amtrak.com Changes

[colobok]

So what is the difference between "Value" and "Flexible" rates?

The only difference I see that "Value" tickets have 10% refund fee within 24 hours before departure while "Flexible" tickets have 0% refund fee.

So who will be willing to buy "Flexible" tickets???

 

[Anderson]

So what is the difference between "Value" and "Flexible" rates?

The only difference I see that "Value" tickets have 10% refund fee within 24 hours before departure while "Flexible" tickets have 0% refund fee.

So who will be willing to buy "Flexible" tickets???

Three possible answers:

(1) The "Flexible" ticket is, in fact, the high bucket ticket. People will get shunted into it by virtue of the lower buckets running out.

(2) There is some suspicion that Amtrak may make the "Value" tickets have a higher refund penalty.

(3) This might also be an attempt to upsell folks into BC, which is a hair nicer and (IIRC) retains the better refund policy of the "Flexible" ticket.

 

[guest]

I've read over the whole thread and am still confused. Is someone willing to sumarize, concisely, the differences between the 4 types of fares shown? Thanks

 

[SarahZ]

I've read over the whole thread and am still confused. Is someone willing to sumarize, concisely, the differences between the 4 types of fares shown? Thanks

Saver Fares: These are really good, super-discounted deals (i.e. rare). They are non-refundable, but they will give you a voucher for that amount if you have to cancel. You can use that voucher toward a future trip. Think of these like last-minute airfare deals where seats are only $26. These fares are not available on all trains/buses.

Value Fares: If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, it's fully refundable. If you cancel within 24 hours, there's a 10% refund fee. You can cancel and take the refund as a voucher if you want. These fares are available on all trains/buses.

Flexible Fares: Flexible Fares are 100% refundable without any refund fee. They can be canceled for a full refund of the ticket value or with the ticket value saved as a voucher. The Flexible Fare is available on most trains and buses. As such, these fares are a little bit higher because they don't have the refund fee.

Premium Service: These are your upgrades to business class and sleeper cars.

If you cancel a seat under Premium Service, the ticket is fully refundable as long as you cancel before the scheduled departure time. If you wait until after the departure time, a 10% fee applies.

If you cancel a room under Premium Service, you incur a 10% refund fee if it is 15 or more days before traveling. If canceled 14 days or fewer before the scheduled departure, you will not get a monetary refund, but they will give you a voucher.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Excellent job Sarah! Maybe you should be doing Amtrak's Blurbs in their Publications, Media and on the Web!

 

[John Bobinyec]

Premium Service: These are your upgrades to business class and sleeper cars.

If you cancel a room under Premium Service, you incur a 10% refund fee if it is 15 or more days before traveling. If canceled 14 days or fewer before the scheduled departure, you will not get a monetary refund, but they will give you a voucher.

Nice work. What about a voucher for this one if it is 15 or more days before traveling? Is there a refund fee?

jb

 

[roadman3313]

If a ticket is eligible for an E-Voucher, the E-Voucher should always be for the full value of the ticket. If it is for a refund back to the form of payment (cash, credit, etc...) then the 10% refund fee may apply in the scenarios explained above.

 

[SarahZ]

Roadman is correct. You can take a voucher for 100% of the value.

Jim - I summarized the definitions from Amtrak.com. There's a little pop-up that's kind of hard to find. If you hover over the words "Saver", "Value", etc, it gives you a pop-up box, and that box has a link that says "Learn more about fare options..." Then you get a separate window with the definitions.

Thank you for the compliment, though. I used to be a copy writer; I really miss it.

 

[the_traveler]

To somewhat clarify the "Saver" fare - these are the E-bucket fares on the NEC (I don't know if any other routes had them) that are 25% off if purchased 14 days or more in advance.

 

[guest]

I've read over the whole thread and am still confused. Is someone willing to sumarize, concisely, the differences between the 4 types of fares shown? Thanks

Saver Fares: These are really good, super-discounted deals (i.e. rare). They are non-refundable, but they will give you a voucher for that amount if you have to cancel. You can use that voucher toward a future trip. Think of these like last-minute airfare deals where seats are only $26. These fares are not available on all trains/buses.

