Foreshadowing for Economy Class?
Bid Up questions and experiences
- Thread starter LTJDennis
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I tried to Bid Up from Roomette on tomorrow's LSL to BOS. At $285 I didn't get it. Also only one sleeper so I'm sure it was already booked. It was worth a shot for my husband's first train trip.
Any reservations involving connections are ineligible, as are those made using points. The only ones that can be bid up are paid single segments (including round trips of single segments each way).
Just too tough for Amtrak's crack IT, I guess.
That gotta be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What difference could it make.
Thanks for the info, though.
trimetbusfan
OBS Chief
My only thought is if you were to win an upgrade on your connecting leg and then you end up missing the connection. Perhaps Amtrak doesn't want to guarantee you upgraded accommodations on the next train available. (plus the terms say no change/refunds allowed after an upgrade has been awarded..)
I think it is more of a system limitation. On a normal reservation the current "improved" UI was unable to handle two different accommodation types on different segments on a single trip. The "continue" button once the second train was chosen was simply unresponsive.
My guess is that problem is related to the underlying cause of their not offering bid up on connections.
I don't think it is intentional, I think management would want to be able to offer bid up on any segment, whether or not with connections. I think their IT is unable to deliver it, at least so far.
trimetbusfan
OBS Chief
Is is weird though, as if you were to book 2 trains on a multi-city res with the same trains, it would let you use bidup.
But there is no connection. I get on in Chicago and get off in Tucson.
And on 421 all the way? If it shows two segments, it is a connection as far as the system is concerned.
I have no explanation if so.
In SA the TE meets up with SL, they detatch one sleeper and one coach from TE, hook them to SL.
Passengers don't have to leave the car.
It's on the reservation as one segment.
Guess I'll have to learn how to speak Amtrakees.
jis
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To speak proper Amtrakees you must refer to San Antonio as SASIn SA the TE meets up with SL, they detatch one sleeper and one coach from TE, hook them to SL.
Passengers don't have to leave the car.
It's on the reservation as one segment.
Guess I'll have to learn how to speak Amtrakees.
If it is on the reservation as one segment, it's one segment. What physically happens is immaterial, what rules here is how the system sees it.In SA the TE meets up with SL, they detatch one sleeper and one coach from TE, hook them to SL.
Passengers don't have to leave the car.
It's on the reservation as one segment.
Guess I'll have to learn how to speak Amtrakees.
Is there a return on the same reservation, and is that multiple segments? Amtrak's IT systems are pretty brittle and if it sees multiple segments anywhere on the reservation, it might prevent it from being eligible for Bid Up.
Other than that, I'm out of ideas.
I was just told by a buddy that used Amtrak, the train might be sold out.
Guess that would do it. After all, it's just one car affected.
Well, there are only 5 bedrooms total on 421.
Still, you would think it would come back as "sold out" instead of " ineligible".
Yeah, but Amtrak IT will be Amtrak IT. I think your friend might have won the Occam's Razor award for a simple explanation.
kangforpres
Train Attendant
Website will not let me modify my bid. I click submit and nothing happens
fhussain44
Train Attendant
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Wondering if that has happened yet or any formal plans for it to happen?
trimetbusfan
OBS Chief
They have expanded it to sleepers in 2021.
fhussain44
Train Attendant
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I assume bidup won't work with Amtrak Guest Rewards points tickets? I used to be able to book NYP to CHI for 13,000 AGR points. Now for past couple years it is 22,000+. Last time I booked the roommette from Rochester to Chicago only to save some points.
Perhaps bidup may be an option. But even $250 for NYP to CHI is too much for me. At most I'd pay $100 for 8 hours of roommette access. Rest can be in coach..
Perhaps bidup may be an option. But even $250 for NYP to CHI is too much for me. At most I'd pay $100 for 8 hours of roommette access. Rest can be in coach..
Nope. Bid Up can only be done on single segment cash tickets. No connections, no USA Rail Pass, no AGR.
It also has to be for the entire length of the single segment ticket you are attempting to Bid Up.
It looks to me like a system limitation.
Remember AGR point fares are based on cash fares. Try the various strategies discussed here to get an elusive low(er) bucket. Those will be closer to 13K AGR points. Based on recent posts regarding imminent departures of the Empire Builder and pricing, Amtrak is dropping inventory into low buckets if unsold close to departure.
PS, I got a roughly 13K LSL roomette for travel in November 2022.
Last edited:
fhussain44
Train Attendant
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Interesting to learn that points for roommettes go down just before departure . I tried searching for today from NYP-CHI and it says 21,000 points.. It says "1 left at this price". So I guess to get 13k points there would need to be several unsold rooms, not one? And how far in advance will the points drop to lowest bucket ( the day of, 1 day, 2 days before departure )?
Although I did search today for Rochester to South Bend and it shows only needing around 12k points. This would be 11:30PM till 9AM in the roomette. Just enough for me to rest, shower and eat..
