The Shadow Knows!
agr is changing,what was your longest,strangest or best redemption?
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Philadelphia to Denver this Aug 2nd to 12th. It is a two zone two train trip but at 80,000 points required R/T Bdrm, Amtrak probably didn't lose money on the deal. I hope that the new AGR points system considers how much money people need to spend to get the AGR trips. First they raise the price of points and perhaps follow with a plan to take away more from their AGR passengers? We shall see.
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SubwayNut
Conductor
20,000 Points (my only redemption):
PHX-FLG (Shuttle)- stunned they included it
FLG-LAX
LAX-PDX
PDX-MSP (where I got off, redemption was to CBS for my friend who road with me on the same reward LAX-CBS, he was stunned when I said the entire trip's on me, you don't even have to pay rail fare)!
PHX-FLG (Shuttle)- stunned they included it
FLG-LAX
LAX-PDX
PDX-MSP (where I got off, redemption was to CBS for my friend who road with me on the same reward LAX-CBS, he was stunned when I said the entire trip's on me, you don't even have to pay rail fare)!
The old Columbus Loophole trip! I remember it well! ( except I did it as a 2 Zone Roomette Award trip from AUS!!!19,000 Points with AGR MC 5% Rebate!)
crescent2
Conductor
Several months ago a friend and I did ATN-WAS-CHI-CVS-ATN in sleepers on AGR points. Things went like clockwork; trains on time, several hours to most of a day to sight-see or explore in each city, then get on a different train, relax and view the scenery, spend the night in a sleeper, visit next city, rinse, repeat. No hotels, the right amount of train time, and even the weather was perfect. No loopholes, just the way you get there from here. Fun trip!
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PaulM
Engineer
2 zoner roomete Quincy, IL to San Diego via Chicago and Portland.
iggy
Service Attendant
Chicago Southwest Chief to Los Angeles. Then LA on Coast Starlight to Seattle. Back to Chicago on Empire Builder.
Couple day stay in Seattle so had to make it 2 rewards. Roomette for all trains - 40,000 points. Yes I'm aware masters who have done this for years would have gotten even more value.
But points got burnt and I get a trip I've wanted to do for many years.
Couple day stay in Seattle so had to make it 2 rewards. Roomette for all trains - 40,000 points. Yes I'm aware masters who have done this for years would have gotten even more value.
But points got burnt and I get a trip I've wanted to do for many years.
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Long Train Runnin'
Engineer
I am still in the middle of my longest redemption. EWR-WAS-CHI-SEA. Last week did NYP-MIA-NWK. I have 15200 points left so I'll be using them to ride the Texas Eagle CHI-SAS. That will leave only the Sunset Limited and Silver Star as the only two Amtrak long distance routes I haven't ridden. It has been fun and AGR was what got me into the whole concept of miles. I had 50k of them piled up when I was 18 I was very proud of that. Now I have earned almost 300k in the AA Advantage program which I suspect will also be gutted soon. I also have about 120k in my United Mileage Plus account. AGR has been a good ride, and I'm glad I have had a chance to experience the burning of the points. I have been so focused on earning points/status this again has been a first. Taking my balance as close to 0 as I could. I guess AGR keeps teaching me more about loyalty programs.
Why not stay on the Eagle/Sunset all the way to LA Stephen? Only 5,000 more points ( 5% rebate with the AGR Card) for the Second Zone ELP-LAX!
And of course, only a fool would ride the Star all the way from NYP-MIA without a Diner for the same amount of points.
Look forward to your trip report and pics!!
And of course, only a fool would ride the Star all the way from NYP-MIA without a Diner for the same amount of points.
Look forward to your trip report and pics!!
D.P. Roberts
Conductor
Two years ago we got to do WTI-CHI-PDX-LAX via the CL, EB, and CS with an overnight in Portland. This was the summer when the EB was so late all the time that they allowed a layover in PDX overnight & it was still just a two-zone redemption for 20,000 points. That was probably the only time I've ever taken a trip that could be considered "gaming the system", but we needed to take the trip to LAX anyway - the only gaming part was the "free" overnight, which doesn't really cost Amtrak anything anyway. One thing I'm looking forward to under the new system is being able to stay overnight in "layover" cities without incurring an additional charge.
