# Amtrak Insurance



## Fin (Jan 16, 2017)

I will be traveling alone round trip from Philadelphia to Orlando in December using my Amtrak Guest Reward Points. I was hoping someone could give me some feedback if the insurance is a good purchase since I'll be using my points and not paying out of pocket.


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## the_traveler (Jan 17, 2017)

My opinion is no.

The only thing that the "insurance" you purchase from Amtrak covers is the train portion itself. It is a direct train from Philadelphia to Orlando, so once you're on the train, there's no chance of missing your connection. And if there was a connection involved, if it's a guaranteed connection, Amtrak is responsible and will take care of you. If you have to cancel, you can get a 90% refund in cash or a 100% voucher for future travel on Amtrak.

As I see it, the "insurance" is just a money maker for the insurance company in this case.

If you want travel insurance for any other reason (hotels, medical evacuation, etc...), it's up to you. Your credit card may even provide this at no charge!


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## pennyk (Jan 17, 2017)

I have no idea whether travel insurance would cover a trip "purchased" using reward points. Maybe someone else would know.

Below are guidelines regarding cancellations of rewards trips (from Amtrak website).



> REWARD TICKET MODIFICATIONS & CANCELATIONS
> For modifications on one-way, round-trip or multi-segment reward travel, the following will applyoints difference (to new prevailing fare) will apply in all cases with a 10% points penalty withheld on any fare difference returned to member
> If modifying a non-sleeper ticket within 24 hours prior to departure, or a sleeper ticket within 14 days prior to departure, an additional "close-in" penalty of 10% of the points redeemed will be collected (waived for Select Executive).
> 
> ...


https://amtrakguestrewards.com/info/2016redemptionguidelines


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## Lonestar648 (Jan 26, 2017)

Insurance covers the cash portion of your trip, not the free portion. I never purchase travel insurance when traveling Amtrak since I can get a refund or voucher. Also, I do not pay in advance for hotels or rentals cars since those reservations are non refundable nor changeable. The cost of insurance is worth the price for a cruise since reservations have to be made so far in advance.


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