2 Millionth AGR Member Promotion

[chuljin]

Amtrak and AGR have just notified us that they were aware of the bad certificate problem with the non-www page. It is NOT a scam or phishing page so all is well in Amtrakland!

*nod* that is a problem with all sites that use SSL certificates. Certificates are issued to a single particular host name (in this case www.amtrakguestrewards.com) but could also wind up being used to negotiate SSL for a related site (like amtrakguestrewards.com). The traffic is still secure/encrypted, but the difference between the host name it's issued to, and the host name it's used for, will give most browsers coniptions [sp?].This security feature is to prevent people from being duped by, say, *stolen* certificates...but in this case, despite your browser's complaints, so long as the URL in your address bar has amtrakguestrewards.com, whether preceded by www. or not, it is safe. If it has something like amtrakguestrewards.hax0rs.org, steer far clear.

 

[nerd]

AGR's website has been this way forever (the security certificate is only valid for WWW.AMTRAKGUESTREWARDS.com and not AMTRAKGUESTREWARDS.COM.

Nothing to be worried about, especially since it's a secure (https://) connection.

 

[saxman]

It's a cool promo, but not likely worth much. If 100,000 AGR members registered (and that's not a big number) then there's only 20 points in it for everybody.

So we need to keep this promo a secret. No one should tell anybody. In fact I think everyone should deregister for this. :lol:

 

[ScottC4746]

It's a cool promo, but not likely worth much. If 100,000 AGR members registered (and that's not a big number) then there's only 20 points in it for everybody.

So we need to keep this promo a secret. No one should tell anybody. In fact I think everyone should deregister for this. :lol:

Not being on a weekend, I don't think the turnout will be quite so bad.

I couldn't tell though...can it be a one way trip?

 

[alanh]

As far as I can tell, it's only for a one-way trip (only one trip counts).

Amtrak's daily ridership is around 79,000 and a lot of them aren't AGR members. Assuming they all were, that would be 25 points each.

Unfortunately for me the Sunset Ltd only operates MWF out of MRC. I suppose I could do a TUS-MRC run -- I assume they go by the date on the ticket so it would still count even if the train were late. I'm also assuming they go by the start date rather than the end date of the ticket (it would be 11:35pm Th - 12:52am F).

 

[jis]

Amtrak and AGR have just notified us that they were aware of the bad certificate problem with the non-www page. It is NOT a scam or phishing page so all is well in Amtrakland!

*nod* that is a problem with all sites that use SSL certificates. Certificates are issued to a single particular host name (in this case www.amtrakguestrewards.com) but could also wind up being used to negotiate SSL for a related site (like amtrakguestrewards.com). The traffic is still secure/encrypted, but the difference between the host name it's issued to, and the host name it's used for, will give most browsers coniptions [sp?].This security feature is to prevent people from being duped by, say, *stolen* certificates...but in this case, despite your browser's complaints, so long as the URL in your address bar has amtrakguestrewards.com, whether preceded by www. or not, it is safe. If it has something like amtrakguestrewards.hax0rs.org, steer far clear.

Notwithstanding all that I wish they'd just get another cert for the other site and fix it. It is not like it is sooooo difficult or soooo expensive to do.

 

[PRR 60]

Amtrak and AGR have just notified us that they were aware of the bad certificate problem with the non-www page. It is NOT a scam or phishing page so all is well in Amtrakland!

That's Great!

Only kidding.

 

[PRR 60]

In all seriousness, and purely for entertainment purposes, let's speculate on what 2 million bonus matching points will mean for travel on August 20.

Let's see. Amtrak boards about 70,000 passengers on a given weekday. Maybe a little less this summer due to the seasonal drop in business travel in the NEC and the drop in overall NEC ridership this year. And, there is a bunch who use monthly passes. So, lets say there are 60,000 passenger segments on regular tickets. So, how many of those 60,000 do you think are AGR members? Maybe 2/3? That's 40,000. What is the average points earning each. Lets say the minimum - 100 points. So, that is a total points earned on August 20 of 40,000 times 100, or 4 million. If everyone opted into the promo, then the 2 million bonus points would be added to the 4 million earned points. That is a rate of 1/2 bonus point per earned point. Hmm. Not that great.

Now, if there are fewer than 40,000 AGR-member riders on August 20, that's good. The bonus point rate goes up. If there are more than 40,000 AGR-member riders, or if the average points earned by each is much more than 100 points per segment (it has to be somewhat more), then that's bad. The points rate goes down.

Truly a nerd's puzzle. That's why I'm playing.

 

[nerd]

So, how many of those 60,000 do you think are AGR members? Maybe 2/3?

I think that's way too high - I'd say 30%. Honestly, of the people I know who live in the NE and who occasionally or semi-regularly take Amtrak for work or pleasure , not a single one of them is a member of AGR. And that kind of makes sense: If you're not racking up points on the AGR credit card, and if you're not traveling Acela on the 500/750 point city pairs, AGR really offers you very, very limited earning opportunities.

 

[Guest]

I doubt more than a few thousand people register and travel on Aug. 20'th. given dail ridership is 79,000, I would say no more than 20% are active AGR members who value points. Then of those 20% , how many people know they are going to travel on the 20'th?