We're planning on taking a "bucket list" trip next summer, but that has more to do with Amtrak vastly increasing the redemption costs more than anything. We're taking the CZ & CS from CHI to PDX, but in 2 roomettes instead of having the two of us share one roomette. Two roomettes for two zones is 40,000 points in the old system, but that same trip under the new system in just one roomette would be about 43,000 points, so I kind of feel like we'll be getting the second roomette free if we book before January 24.
We're planning on taking a "bucket list" trip next summer, but that has more to do with Amtrak vastly increasing the redemption costs more than anything. We're taking the CZ & CS from CHI to PDX, but in 2 roomettes instead of having the two of us share one roomette. Two roomettes for two zones is 40,000 points in the old system, but that same trip under the new system in just one roomette would be about 43,000 points, so I kind of feel like we'll be getting the second roomette free if we book before January 24.
abcnews
OBS Chief
Yes, one nice perk with the new program is allowing for stopover time in certain cities and regions. With the old AGR you literally had to stay on the train, to get the most out of the zones. I look forward to taking some time off the train at various stops.
You also had to set your targets on city pairs that best used the zone awards. Now for example, you can easily go from Kansas City to Flagstaff, AZ on the SW Chief and not worry that it's poor use of a two zone award (just a one night trip).
Kansas City is easy to fly into from the east, and there is plenty to do in KC until the late evening (westbound) Chief arrives from Chicago. Flagstaff is a perfect destination, but neither Kansas City or Flagstaff is located right on a zone boundary. For that reason we did several trips from the East Coast to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM. Both were perfectly located on the border.
.
Our best redemption...
Back around 2012 my son and I went from Ashland, VA to Alexandria on Business class (NE Regional), then we changed to the westbound Cardinal to Chicago in a roomette - then CZ to Denver (20,000 roomette award). From Denver we did a 20,000 Bedroom (one zone ) to Wolf Point, MT via Sacramento and PDX (three nights). Then from Wolf Point a standard 20,000 roomette back to Ashland on the EB and Capital Limited. Total points were 60,000, less 3,000 Chase AGR rebate (57,000 actual). In order to pull this off in about 7 nights, we had to keep moving, and every night was on the train.
You also had to set your targets on city pairs that best used the zone awards. Now for example, you can easily go from Kansas City to Flagstaff, AZ on the SW Chief and not worry that it's poor use of a two zone award (just a one night trip).
Kansas City is easy to fly into from the east, and there is plenty to do in KC until the late evening (westbound) Chief arrives from Chicago. Flagstaff is a perfect destination, but neither Kansas City or Flagstaff is located right on a zone boundary. For that reason we did several trips from the East Coast to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM. Both were perfectly located on the border.
.
Our best redemption...
Back around 2012 my son and I went from Ashland, VA to Alexandria on Business class (NE Regional), then we changed to the westbound Cardinal to Chicago in a roomette - then CZ to Denver (20,000 roomette award). From Denver we did a 20,000 Bedroom (one zone ) to Wolf Point, MT via Sacramento and PDX (three nights). Then from Wolf Point a standard 20,000 roomette back to Ashland on the EB and Capital Limited. Total points were 60,000, less 3,000 Chase AGR rebate (57,000 actual). In order to pull this off in about 7 nights, we had to keep moving, and every night was on the train.
neroden
Engineer
This actually prevented me from scheduling stopovers at least twice. There were two times when I would have preferred to spend a night in Denver on the way from Chicago to Sacramento. But I couldn't justify the much worse deal on AGR redemption. It's still typically slightly more expensive to stay over in Denver than to go all the way through on one train, but not much, and it may even be cheaper if you pick the right dates and get lower buckets.
Likewise, I have never been able to justify using rewards points for Syracuse-Chicago (a trip which I have taken a *lot*). Now I can.
