AGR Credit Card change (October 2022)

[TinCan782]

I received a postcard like mailing from

Amtrak Guest Rewards
PO Box 3955
Omaha, NE 68103-0955

It said my new card is arriving soon, and then a few instructions. It also invited me to visit our welcome center at card.fnbo.com/amtrakguestrewards/faq. This took me to a website that looked like a barebones, third party sales pitches for credit cards, some from fnbo, some not. More interesting was the offer at the top highlighted in green to sell me the fnbo.com website. I thought here we go again. Amtrak programmers strike again.

But several days later the link took me to a page that answered just about every possible question about the change in a straight forward way.

Received the mailing also. That link have been available for several weeks now. FNBO website, not Amtrak's.

 

[joelkfla]

It said my new card is arriving soon, and then a few instructions. It also invited me to visit our welcome center at card.fnbo.com/amtrakguestrewards/faq. This took me to a website that looked like a barebones, third party sales pitches for credit cards, some from fnbo, some not. More interesting was the offer at the top highlighted in green to sell me the fnbo.com website. I thought here we go again. Amtrak programmers strike again.

But several days later the link took me to a page that answered just about every possible question about the change in a straight forward way.

Sounds like you may have mistyped a character when entering the URL. Internet pirates buy up lots of URL's that are likely typing errors of real websites' URL's, hoping you'll click a link on their fake page so they can get some referral revenue. Sometimes there are malware links there, too.

 

[Dovecote]

I received a postcard like mailing from

Amtrak Guest Rewards
PO Box 3955
Omaha, NE 68103-0955

It said my new card is arriving soon, and then a few instructions. It also invited me to visit our welcome center at card.fnbo.com/amtrakguestrewards/faq. This took me to a website that looked like a barebones, third party sales pitches for credit cards, some from fnbo, some not. More interesting was the offer at the top highlighted in green to sell me the fnbo.com website. I thought here we go again. Amtrak programmers strike again.

But several days later the link took me to a page that answered just about every possible question about the change in a straight forward way.

My wife and I each received the postcard yesterday. We were not expecting this considering we both opted out of the offer. This was done in mid September on the automated AGR Change in Terms Notification line. Hopefully I will not be surprised again with a AGR FNBO credit card in my mailbox!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Received the mailing also. That link have been available for several weeks now. FNBO website, not Amtrak's.

Ditto for me.( I only have the No Fee Master Card now, used to have both but Cancelled when COVID struck and Am-Management Mis-Managed the LD Trains!)

 

[dlagrua]

Now only a couple of weeks away from the CC change and I have heard absolutely nothing from Amtrak FNBO.

 

[TinCan782]

Now only a couple of weeks away from the CC change and I have heard absolutely nothing from Amtrak FNBO.

Didn't you receive a mailing this past week?
"Your new card is arriving soon. Watch your mailbox for a plain white envelope that contains your new Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard"

 

[dlagrua]

Didn't you receive a mailing this past week?
"Your new card is arriving soon. Watch your mailbox for a plain white envelope that contains your new Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard"

Didn't receive any mail or email communication at all from FNBO.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Didn't receive any mail or email communication at all from FNBO.

I just got mine Wed, awaiting the Card and Info as the mailer said.( I just have the No Fee Card)

 

[JeanA]

BoA hit my account with an annual fee on 9/30. I called customer service and they are telling me that the new bank won't be charging me an annual fee until next year so I should pay BoA the fee now. He also said that if I cancel the BoA card all of my Amtrak points will be canceled as well. Does that make sense to anyone?

 

[Ryan]

The first part makes sense, the payment of the annual fee would transfer with the account.

The second part os pants on head ridiculous. Once they're your Amtrak points in your Amtrak account, they're yours. Only exception is that if you have no qualifying activity and having the card is keeping those points alive. But a random person at BOA isn't going to have any idea what the status of your Amtrak Guest Rewards account is to know if that's true or not.

 

[jis]

The only points BoA could conceivably cancel is the last month's lot they are yet to credit to Amtrak, but I doubt even that is the case.

 

[TinCan782]

The only points BoA could conceivably cancel is the last month's lot they are yet to credit to Amtrak, but I doubt even that is the case.

BofA is currently posting points as they are earned. Could be daily if you use your card a lot. Each credit card transaction results in an individual points entry in your account as you use your card.. No waiting for a monthly entry.

 

[dlagrua]

On second look the FNBO postcard was received. It was found in my wife's pile of mail. It appears that I'm on the list. With the loss of the Amtrak AGR card B of A will be going to their own points system. B of A was great as we have those banks all around here. No FNBO bank is within a 100 miles of here.