Value Fares: If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, it's fully refundable. If you cancel within 24 hours, there's a 10% refund fee. You can cancel and take the refund as a voucher if you want. These fares are available on all trains/buses.

Flexible Fares: Flexible Fares are 100% refundable without any refund fee. They can be canceled for a full refund of the ticket value or with the ticket value saved as a voucher. The Flexible Fare is available on most trains and buses. As such, these fares are a little bit higher because they don't have the refund fee.

Premium Service: These are your upgrades to business class and sleeper cars.

If you cancel a seat under Premium Service, the ticket is fully refundable as long as you cancel before the scheduled departure time. If you wait until after the departure time, a 10% fee applies.

If you cancel a room under Premium Service, you incur a 10% refund fee if it is 15 or more days before traveling. If canceled 14 days or fewer before the scheduled departure, you will not get a monetary refund, but they will give you a voucher.

Thank you!

 

[The Davy Crockett]

:hi: Excellent job Sarah! Maybe you should be doing Amtrak's Blurbs in their Publications, Media and on the Web!

I second this motion. :hi:

Seems to me like you could teach Amtrak more than a thing or two about 'communications!'

 

[SarahZ]

:hi: Excellent job Sarah! Maybe you should be doing Amtrak's Blurbs in their Publications, Media and on the Web!

I second this motion. :hi:

Seems to me like you could teach Amtrak more than a thing or two about 'communications!'

:wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

I explain insurance policies, motor vehicle codes, and state law to people all day. Amtrak is easy mode compared to legalese. There are many days I would much rather work for Amtrak. ^_^

 

[amamba]

Great job Sarah!

But I wouldn't say that the "saver" fares are rarely available.

They are available on most NEC regional trains if you book in advance.

 

[the_traveler]

See my post #110 to find out what the saver fare is. If tickets are in the lowest bucket on the NEC regional, and it's 14 days or more in advance, there will be a saver fare shown. Otherwise, it will say "Not Available"!

 

[SubwayNut]

The other corridor to offer them (so far, I only assume they will become standard for most trains, doubt I'll end up using them too much not because I don't mind eVouchers but I find it hard to plan my SD trips two weeks ahead) is Amtrak Cascades for a while it was just major endpoints I know now its between all destinations like the NE Regional.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

See my post #110 to find out what the saver fare is. If tickets are in the lowest bucket on the NEC regional, and it's 14 days or more in advance, there will be a saver fare shown. Otherwise, it will say "Not Available"!

It will also not show if the person has AAA or other discount associated with their account.

 

[CHamilton]

The Cascades now has a Saver option, something I don't think we've had before. But only for those without other discounts. Here's what I see when I'm not logged in.



And here's what I see when I'm logged in.



Amtrak partners like AAA and NARP are not going to be happy that their member "discounts" are actually more expensive than what a non-member is offered. And Premium (Business Class) seats are cheaper than Flexible fares??

 

[SubwayNut]

That's been happening in the Northeast for a few years. (in the old booking system if you selected a NARP ect. discount on the old screen that said passenger type, on a discounted fare it would flash an error message that your discount wasn't valid and reselect Adult. )

I did a quick search through my old Amtrak e-mails and got an e-mail on May 14, 2013 announcing the new Book Early and Save 25% fares anywhere on the Cascades route.

I know I got one before probably around the beginning of the new year (deleted that one) that the 25% early and save fares were avalible between select city pairs like Portland and Seattle only with maybe Tukwila also included.

 

[SarahZ]

Saver Fares: These are really good, super-discounted deals (i.e. rare if you don't live along the Northeast Corridor (NEC)). They are non-refundable, but they will give you a voucher for that amount if you have to cancel. You can use that voucher toward a future trip. Think of these like last-minute airfare deals where seats are only $26. These fares are not available on all trains/buses.

Value Fares: If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, it's fully refundable. If you cancel within 24 hours, there's a 10% refund fee. You can cancel and take the refund as a voucher if you want. These fares are available on all trains/buses.

Flexible Fares: Flexible Fares are 100% refundable without any refund fee. They can be canceled for a full refund of the ticket value or with the ticket value saved as a voucher. The Flexible Fare is available on most trains and buses. As such, these fares are a little bit higher because they don't have the refund fee.

Premium Service: These are your upgrades to business class and sleeper cars.

