"Call for price"?

[user 14106]

If it says call for price try the mobile app rather than the main website. Usually those show up on there.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Ironhorseman, it probably means that your trip is at a popular time and Amtrak doesn't want to advertise that they are going to charge a premium points price for points users. For example charge double points over a holiday weekend.

What would such a theory be based upon? That customers would rather see a vague detour sign than actionable information? That customers would prefer to hear bad news only after having to jump through Julie's maze of fake assistance? Roughly 99% of businesses are doing everything they can to reduce live assistance call volume but for Amtrak it's a good thing to shove even more people into the phone queues for holiday travel? To me this looks more like a interface problem or resource exhaustion issue and the "call for pricing" is a merely catchall recovery statement.

 

[the_traveler]

It is definitely a “connection” issue. If there is a connection, you get “call for price”.

An example is CHI-LAX will give you a point total, but CHI-LAX-SAN says “call for price”. Even something like CHI-LAX on 421 will give a point amount, but CHI-SAT-LAX on 21 connecting to 1 says “call for price’.

 

[AG1]

What would such a theory be based upon?

It is not a theory, but a fact from my own personal experience trying to use points for a Monday holiday booking .

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It is not a theory, but a fact from my own personal experience trying to use points for a Monday holiday booking .

I'm just struggling to understand the original claim. That refusing to 'advertise' points costs and requiring people to call for pricing somehow helps Amtrak? How did it help Amtrak in your personal experience and what did Amtrak gain from this course of action? As Dave states above, most of the evidence provided so far seems to point to an issue with pricing train connections rather than being limited to trains running on or near holidays.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

This has been happening to me for the last few months. I think it's deliberate to discourage us from using Rewards points. After all Amtrak management have made it clear they don't like long haul trains.

 

[bratkinson]

This has been happening to me for the last few months. I think it's deliberate to discourage us from using Rewards points. After all Amtrak management have made it clear they don't like long haul trains.

Perhaps management realizes that's where trips on points results in the biggest loss of real dollars. This coming April, I've got 9 nights in a roomette booked on points which translates to about $2500 in revenue that Amtrak will not get. On the Coast Starlight, there's only 60-70 rooms available (2.5-3.5 Superliners), so having 2 or 3 of them paid with points is a big percentage of sleeper income 'hit'. Compare that to using points for regional trains where even 5 seats out of 400 or so are paid for with points. The percentage of revenue loss is quite minimal. So, making it more difficult to book LD trains - especially connecting trains - makes sense. Obviously, Anderson et al is following the 'airline' methodology of booking trips with 'miles' more difficult to maximize per-plane revenue.

 

[the_traveler]

I can dispute that “airline theory”.

Yes it’s true that while it “costs” a certain number of FFM to fly from say Phoenix to Flagstaff, for the same number of FFM I can fly from Seattle to Miami! And using the same endpoints (say LA to NYC), I could fly nonstop between them, fly via Atlanta, fly via Chicago, or fly from LA to San Francisco then to Dallas then to Charlotte then to NYC. All those would cost the same amount of FFM!

Just checking, I found a flight from LA to Albany that connects in Fayetteville, AR and Charlotte, NC for the same “cost” in FFM as one connecting in only Chicago!

 

[oregon pioneer]

I went online some time in December, and was able to see a trip with connecting trains in points. The next time I tried the very same trip, it was back to "Call for price."

I think it's simply technical incompetence.

 

[Rail Freak]

I went online some time in December, and was able to see a trip with connecting trains in points. The next time I tried the very same trip, it was back to "Call for price."

I think it's simply technical incompetence.

Yea, I've had the same experience for months now! Yesterday it was working!?!?

 

[printman2000]

I had to just buy using the iOS app. Works (somewhat) there.

 

[nferr]

It is definitely a “connection” issue. If there is a connection, you get “call for price”.

An example is CHI-LAX will give you a point total, but CHI-LAX-SAN says “call for price”. Even something like CHI-LAX on 421 will give a point amount, but CHI-SAT-LAX on 21 connecting to 1 says “call for price’.

Yup. just booked that one in fact. Had to call, the agent said it was not an allowable booking that pops up (even on their screen) but she could manually force it. Points came out exactly to the dollars divided by .0289 as we all know. Actually a pretty good deal for summer travel. NYP to connect to the Capital Limited to the Eagle in roomettes for $852. Four nights on the train. 29,481 points before the 5% rebate. less than the zone system.

 

[zephyr17]

Having just run into this for NYP-LAX, I am reasonably sure it is technical incompetence.

Never ascribe to conspiracy what can be explained by stupidity.

 

[neroden]

Remember that Amtrak's system is layered on a 1970s system written in assembly language. Until they fully migrate from that, it is going to be *hard* to get it to handle connections properly.

 

[Bex]

I found that sometimes "Call for price" on the website became an actual points quote on the app (I use Android FWIW). I really think it's a glitch in their software.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I found that sometimes "Call for price" on the website became an actual points quote on the app (I use Android FWIW). I really think it's a glitch in their software.

I, too, can see the points on the app that I can’t see on the website