 

[joelkfla]

On second look the FNBO postcard was received. It was found in my wife's pile of mail. It appears that I'm on the list. With the loss of the Amtrak AGR card B of A will be going to their own points system. B of A was great as we have those banks all around here. No FNBO bank is within a 100 miles of here.

Your wife's inbox system sounds similar to mine.

 

[Aegis]

I just saw in USPS photo of daily mail that the new cards will be here today or tomorrow.

 

[TinCan782]

No FNBO bank is within a 100 miles of here.

Don't really see that as much of a negative.
It won't be my primary bank anyway; neither was BofA.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I just saw in USPS photo of daily mail that the new cards will be here today or tomorrow.

Ditto!

 

[C855B]

I just received our cards. Considering we haven't traveled Amtrak for years due to very poor treatment even before COVID, we don't need the points, nor did we need another credit card account.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Do NOT call the 855 activation number if you wish to decline the card. It's automated to assume you are activating and it will prompt you for your income (which is fraught with all sorts of implications related to credit reporting).

Also, do NOT bother to call the 855-350-6589 "customer service" number hidden underneath the cards. It is just a recording telling you it won't be active until 10/23. It does, however, give you a third number to call to decline the card...

855-489-6174. Press '1' to decline, and it will prompt you for last four of the card number, last four of your SSN, and then your ZIP. As of today (10/11) you will get a "we don't recognize your information" response.

After two tries I was forwarded to a very pleasant representative, who informed me in semi-frustration that their databases were not populated yet and there wasn't anything she could do for me. Since I am a retired systems engineer who has done multiple system conversions, I completely understood, and we shared several laughs over the implementation and data transfer problems.

Bottom line? You may have the card(s) in hand today or this week, but FNBO is simply not ready. Believe that 10/23 date indicated on the activation sticker for anything other than activation, and even at that you can't use the card until that date.

What a cluster.

 

[Shanson]

We have one of each account. I received the cards for the basic account in today's mail. No idea from where they were mailed (we live in Texas).

 

[C855B]

I will add that what infuriates me is there is absolutely no mention I can find anywhere about what happens to the BofA card. The expiration date on mine is in 2024. I can make the assumption that it is still a valid card, the only change (as mentioned in this thread previously) is it no longer accumulates points, as of 9/30/2022. Mine has had a $0 balance for a couple of years, but I'm loathe to cancel it outright because doing so negatively impacts credit scores.

The former Amtrak Chase card was converted to some generic Chase account which I never used, and they decided to cancel it for me for non-use. That cost about 30 points in credit score for something not of my doing that I didn't want anyway. I'm so through with "points" cards, just give me 2% or more cash back on everything at all times and I'll use your card. No games.

 

[jis]

I have been informed by BofA that my BofA AGR card will cease to work after 22 October and that I will not have access to the BofA account anymore after that day. I have also been told that I should download any previous records from that account that I wish to preserve before that date.

It is possible that the same applies to everyone else holding a BofA AGR Card, but I have no way of knowing that for sure.

 

[C855B]

I just contacted BofA. The rep didn't have any specific information about their AGR card, but said to expect correspondence from them about a replacement card and that the CC side of account would not be summarily terminated.

Apparently this whole transition is being handled very clumsily. I just figure by now that Amtrak administrators must wear bulletproof shoes given they seem to be in the business of constantly shooting themselves in the foot. Geez louise.

 

[TinCan782]

I have been informed by BofA that my BofA AGR card will cease to work after 22 October and that I will not have access to the BofA account anymore after that day. I have also been told that I should download any previous records from that account that I wish to preserve before that date.

It is possible that the same applies to everyone else holding a BofA AGR Card, but I have no way of knowing that for sure.

That is my understanding.

 

[jis]

I just contacted BofA. The rep didn't have any specific information about their AGR card, but said to expect correspondence from them about a replacement card and that the CC side of account would not be summarily terminated.

Apparently this whole transition is being handled very clumsily. I just figure by now that Amtrak administrators must wear bulletproof shoes given they seem to be in the business of constantly shooting themselves in the foot. Geez louise.

I was notified about the transition by BofA in a separate letter addressing that specific issue. Again, I have no idea what is happening to anyone else.

In my experience general BofA Agents appear to not know much about this transition. I have never gotten any dependable information from them on this subject. They have given generic information which often does not apply to this case.

 

[mgeller]

My new Amtrak charge card arrived today with the proviso not to use until noon, 23OCT22. It's pretty.