Advance Reservation Required?

[quadrock]

Hi All,

Is there an several day advance notice required to redeem points for Amtrak travel? If so, is it different for sleepers vs. coach?

Thanks in advance.

 

[the_traveler]

I don't believe so. AFAIK, the only "requirement" is that there is at least 1 seat or room left on the train. And it doesn't matter what bucket it is in. (Last October, I got as an award ticket the VERY LAST ROOM on TWO SEPARATE TRAINS out of the 4 trains I was on! )

 

[AlanB]

From the AGR site:

To redeem Points for travel on Amtrak, a Member must reserve and obtain the ticket at least 4 hours prior to the train departure time. For travel departing from stations without an Amtrak-serviced ticket window or Quik-Trak self-ticketing machine 7 to 10 business days are required for the ticket to be mailed to the Member.

 

[PRR 60]

From the AGR site:

To redeem Points for travel on Amtrak, a Member must reserve and obtain the ticket at least 4 hours prior to the train departure time. For travel departing from stations without an Amtrak-serviced ticket window or Quik-Trak self-ticketing machine 7 to 10 business days are required for the ticket to be mailed to the Member.

Obtain a ticket at least four hours prior to the train departure time. Really?
If your go to a QuikTrak to pick up an AGR ticket an hour prior to departure, your reservation will be gone? Vanished, without a trace?

That means you can't reserve an AGR award ticket, and then just show up at the station an hour or so prior to departure and print your ticket? Why, pray tell, do they have this rule? Just because they can? Do they think that the AGR member is not showing up, or are they just clueless?

AGR is one wacky operation. These guys make US Airways look good, and that is not easy.

 

[AlanB]

From the AGR site:

To redeem Points for travel on Amtrak, a Member must reserve and obtain the ticket at least 4 hours prior to the train departure time. For travel departing from stations without an Amtrak-serviced ticket window or Quik-Trak self-ticketing machine 7 to 10 business days are required for the ticket to be mailed to the Member.

Obtain a ticket at least four hours prior to the train departure time. Really?
If your go to a QuikTrak to pick up an AGR ticket an hour prior to departure, your reservation will be gone? Vanished, without a trace?

That means you can't reserve an AGR award ticket, and then just show up at the station an hour or so prior to departure and print your ticket? Why, pray tell, do they have this rule? Just because they can? Do they think that the AGR member is not showing up, or are they just clueless?

AGR is one wacky operation. These guys make US Airways look good, and that is not easy.

Yeah, I saw that bit about pick up too. It's wrong, someone screwed up the wording there, as I've picked up AGR tickets less than an hour before departure. The reservation was made long before that, but the tickets were not picked up.