If you cancel a seat under Premium Service, the ticket is fully refundable as long as you cancel before the scheduled departure time. If you wait until after the departure time, a 10% fee applies.

If you cancel a room under Premium Service, you incur a 10% refund fee if it is 15 or more days before traveling. If canceled 14 days or fewer before the scheduled departure, you will not get a monetary refund, but they will give you a voucher.

Fixed.

 

[Train2104]

Even with that clear description there are still some confusions with the value fare:

If I cancel more than 24 hours beforehand and want a refund (not voucher) do I have to pay a 10% fee?

If I cancel less than 24 hours beforehand and want a voucher, do I pay a 10% fee?

If I cancel after departure (no-show) do I get anything?

 

[roadman3313]

Putting that excellent description by Sarah Z in another form (for poster above)...

Saver:

Refund: Not Allowed

Voucher: Full Value

Value:

Refund: 24+ Hours before Departure = Full Value

Less than 24 Hours = Value - 10% Fee

NOTE: Unreserved ticket refunds will be = Value - 10% Fee at all times

Voucher: Full Value

Flexible:

Refund: Full Value

Voucher: Full Value

Premium:

Sleeper Room

Refund: 15+ Days before Scheduled Departure = Value - 10% Fee

Less than 15 Days = Not Allowed

Voucher: Before Actual Departure = Full Value

After Actual Departure = Not Allowed

Acela First Class, non-Acela Business Class

Refund: Prior to Scheduled Departure = Full Value

After Scheduled Departure = Value - 10% Fee

Voucher: Full Value

If there are no time restrictions listed (ex. Voucher: Full Value) it is assumed that the option is available anytime before or after actual departure. Generally tickets that are not used (or recorded as used) are cancelled and the value is placed onto an E-Voucher a few hours after departure with the exception of Sleeper Room tickets which have no value after the actual departure of the train.

NOTE: Unreserved tickets are valid for one year from the date listed on the ticket (generally purchase date) and are not automatically transferred to an E-Voucher. Refunds on Unreserved tickets will always be subject to a 10% fee. E-Vouchers will still be for the full value. Unreserved tickets are generally only available under the Value fare category.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I think taking Sarah Z's and roadman3313's most excellent summaries and pinning them in the 'new users' section would be very helpful as points of reference.

Just saying.... -_-

*********************************​

On a related but different note:

One thing Amtrak should do, since I have little doubt they would say the recent 'upgrade' is to make the site more 'user friendly' and not, cough cough, for 'revenue enhancement' cough, cough, would be to restore what the old system did for NARP and AAA discounts, as SubwayNut, wrote about. Otherwise if one has either discount they will now need to check fares twice on the NEC or the Cascades to make sure thet are getting the best price, and that is most certainly not user friendly and obviously about revenue enhancement.

Hopefully Amtrak will tweek this 'upgrade!' :excl:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Charlie, as was discussed earlier, if you log in and don't see the saver fare you need to go ??to the discount tab?? and unselect the discount that is automatically selected base on your profile.

Unfortunately that is not intuitive.

Has anyone asked over on FlyerTalk about getting this "fixed". Maybe just replace the "Not Available" with "Not Available With xxxx. Go to x to unselect xxxx to see the Saver prices"

 

[TinCan782]

I mentioned in an earlier post that even though my profile indicates "Senior", the default passenger selection is 1 "Adult". If I change "Senior" to 1 passenger, "Regular" remains at one...one must remember to change that to zero if that's the case with your travel. I ran a couple of reservation scenarios and noted some interesting behavior and perhaps some caution when making reservations online.

• If I change the passenger selection to 1 Adult and 1 Senior, my reservation ends up being 2 seniors!
• If I change the passenger selection to 2 Adults and 0 Senior, my reservation ends up being 1 Adult and 1 senior!

In the attached screenshot, the information in the three highlighted areas all differ. The screenshot was captured after adding the outbound trip to my cart but, before the return trip was selected. The passenger and ticket information in the "Your Itinerary" box will be the result when I click through passenger information. Google Chrome was used for this test.

 

[PRR 60]

The "Value Fare" description is not completely correct. The description is true for reserved coach and Acela Business. Unreserved coach sold as "Value Fare" is subject to the 10% refund fee at from the time of purchase.