 

[the_traveler]

It's a cool promo, but not likely worth much. If 100,000 AGR members registered (and that's not a big number) then there's only 20 points in it for everybody.

So we need to keep this promo a secret. No one should tell anybody. In fact I think everyone should deregister for this. :lol:

I agree! Everyone deregister - except me! :lol:

 

[The Metropolitan]

I think it's fully possible that only 1,000 or so people actually register and ride. If so, that's 2,000 points per qualifying participant.

There are likely a few thousand ticketed AGR riders who won't bother to register, and others who just can't make such plans on short notice.

I'm fortunate that I can potentially take a $12 corridor ride from BAL t/f BWI to be a participant, and still go to work that day.

Frustratingly, I'm ticketed to go to Raleigh the very next day.

 

[Upstate]

I wonder if reservations in are ridiculously low for Aug 20th. This is a very off the wall promo with very short notice. The 2 millionth member may be joining next week but a prediction of an exact date from a group with caveman style operations makes me wonder.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Another question is how will they divide the points given that, in all likelyhood, many more people will register the promo than will travel. In other words you'll have (say) 50,000 people register, but only 30,000 tickets pulled. Which number divides the 2 mil?

 

[The Metropolitan]

Another question is how will they divide the points given that, in all likelyhood, many more people will register the promo than will travel. In other words you'll have (say) 50,000 people register, but only 30,000 tickets pulled. Which number divides the 2 mil?

According to the terms at the bottom, its not the number of tickets pulled, but simply one's qualifying participation in the promotion (i.e. both registering and riding) that determines you as eligible and adds one to the denominator.

So, register, ride, and you're in for an even share. Apparently, a participant travelling 6 segments in one day will get exactly the same bonus as someone taking an Acela RT in FC across the corridor, and they'll get the same as someone riding from San Jose to Oakland on a Capitols.

 

[nerd]

I think it's fully possible that only 1,000 or so people actually register and ride. If so, that's 2,000 points per qualifying participant.

I think 1,000 people taking advantage of this is not entirely out of the question.

 

[Trogdor]

I guess I'm going to Glenview on August 20.

 

[Ispolkom]

When I saw this promo, I immediately started thinking about how I could use it. The problem is that I only have the Empire Builder to work with. I even came up with the route with the shortest layover, St. Paul-Staples-St. Paul. The problem is that train #7 leaves MSP at 11:15 p.m. and gets to Staples at 1:42 a.m. Train #8 reaches Staples at 4:09 a.m. and gets me back to St. Paul at 7:05 a.m.

Hmm, more than two hours in Staples in the middle of the night when the only thing working is their one traffic light? For probably a few hundred AGR points? I'm too old for that stuff.

Now if I lived somewhere trains traveled more frequently...

 

[the_traveler]

I think it's fully possible that only 1,000 or so people actually register and ride. If so, that's 2,000 points per qualifying participant.
There are likely a few thousand ticketed AGR riders who won't bother to register

I think you're right on both counts. I actually had a segment planned and purchased for travel on 8/20, and if not for this thread, I would not have known about this promo and the need to register for it!

 

[sky12065]

I think it's fully possible that only 1,000 or so people actually register and ride. If so, that's 2,000 points per qualifying participant.
There are likely a few thousand ticketed AGR riders who won't bother to register

I think you're right on both counts. I actually had a segment planned and purchased for travel on 8/20, and if not for this thread, I would not have known about this promo and the need to register for it!

I won't be traveling on 8/20, so you can have my share! Don't say I never gave you anything!

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

I thought that as I understood the offer ,that if you registered, and rode on August 20, you went into a drawing for all the points.

Sadly, for me it is a contest I cannot participate in unless I were very rich. To participate I would have to buy 7 day advance fare to fly ?5000 miles to get just 1 train segment. Sorry, not in, my cards.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

OK, so here's what I'm thinking about doing. I'll board the Amtrak bus in Chico that morning to Sacramento, ride the Capitols to Emeryville, bus to the Ferry Building, take the Cable Car to Nob Hill where I'll have lunch (including a Lemon Drop) at the Top Of The Mark. Then do the reverse trip in the afternoon.

The problem is that the Capitol is non-reserved, so I'll just have to show up at the Chico bus, give the driver my ID, buy my round-trip ticket in Sac, and hope that I get credited with my AGR points.

Does anyone see a problem with this?

 

[mucomix]

When the Mrs. got home she said why not go to Herman for lunch. We have diluted the point’s pool x 2. Now question is where should one kill an afternoon in Herman MO? I have heard it is a poplar stop but have never been there.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

if not for this thread, I would not have known about this promo and the need to register for it!

You're welcome! My plan: City bus to OXN; OXN-VEC; city bus home. Roughly 2.5 hours, $10.60 ($8.10 NARP, $2.50 busfare).

 

[sechs]

Notwithstanding all that I wish they'd just get another cert for the other site and fix it. It is not like it is sooooo difficult or soooo expensive to do.

But it does cost money. The cheap and easy solution is simply to redirect people to "www." URL, rather than serving the website with an inappropriate certificate.
What gets me is that people here went crazy over a simple security certificate error. The sign up is right on the AGR front page.