# How do amtrak travel points work?



## berkyo (Jul 11, 2013)

Good morning.

We have been using AGR for 2 years now and only travel once a year or maybe twice by train. We just got a summary with June's points. Could someone help with an explanation?

MONTHLY SUMMARY Points posted to your account
June 1 – 30, 2013 Amtrak Travel 398 Bonus 0 Partner 7,088 Other 0 Monthly Total: 7,486 Monthly Tier Qualifying Points:

398 count towards tier status

We took the SWC from Santa Fe NM to Roc NY on June 15. Coach cost was $401. I thought we got full dollar for dollar for travel on a train plus at least 100 pts for mileage on a train? And what is the tier status thing about? I have read it several times ans still do not understand it. is the 398 just whatever the tier points are? Shouldn't we get more pts for the actual train ride?

Thanks in advance.


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## berkyo (Jul 11, 2013)

Just looking at the agr site and the details of the points earned for travel. Both my husband and I went on the trip, but it lists just one of us as gaining points. We have a card in my name (but husbands card has his name on it) and I booked the trip on line. (just found a promo for that) Do they just count me and not the second ticket I bought?


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## PRR 60 (Jul 11, 2013)

When you say "we" , I assume you mean yourself and someone else, and I also assume that the $401 was the cost for both. AGR awards points to each traveler with AGR membership, so you would get points for your paid trip, and the person with you would get points for their trip, assuming they are members.

Your trip included three segments: the van from Santa Fe to Lamy, the train from Lamy to Chicago, and the train from Chicago to Rochester. In this case, the Santa Fe to Lamy van, a 7000 series Thruway service, does not earn points. Based on your points earned, I assume that the train portion of the trip, Lamy to Chicago to Rochester, was valued at $199 per person. AGR awards two points per dollar spent, so your two trains cost $199, thus your points earned was 199x2 = 398. There are no additional points earned for mileage.

Those 398 points are added to your account point total for the purpose of redeeming toward free travel. Those are called redeemable points.  As long as you have paid travel on Amtrak once every three years, or have the Amtrak MasterCard, your redeemable points will not expire. If your companion has an AGR account, they would also get 398 points. If not, then there are no points award for their trip.

Since the 398 points were earned through Amtrak travel, they are also credited as Tier Qualifying Points, or TQP's. This is a seperate balance that is only used to determine if a member is eligible for the various elite AGR membership levels: Select, Select Plus, and Select Executive. The TQP totals are kept for one calandar year - January 1 to December 31. If a member reaches 5000 TQP within the year, then they are granted Select status. 10,000 TQP gets Select Plus status. 20,000 TQP gets Select Executive status. At the end of the year, each member's TQP balance is reset to zero, and the whole thing starts over for the next year. Remember, the whole TQP deal is for status levels only. Your redeemable points balance is not affected.

Paying with the AGR MasterCard also earns points from Chase. These are separate from the travel points awarded by Amtrak. The credit card points are awarded to the primary credit card holder and are recorded as Partner Points.


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## berkyo (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks PRR. That must be the problem. We have one card . So i will refer him to get a card and our next trip will gain points for both of us.


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## berkyo (Jul 11, 2013)

Well, so, to make that work, we both have to book separate tickets? If 2 coach seats will we be considered as traveling together? If we get a roomette, Only the one of us will get the points, correct?


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## AmtrakBlue (Jul 11, 2013)

I think with the roomette you'd both get points for the rail fare amount, but only the "first" person listed on the trip will get points for the cost of the roomette.


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## amamba (Jul 11, 2013)

berkyo said:


> Thanks PRR. That must be the problem. We have one card . So i will refer him to get a card and our next trip will gain points for both of us.


Your H must have his own AGR membership, and then you need to book the travel with both of your AGR numbers.

If you book a sleeper, the person on the reservation first will get the points for railfare for one plus sleeper fee, and the second person just gets the railfare points.


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## SarahZ (Jul 11, 2013)

^^^^ That. When B and I book Coach, I have to put both of our numbers on the reservation. When we travel in a sleeper, we put my number on the reservation so I get the bulk of the points. I do more traveling via Amtrak, so my account is our "main" and his is the "support". When it comes time for our annual trip to ABQ, I transfer all of the points from his account into mine to make up any shortages.


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## berkyo (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks. I was wondering if we could transfer the points.


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## SarahZ (Jul 11, 2013)

berkyo said:


> Thanks. I was wondering if we could transfer the points.


You can, but there's a cost. It's $10 per 1000 points transferred.

On the AGR site, if you want to check it out, it's actually called "sharing points".


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## the_traveler (Jul 11, 2013)

berkyo said:


> Thanks. I was wondering if we could transfer the points.


