Booking online on Amtrak website
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There is ALWAYS a hassle with the Amtrak web site IMHO. Reflects management. That's why Amtrak's phone lines are always so backed up.
Their home page reflects their stupidity. Finding the place to make reservations is a pain, buried as it is on their main page.
If it doesn't work, just call. They offer a callback. It isn't as fast as they promise but you don't have to hold the phone to your ear until he battery runs down or put it down and set to speaker. Note, however, they will call back or answer the hold just as soon as you have to go to the bathroom. They plan it that way.
Their home page reflects their stupidity. Finding the place to make reservations is a pain, buried as it is on their main page.
If it doesn't work, just call. They offer a callback. It isn't as fast as they promise but you don't have to hold the phone to your ear until he battery runs down or put it down and set to speaker. Note, however, they will call back or answer the hold just as soon as you have to go to the bathroom. They plan it that way.
greatwestern
Service Attendant
I had the same problem a week or so ago (see my post of 21 Sept #11256 [and subsequent follow up posts] in "AU Lounge - What are you doing right now" thread).
I made multiple attempts to book using my desktop computer using the Amtrak website and like the OP found the "Pay" button inactive. I eventually tried on my ipad using the Amtrak App and was able to book with no problems using exactly the same inputs as I had entered on my desktop !!
I made multiple attempts to book using my desktop computer using the Amtrak website and like the OP found the "Pay" button inactive. I eventually tried on my ipad using the Amtrak App and was able to book with no problems using exactly the same inputs as I had entered on my desktop !!
I had that very problem a few weeks ago. I was making a reservation pretty late at night, and I got all the way to the pay button which was either greyed out or unresponsive (I don't recall which).
I tried several times and then just bagged it. I thought it was possible I got hung up in some system maintenance because of the hour.
I made the reservation on the website the next day without a problem.
VV, I understand you are overseas. You might be running into the same issue I did, in your case due to time difference, not just staying up late.
I tried several times and then just bagged it. I thought it was possible I got hung up in some system maintenance because of the hour.
I made the reservation on the website the next day without a problem.
VV, I understand you are overseas. You might be running into the same issue I did, in your case due to time difference, not just staying up late.
I wonder if there might be leading or trailing space somewhere???
First thank you everybody. All our experiences may along with greatwestern,s posts help others.
OK, managed to book 2 Amtrak journeys today around lunch time France time, by phone. A little earlier I did try to to use the desktop again and a laptop to make the booking online, but same problem in the middle of the day as I had late at night (Europe).
I may have found one of the reasons some of us who are overseas can no longer book online via the regular reservations webpage.
Having to input a cell/mobile phone number is a mandatory part of the booking process. Today the reservation agent asked if we had a US number as it wouldn't accept a number outside of the US and Canada, and that the booking couldn't be completed without a genuine number.
Is it possible the website page is using old IT forms, and although there is a box which allows you to input which country your phone number comes from that by putting a number outside the US/Canada it makes the booking form void?
Don't have an iPad to test that theory or have much interest in finding and using an app so can't comment on that. I am surprised that Amtrak are not on top of having a web reservation page that works for all, in retail the aim is ususlly making life easy for the customer. For whatever reason that side of their operation doesn't work.
To counter my moan above, I have to say today's reservation agent is a star. She did everything she could to make the bookings easy and pleasant, and from my experience most Amtrak staff I've come actross do their utmost to make the experience as pleasant as possible. 10 out of 10 for today's booking experience.
So Amtrak managment and/or IT section, please try harder just like most of your employees.
We are going to get to experience the EB in mid winter, and get a day or so in Seattle too. Now we have every chance of riding the Bremerton ferry which could be one of the highlights of this trip.
Thanks again
OK, managed to book 2 Amtrak journeys today around lunch time France time, by phone. A little earlier I did try to to use the desktop again and a laptop to make the booking online, but same problem in the middle of the day as I had late at night (Europe).
I may have found one of the reasons some of us who are overseas can no longer book online via the regular reservations webpage.
Having to input a cell/mobile phone number is a mandatory part of the booking process. Today the reservation agent asked if we had a US number as it wouldn't accept a number outside of the US and Canada, and that the booking couldn't be completed without a genuine number.
Is it possible the website page is using old IT forms, and although there is a box which allows you to input which country your phone number comes from that by putting a number outside the US/Canada it makes the booking form void?
Don't have an iPad to test that theory or have much interest in finding and using an app so can't comment on that. I am surprised that Amtrak are not on top of having a web reservation page that works for all, in retail the aim is ususlly making life easy for the customer. For whatever reason that side of their operation doesn't work.
To counter my moan above, I have to say today's reservation agent is a star. She did everything she could to make the bookings easy and pleasant, and from my experience most Amtrak staff I've come actross do their utmost to make the experience as pleasant as possible. 10 out of 10 for today's booking experience.
So Amtrak managment and/or IT section, please try harder just like most of your employees.