I don't think I ever managed to get a really good redemption under the old system.
Meat Puppet
Lead Service Attendant
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2009
- Messages
- 342
ELP-LAX-PDX-CBS 20,000 points.
3 people each in own roomette.
CS had a suicide jumper so didn't make the connection to EB.
Free night in PDX for 3 to be put on next days EB, 3 separate hotel rooms and $20 food credit each.
Sleeper on the EB had a bad bearing so we had to coach it for about 5 hours.
Amtrak comped each $250 for a total of $750 in credit vouchers which were all
donated to me by the others who had enough amtrak for a while.
So for 20,000 points: 4 nights on the train, 1 night in PDX, $20 Food Credit and $750 travel voucher. I'll take that any day.
3 people each in own roomette.
CS had a suicide jumper so didn't make the connection to EB.
Free night in PDX for 3 to be put on next days EB, 3 separate hotel rooms and $20 food credit each.
Sleeper on the EB had a bad bearing so we had to coach it for about 5 hours.
Amtrak comped each $250 for a total of $750 in credit vouchers which were all
donated to me by the others who had enough amtrak for a while.
So for 20,000 points: 4 nights on the train, 1 night in PDX, $20 Food Credit and $750 travel voucher. I'll take that any day.
aviva_dawn
Train Attendant
The California special routes loophole is going away. My hometown is RIV, and I live in RNO. Until 1/24/16, it costs 1500 points. Just booked my last of the three three dozen trips I've taken there over the past decade. End of a wonderful era.
Mom and I are doing CS, LAX to SEA the morning after I arrive in RIV. We're debating about taking Metrolink or the short hop on the SWC to get from RIV to LAX that morning....
Mom and I are doing CS, LAX to SEA the morning after I arrive in RIV. We're debating about taking Metrolink or the short hop on the SWC to get from RIV to LAX that morning....
Tennessee Traveler
Conductor
First and only redemption on old AGR: 40,000 points minus 5% cc redemption of 2,000 for actual total 38,000. For this I booked for April 2016 SEA to NOL via Coast Starlight SEA to SAC, California Zephyr SAC to CHI and City of New Orleans CHI to NOL -- All in Bedroom D on all three trains.
As others have said, in AGR 2 I can break this trip up with a stopover in Emeryville for a few days before continuing EMY-CHI-NOL. This redemption is actually s return trip. I purchased and paid for NOL to SEA via CONO and the Empire Builder in late March 2016. Being from Nashville I prefer flying to and from New Orleans on Southwest Airlines over driving and parking my car in Memphis.
As others have said, in AGR 2 I can break this trip up with a stopover in Emeryville for a few days before continuing EMY-CHI-NOL. This redemption is actually s return trip. I purchased and paid for NOL to SEA via CONO and the Empire Builder in late March 2016. Being from Nashville I prefer flying to and from New Orleans on Southwest Airlines over driving and parking my car in Memphis.
abcnews
OBS Chief
BTW - They now have a decent bus connection from downtown Nashville to St Louis to connect with the Texas Eagle each way. It's not a bad option, I think about 5 hour ride on a charter bus.
Under the current rules you can go from LAX to Nashville (via Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle and the charter bus from St Louis). I believe all for only 20.,000 points.
Under the current rules you can go from LAX to Nashville (via Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle and the charter bus from St Louis). I believe all for only 20.,000 points.
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Tennessee Traveler
Conductor
Not really interested in a "bus connection". If I wanted bus, I can get to Chicago from Nashville on MegaBus and I can also drive to Carbondale, IL and ride from there plus feel safe parking my car at the Carbondale station. I have done day fun trips from Carbondale. From Nashville I prefer to park my car(I live about 15 miles from downtown and/or the airport) in a near airport parking service with free shuttle to and from the terminal and Southwest fare are low. For longer distances I have accumulated many many AA miles and have permanent Gold Aadvantage status and choose to use those mile to fly first/business class on American.
I would think Metrolink would be much more reliable. SWC may be on time but may be a bit late or a few hours late.
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