Yes you can transfer points, but as said there is a cost involved. Sometimes it's not worth it to pay to transfer points.
Using an example of a 1 zone sleeper award, say your account has 26,000 points in it and his has 17,000 points in it. Each award (each way) is 15,000 points. Instead of transferring 4,000 points (to get to the needed 30K), why not redeem 15K from your account and 15K from his account? :huh: This way there will be no transfer - and thus no cost! 

Also remember that when he does receive his AGR number to list it on the reservation. That way, the points will automatically post. You could still get the points later, but it may involve a lot of work!

Also if he is not a member, go to the AGR page, sign on to your account and YOU refer him! (Remember that each AGR account has to have a separate e-mail address. If needed you can get free ones from like gmail, yahoo or hotmail and others.) Then if he signs up via the link in the e-mail that AGR sends, and travels on Amtrak within 90 days, both he and you get 500 bonus points! (And that trip can be even 1 stop, and even 1 way.)


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## crescent2 (Jul 11, 2013)

I may be wrong on this, but I think if your husband signs up for an AGR account, he can go back and add his recent travel (within a time limit) and get the points he would have gotten for it. They may have given you those points, though. I'm not up on the finer points of AGR!

I do recall that when my husband and I traveled in a sleeper, we each got some points. We each had an AGR number.


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## the_traveler (Jul 11, 2013)

crescent2 said:


> I may be wrong on this, but I think if your husband signs up for an AGR account, he can go back and add his recent travel (within a time limit) and get the points he would have gotten for it.


That could have been done, but it is too late now (by only a few days)!  You can receive credit for trips taken prior to signing up for AGR - but only 21 days prior. The trip was on June 15, which is a few days past the 21 day cutoff!


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## BCL (Jul 11, 2013)

berkyo said:


> We took the SWC from Santa Fe NM to Roc NY on June 15. Coach cost was $401. I thought we got full dollar for dollar for travel on a train plus at least 100 pts for mileage on a train? And what is the tier status thing about? I have read it several times ans still do not understand it. is the 398 just whatever the tier points are? Shouldn't we get more pts for the actual train ride?


It's two points per dollar spent with a 100 point minimum per qualifying segment, with only up to four minimum points awards per day.. If a segment is priced at more than $50, it will be more than the minimum. For instance, once I took a trip that was $52 per passenger and only got 104 points. Someone mentioned that your thruway van didn't count, but the bus service I've taken did count even though it was only priced at about $5.

Segments are priced even for "multi-city" trips. I've priced theoretical trips where for maybe $12 I've gotten it broken down into four segments and if taken separately would get 400 total points. With fare specials it could be even less. Now there are issues. Each segment must be taken separately to qualify for the 100 point minimum. I'm talking unreserved trains where one could use the segments almost any time. It's possible to use multiple segments on the same train, and I've had conductors ask if I was using them together or if I was using them separately. The other issue is tracking down a conductor for a segment lasting 2.4 miles. I've almost taken an entire 45 mile trip without having a conductor ask for my ticket, so 2+ miles is easy to avoid a conductor.


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## TinCan782 (Jul 11, 2013)

Sorcha said:


> ^^^^ That. When B and I book Coach, I have to put both of our numbers on the reservation. When we travel in a sleeper, we put my number on the reservation so I get the bulk of the points. I do more traveling via Amtrak, so my account is our "main" and his is the "support". When it comes time for our annual trip to ABQ, I transfer all of the points from his account into mine to make up any shortages.


Even in sleeper, you should put his AGR number on the reservation with his name...he will at least get points for his basic fare; you will get you points for your basic fare plus the accomodation charge in your name.


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## berkyo (Jul 11, 2013)

thanks for all the suggestions. We are correcting problem.


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## SarahZ (Jul 12, 2013)

FrensicPic said:


> Sorcha said:
> 
> 
> > ^^^^ That. When B and I book Coach, I have to put both of our numbers on the reservation. When we travel in a sleeper, we put my number on the reservation so I get the bulk of the points. I do more traveling via Amtrak, so my account is our "main" and his is the "support". When it comes time for our annual trip to ABQ, I transfer all of the points from his account into mine to make up any shortages.
> ...


Oh, I do. I meant I put my name as the *first* name on the reservation so I get the bulk of the points (rail fare + room), and then he gets his rail fare points.


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## me_little_me (Jul 12, 2013)

amamba said:


> berkyo said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks PRR. That must be the problem. We have one card . So i will refer him to get a card and our next trip will gain points for both of us.
> ...


An important consideration when traveling with other family members in additional rooms on the same reservation:

If you buy two rooms, one for you and spouse and another for son and daughter-in-law as we did, you (as first listed) get rail+room points, spouse (as second listed) gets rail+second room points, kids get rail points. Good feature if you are treating them. Bad (for them) if they reimbursed you for tickets. Order of names in reservation is crucial.


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