We are going to get to experience the EB in mid winter, and get a day or so in Seattle too. Now we have every chance of riding the Bremerton ferry which could be one of the highlights of this trip.
Thanks again
I'm sorry, what does that mean?
Sometimes I'll copy/paste something and will get an "invalid information" warning and discover there was a space before or after what I pasted (probably was in what I copied). I try to put my cursor past the end of the entry to see if there is one or more spaces between the last character and my cursor. I will also put my cursor right in front of the 1st character and then try to backspace.
Yes, got that now, thanks. I don't think that happened from the 2nd attempt onwards but can't say 100%.
Hmmm. Just this past Monday (27) I booked 4 trains for the two of us via the website without any problems.
Their website seems to have glitches that come and go.
The part that is constant is that it is a pain to navigate and find things on the site!
Their website seems to have glitches that come and go.
The part that is constant is that it is a pain to navigate and find things on the site!
Booking is right in the middle of the home page. Or am I missing something?
I have an 11 inch Macbook Air and I have to scroll down to the booking area.- Joined
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Instead of at the top! When one has a smaller screen, one has to scroll down.
The PURPOSE of Amtrak is to sell tickets so selling tickets needs to be the first and most prominent thing. Not after Trip Flexibility, Pre-Covid Check, (which is where my screen ends), Air Quality, Cleaning and Face Coverings and State Quarantine Status. Only one of these is very important (Pre-Covid Check) as the others are needed only if one is making a reservation or is just advertising. None of them require the space they take up above the Reservation request. The rest of the page below the easy-to-miss reservation area (which is the only section without LARGE TYPE and BIG PICTURES) is just advertising. The reservation section is the only one that does not stand out. And it is therefore BURIED in the middle of the page.
To make matters worse, an ad for the credit card deal is pinned to the bottom of the screen, so between the fixed header and fixed footer, the scrollable area is barely enough to hold the booking form.
Tried again to use our desktop and laptop to make our final booking for next February's round trip, but had to resort to the phone again. We would prefer to book online but will in future use the phone option first.
Yet again the reservation agent was superb, a different person this time but she gave the same level of help and consideration with the most obscure of the 9 route options that Amtrak listed. Well done Amtrak people, we'd recommend you any time.
Yet again the reservation agent was superb, a different person this time but she gave the same level of help and consideration with the most obscure of the 9 route options that Amtrak listed. Well done Amtrak people, we'd recommend you any time.
greatwestern
Service Attendant
I emailed Amtrak Customer Support on 21st September asking for a solution following my inability to book using the website (that was prior to my succeeding when I ended up using the Amtrak App on my ipad).
So far, 2 weeks on, all I have received is the customary acknowledgement of my enquiry !!!
Should I keep holding my breath ?
This is one of the reasons I don't miss the web dev job I was laid off from (off-shored, not Covid). I've hated what the web has become with pinned crap everywhere and tracking that seems almost at the HIPAA waiver level. It's all about what the site owner wants to push and ignores what site visitors actually want to find.
Good question. But to be fair it appears email enquiries for many types of businesses are now at the back of the queue, their interest is elsewhere.
Thank you for saying that. I thought it was just me. I would add that it's about pretty pictures and (too often) motion, rather than useful information.
You are so right - the pictures are nothing - no real information anymore. And, as far as e-mail = I also found that phone works best - takes more time - and in some instances it depends on who you get on the phone. I've gotten so if the phone person says "I'm e-mailing this/that" and I don't see it it a short time - I call again - last time - I found there wasn't even a record of her doing anything. I feel like we're going backwards - the web on-line was a fast easy way to do things - now I spend half the time trying to figure out where they hid the information I wanted.
Yes, and also large blank spaces. With each passing year, more and more clicks are required to get to the area you want to see. I like the old "amateurish" websites that have a lot of the information right on the home page.
Devil's Advocate
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We used to poke fun at the old school look of Amtrak.com during the Boardman era but at least that site was functional and focused on booking travel. Today's Pinterest style garbage is clumsier, less functional, and seems to be focused on selling status and/or credit cards over booking actual travel. As Amtrak's website continues to deteriorate through the Anderflynngard era the tools that once gave us useful workarounds are no longer able to communicate, leaving us stuck with emails that seem to go nowhere and phone calls that throw useless Julie at us until we convince her to put us on hold waiting for a live human. 
greatwestern
Service Attendant
I have now had an email response which effectively suggests the problem that I experienced in not being able to book via Amtrak.com was an input error/omission by myself.
I know this was not the case as I know for sure that my successful booking on the Amtrak App used exactly the same entries as I had been trying on Amtrak.com (and v v's similar booking experience to mine would also seem to indicate that it was not input errors).
I have responded to Amtrak Customer Support updating them that I had succeeded using the same inputs but on the Amtrak App and also that I was aware that another European "booker" had experienced exactly the same problem (and hypothesised that perhaps the website is only failing non North America bookers).
I will update if I get any further response.
neroden
Engineer
Amtrak's IT department continues to be a shambles. Are we going to have to escalate this to top management, again?
