AGR policy change - unreserved tickets nonrefundable after departure?

[thully]

I recently booked a short AGR corridor run (SOL-LAX) for my recent LA trip - though at the last minute, I decided to try Coaster+Metrolink instead and kept the ticket in case I missed my connection. As it turned out, I made my connection and as such did not use the ticket. After the fact, I decided to call AGR and cancel the unreserved ticket - though Ill certainly do a Surfliner run in the future, it may not necessarily be SOL-LAX (could be from SAN). Figured that since it was unreserved coach (and as such was good for a year after the ticket date), there would be no issues doing this.

However, AGR told me that effective January 1, *all* AGR tickets were nonrefundable (as far as points are concerned) sooner than 24 hrs before departure (or any time after departure). The fact that I had an unreserved coach ticket didn't seem to change this - as far as they were concerned, it was the same as if I had no-showed a sleeper. Is this the actual AGR policy, or did I just get a rep who doesn't understand unreserved coach? They did give me my points back as a courtesy, but warned that this was the new policy. In any case, I figure Ill be more careful about AGR reservations like this in the future...

 

[Railroad Bill]

Sounds like another agent didn't read the unwritten rule book for AGR ^_^

 

[Aaron]

In the brouhaha about the sleeper reservation cancellation policy, I remember AGR reaffirmed that after January 1 all cancellations had to be done before travel to get a points refund. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amtrak-guest-rewards/1404690-award-policy-changes-re-cancellation-no-board-upgrades-4.html#post20052889

So, I think the agent probably correctly understands the new policy. Problem is, I can't find anywhere on the Amtrak or AGR site about any policy new or old regarding points refunds. So, even if it's correct and correctly applied, how is the average traveler to know what the policy is before hand?

 

[AlanB]

So, I think the agent probably correctly understands the new policy. Problem is, I can't find anywhere on the Amtrak or AGR site about any policy new or old regarding points refunds. So, even if it's correct and correctly applied, how is the average traveler to know what the policy is before hand?

The following can be found on the Faqs page on the AGR site:

Please contact us in advance of your travel date to cancel, especially if you have a reservation that includes sleeping accommodations. Points are not refundable for travel that includes sleeping accommodations unless canceled prior to departure. For other Amtrak travel, we will return your points if your plans change. Contact us at 800-307-5000 prior to your travel date and we will cancel your reservation. If you do not have a printed ticket for the trip, we will immediately return your points to your account or apply them to another reservation. If you do have a printed ticket, it must be returned to us before your points will be redeposited into your account. Mail your tickets along with a letter including your name and member number to: Amtrak Guest Rewards, P.O. Box 14368, Philadelphia, PA 19115. All redemptions are subject to the program terms and conditions (see section E #3).

The Faqs page can be found here.

 

[Anthony]

This news item from last month supersedes the FAQ, which is obviously out of date.

"Beginning January 1, 2013, our cancellation policy for redemption travel will change. Any new or existing redemption travel reservations must be canceled before departure to be eligible for exchange or refund of points."

https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/info/news

 

[jis]

I think the FAQ needs to be reworded to make the current policy amply clear. At present it gives the impression that the requirement for cancellation before the scheduled departure applies only to Sleeper accommodation for getting points refund.

 

[PRR 60]

I think the FAQ needs to be reworded to make the current policy amply clear. At present it gives the impression that the requirement for cancellation before the scheduled departure applies only to Sleeper accommodation for getting points refund.

I wonder how that applies to unreserved travel? The actual day of departure for an unreserved ticket is any day within the validity period of the ticket. The date and train entered when making the reservation is simply a placeholder for the CRS. This is not like a reserved train when a seat is removed from inventory and, if the reservation is a no-show, that seat could represent lost revenue. There is no inventory for unreserved trains.

 

[Anthony]

Presumably, you could use the ticket anytime during the validity period but could not get your points back.

 

[guest in the west]

I think the FAQ needs to be reworded to make the current policy amply clear. At present it gives the impression that the requirement for cancellation before the scheduled departure applies only to Sleeper accommodation for getting points refund.

