Be quicker than Amtrak!

[Sam31452]

After trying to get an answer from Amtrak for 4 Days.

As this is not the first E-Mail to Amtrak that is left unanswered I therefore ask you:

My message to Amtrak was this :

Dear Madam, Dear Sir I am planning to buy a USA Rail Pass for 18 Segments/45 Days, travel will end on August, 6.

As far as I understand there may be surcharges for travelling on certain trains.

How can I calculate these surchargs using the Amtrak Reservation System?

How can I calculate a Sleeping Car surcharge for Rail Pass holders?

Will there be trains which are already sold out before i'm allowed to book them?

Best regards

Many thanks for being quicker than Amtrak

 

[Guest]

How can I calculate a Sleeping Car surcharge for Rail Pass holders?

You can upgrade to a sleeper with a Rail Pass?

 

[AAARGH!]

How can I calculate a Sleeping Car surcharge for Rail Pass holders?

You can upgrade to a sleeper with a Rail Pass?

(edited because I forgot the 180 day rule with passes...)

Yes. You just pay the normal sleeper rate at whatever the bucket price is at time of reservation.

The way I calculated my trip is by creating (but not placing) the reservation on-line. The pass covered the rail-fare part of the reservation and the rest was what I paid for outside of the pass. I then placed the actual reservation with an agent over the phone.

This method ALSO let me see what was or was not sold out. To answer the original poster's question "Will there be trains which are already sold out before i'm allowed to book them", the answer is possibly yes, because others can purchase now. BUT, I am not sure anyone can say if they will sell out. He'll just have to wait. If he's smart, he'll place a reservation now (not using the pass) and then cancel it just before he places the real one with the pass. The seats should become available again at the same bucket price. It's a bit risky, but should work.

I am not aware of surcharges on the rail fare for the pass. I believe it can't be used for certain segments (Acela, Auto Train), but when I used mine, it covered all rail fare. I assume that the rail fare for those segments would need to be paid for completely separately.

 

[AAARGH!]

BUT...

According to Amtrak: "Travel must begin within 180 days of the date the pass purchased." Based on what you wrote, you are already within the 180 day window for when you are starting.

180 days from now is approximately July 12th. If you are ending on August 6th AFTER 45 days, then you should be good now.

 

[the_traveler]

I could be wrong, but as I understand it, the pass covers the rail fare AT THE LOWEST BUCKET only! You can ride any train, but any difference between the lowest bucket and the current bucket for that train you have to pay.

Example: If the lowest bucket for trains A and B are $50, but train A is selling seats for $50 but train B is selling seats for $57, you can ride either train, but the pass will only cover $50 for the rail fare. Thus train A is $-0-, while train B will cost you $7 more.

And yes you can upgrade to a sleeper, as long as you pay the current bucket for the upgrade.

 

[Sam31452]

You are quicker than Amtrak indeed!

Thanks.

"Travel must begin within 180 days of the date the pass purchased." Based on what you wrote, you are already within the 180 day window for when you are starting.

No, the new Rule seems to be (as Amtraks reservation system says):

For each pass type, you are allowed a certain number of travel segments within the travel periods. All travel must be completed within 180 days of reserving the first travel segment, or within the selected travel duration of the pass once the first travel segment is reserved, whichever comes first.

But you can find the other rules still under "terms and conditions". They're just making a horrible mess on their homepage and keep confusing customers.

I could be wrong, but as I understand it, the pass covers the rail fare AT THE LOWEST BUCKET only! You can ride any train, but any difference between the lowest bucket and the current bucket for that train you have to pay.

And if this is true a trip from Chicago to West Glacier in July will cost a $150 extra, but nobody was able to confirm that officially.

And yes you can upgrade to a sleeper, as long as you pay the current bucket for the upgrade.

So to calculate the sleeper fare I then will have to add the $150/person to the sleeper fare? (making this trip for two cost $800)

I have the feeling that when dealing with those buckets for a longer time, I will need a real bucket.

 

[soitgoes]

So to calculate the sleeper fare I then will have to add the $150/person to the sleeper fare? (making this trip for two cost $800)

With paid tickets, sleeper tickets always are charged the lowest rail fare bucket price and then whatever the sleeper fare bucket is at the time of booking, so maybe the rail fare surcharge wouldn't apply.