# 30% bonus



## Tumbleweed (Dec 14, 2011)

Anybody still planning on taking advantage of the 30% bonus when buying points?


----------



## Rail Freak (Dec 14, 2011)

Tumbleweed said:


> Anybody still planning on taking advantage of the 30% bonus when buying points?



Where is that bonus???

Thanx

RF


----------



## the_traveler (Dec 15, 2011)

It's in the AGR e-newsletter!

But wasn't it just 50%?



And it's only good to 12/31/11, so if you had already bought your limit for 2011 - you're SOL!


----------



## Oldsmoboi (Dec 15, 2011)

Do they qualify for select?


----------



## Devil's Advocate (Dec 15, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Do they qualify for select?


Nope.


----------



## Oldsmoboi (Dec 15, 2011)

Amtrak can count me out for these miles purchase schemes unless they qualify me for select. I'm happy to buy over priced flower delivery to get points, but only if those points count me towards select. I only really want it for lounge access on trips that don't normally qualify for lounge access.


----------



## AlanB (Dec 15, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Amtrak can count me out for these miles purchase schemes unless they qualify me for select. I'm happy to buy over priced flower delivery to get points, but only if those points count me towards select. I only really want it for lounge access on trips that don't normally qualify for lounge access.


Scheme? :unsure:

If you buy the maximum number of points, 10,000, for $275; one gets 13,000 points almost enough for a 1 zone roomette.

If I get on Amtrak at 2 points per $1 spent, I need to spend $6,500 in order to earn 13,000 points. Granted I'm also getting a train ride for my money, but spending $275 to get 13,000 points with or without status is still a great bargain! No doubt that's why Amtrak limits each person to a total of 10,000 points brought per year as they'd be giving away the store.


----------



## PRR 60 (Dec 15, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Amtrak can count me out for these miles purchase schemes unless they qualify me for select. I'm happy to buy over priced flower delivery to get points, but only if those points count me towards select. I only really want it for lounge access on trips that don't normally qualify for lounge access.


Amtrak awards elite membership status based on actually paying for and riding trains. Buying points is not riding trains. Buying flowers is not riding trains. Some airlines offer limited elite qualifying miles (EQM) from non-travel activities, but for the most part, airline EQM's and program status must be earned by flying. Amtrak and AGR are no different. If you want the benefits of AGR Select or Select Plus, then you have to show your brand loyality by paying for and riding Amtrak trains.

On the other hand, if someone wants the benefit of free Amtrak travel and doesn't care about elite status, then all the ancillary ways to get points are great. In fact, one of the more costly ways to earn AGR points is from Amtrak travel. It is possible to accumulate tens of thousands of AGR points a year without ever paying for a single Amtrak ticket. Those points can then be used for free travel. If you hold the AGR credit card, you don't even have to worry about points expiring.


----------



## SP&S (Dec 15, 2011)

Oldsmoboi said:


> Amtrak can count me out for these miles purchase schemes unless they qualify me for select. I'm happy to buy over priced flower delivery to get points, but only if those points count me towards select. I only really want it for lounge access on trips that don't normally qualify for lounge access.


Consider this. I buy 10000 points for $275, get a bonus of 3000 points, and add that to 2000 points I had laying around to total 15000. Then I book a trip SNC-PDX, business class on the Surfliner roomette on the Starlight. For the day the wife and I are traveling this is currently going for $684. You can call it a scheme, I call it a *deal*.


----------



## Oldsmoboi (Dec 19, 2011)

Consider this: I only have 3 outbound trains per day, one of them at an ungodly hour of the morning. I will gladly show my brand loyalty more often once Amtrak gives me the ability to. An overnight Pennsylvanian with a Viewliner would be a great start.


----------