I wonder how that applies to unreserved travel? The actual day of departure for an unreserved ticket is any day within the validity period of the ticket. The date and train entered when making the reservation is simply a placeholder for the CRS. This is not like a reserved train when a seat is removed from inventory and, if the reservation is a no-show, that seat could represent lost revenue. There is no inventory for unreserved trains.

There is a lot of confusion on this, and not just for AGR redemptions but for regular unreserved bookings as well.

To book an unreserved train now with e-tickets, you have to give a specific date and time, even though the ticket will be good for a year on any unreserved train on the route.The e-ticket itself will have a specific train and time, even if for unreserved seating. According to three telephone agents I have talked to, if your plans change, you can call (or go to a station agent) and have a new e=ticket printed out or use the original one on the train. It won't matter to the conductor, they say.

HOWEVER, a station agent told me that a conductor will not be able to read an unreserved e-ticket for a train other than for the original time and date you booked, and therefore will charge you on-board for a fare, since to the conductor you will have no valid ticket. She said that an e-ticket for an unreserved train not used for the original time and date booked automatically disappears from the system and instead becomes an e-voucher.

So who knows? I suspect you could talk a conductor into not charging you but do you want to take a chance on that?

As for an unused AGR unreserved e-ticket, it sounds like the points should go automatically back into your account, because the fare for a non-AGR unreserved e-ticket not used for the unreserved train time either goes automatically to an e-voucher, the money not being lost--according to the station agent--or can simply be used on a later unreserved train, according to the three telephone agents.

 

[Anthony]

As for an unused AGR unreserved e-ticket, it sounds like the points should go automatically back into your account,

Points don't automatically go anywhere, unfortunately, and don't follow the same eVoucher rules. You'd need to speak with an AGR phone agent about what to do in that instance, as only they can work with your points.

 

[PRR 60]

I think the FAQ needs to be reworded to make the current policy amply clear. At present it gives the impression that the requirement for cancellation before the scheduled departure applies only to Sleeper accommodation for getting points refund.

I wonder how that applies to unreserved travel? The actual day of departure for an unreserved ticket is any day within the validity period of the ticket. The date and train entered when making the reservation is simply a placeholder for the CRS. This is not like a reserved train when a seat is removed from inventory and, if the reservation is a no-show, that seat could represent lost revenue. There is no inventory for unreserved trains.

There is a lot of confusion on this, and not just for AGR redemptions but for regular unreserved bookings as well.
To book an unreserved train now with e-tickets, you have to give a specific date and time, even though the ticket will be good for a year on any unreserved train on the route.The e-ticket itself will have a specific train and time, even if for unreserved seating. According to three telephone agents I have talked to, if your plans change, you can call (or go to a station agent) and have a new e=ticket printed out or use the original one on the train. It won't matter to the conductor, they say.

HOWEVER, a station agent told me that a conductor will not be able to read an unreserved e-ticket for a train other than for the original time and date you booked, and therefore will charge you on-board for a fare, since to the conductor you will have no valid ticket. She said that an e-ticket for an unreserved train not used for the original time and date booked automatically disappears from the system and instead becomes an e-voucher.

So who knows? I suspect you could talk a conductor into not charging you but do you want to take a chance on that?

As for an unused AGR unreserved e-ticket, it sounds like the points should go automatically back into your account, because the fare for a non-AGR unreserved e-ticket not used for the unreserved train time either goes automatically to an e-voucher, the money not being lost--according to the station agent--or can simply be used on a later unreserved train, according to the three telephone agents.

Here is what Amtrak.com says about using e-tickets on unreserved trains:

For Train Routes Not Requiring Reservations (such as the Capitol Corridor):eTickets may be used on within one year of purchase on the train routes not requiring reservations, unless the fare paid specifies a shorter period of validity. You do not need to call 1-800-USA-Rail for your trip modification, unless the changes include:

- travel on a train route requiring a reservation, or

- travel on a segment that has not been eTicketing enabled.

 

[benjibear]

The last reason doesn't make any sense.

 

[Anderson]

Ok, minimally off-topic, but I'm beginning to think that e-ticketing the unreserved trains (and only the unreserved trains) may have been a bit of an error, considering that those work just a little different than the rest of the system.