with my royal oak chicago ticket being honoured

i now take the thru way bus detroit to toledo

then i get the 29 capitol limited from toledo-chicago

to conrct with the texas eagle

will my points change :help:


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## AlanB (Apr 23, 2012)

wabbitt said:


> wabbitt said:
> 
> 
> > :help:
> ...


I would expect that you'd get more points, since your one segment trip from ROY to Chicago has now become a two segment trip. So the bus which should be less than $50 in value, should net you 100 points. However, there is really no way for us to know just how Amtrak priced things out for you when they rebooked you.

Therefore there is no way for us to actually tell you just how many points you're going to get.

And make sure that you hold onto your ticket stubs, especially the bus one. Often times buses don't post automatically, so you may have to fax in a copy of that stub to get your points.


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