Double Days are back (3/16/15-5/16/15)

[the_traveler]

A multi-city ONLY counts as two trips if 2 different train NUMBERS are used! As an example:

You want to go from BOS to WAS. You book a multi-city BOS-NYP-WAS. If you use train #93 on both portions, it would only count once. However, if you used #93 BOS-NYP, waited at the station (or went somewhere) then took #95 NYP-WAS, it would count twice - because 2 train #'s were taken!

 

[BCL]

Oh, I didn't realize that a multi-city trip counted as two trips. Thanks!

Do I have to find the conductor twice to get both tickets lifted, or will they do them both at the same time?

I do that every now and then. Since there's a max 4 minimum segments (per day) that accrue towards TQPs I'll throw one or two in. I have a few places I can stop in between for breakfast. Of course double points accrue only a max 2 minimum point segments per day, but that's OK. You have to get off the train and take another train. I've had conductors ask me if I wanted to use both segments at the same time. A few times I forgot to set my alarm clock and then figured I had to use both segments together. In that case it only accrues as one segment.

Bus trips also count as one segment. One of the better deals I've seen is 50% Capitol Corridor on weekends. I needed just under 600 TQPs to make Select for 2014, so I did RIC-EMY-SFC-EMY-RIC on December 29, 2014. $12 round-trip and I was able to do it in less than 2.5 hours from start to finish. I even had time in between to buy some bread and get coffee at the San Francisco Ferry Building. I finished the last 200 points by taking BART into San Francisco and SFC-EMY-RIC on New Year's Eve for $12 minus the AAA discount. There's actually a cheaper ride (Berkeley to San Francisco), but since it's such a short segment there's the chance of a ticket not being lifted.

I guess I'll have to adjust with the San Francisco Ferry Building bus stop relocated. I never had to check in luggage anyways.

I've also done all sorts of things to get bus segments. The San Francisco-Emeryville buses have a standalone cost of $5.50, although I've seen them priced at $2 when I booked them with an actual connecting trip. I can book the bus segment as long as it's booked with a reasonable train segment. What I do is book a commute ride to work on Capitol Corridor from EMY, take VTA and Caltrain up to San Francisco, ride MUNI to a bus stop, and ride the bus back to EMY where my car is parked. I rather like mixing it up, especially since one is allowed to consume personal alcohol on Caltrain.

 

[KmH]

Does this offer apply to travel previously scheduled during this time frame, or for only new reservations starting today?

Any travel you take during the period (assuming you sign up for the promo) -- doesn't matter when you reserve.

Cool. I was wondering the same thing.

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[PupfosterG]

Just checking, TQPs are earned only on travel (not purchased points). I'm reading Amtrak's definition: "are earned by traveling on Amtrak and during special promotions". My recently earned Double points do not show as TQPs. I did received my TQPs for my travel. Is this correct?

 

[the_traveler]

Yes. Since you buy the points from Points.com and not Amtrak, you do not earn TPQ's. The "special promotions" are when they specify something like "Earn double points AND the bonus points will count towards status (TPQs)!" (This does not happen very often.)

 

[BCL]

Just checking, TQPs are earned only on travel (not purchased points). I'm reading Amtrak's definition: "are earned by traveling on Amtrak and during special promotions". My recently earned Double points do not show as TQPs. I did received my TQPs for my travel. Is this correct?

TQPs only come from actual, confirmed Amtrak travel and there's no TQP bonus with the Double-Days promotion. However, with electronic ticketing, multi-ride TQPs seem to post some time after the first use. I suppose that's the point where they're not eligible for a refund.

There are the occasional TQP promotions, like the last Fast Track to Status. The terms were supposedly for segments valued for at least $35 and no multi-ride tickets qualified. Even so, I seemed to get double TQPs for my two multi-ride tickets that started during the promotional period. My regular tickets were all under the $35 threshold. The double TQPs also counted as doubled regular redemption points.

 

[PupfosterG]

Thinking of doing my first points run during double days. Thinking of KCY-LEE, LEE-KCY, KCY-LEE, LEE-KCY. All in one day. Book as 4 one way tickets, would earn 400 TQP's and 400 for double days. My out of pocket cost with AAA discount would be $32.40. Am I doing this correctly? Is that a fairly good price for points?

 

[Lakeshore]

You only get double points for two one-way segments per day.

 

[PupfosterG]

Thanks, good to know!

 

[BCL]

It's not really about the skill, but your location

Certainly location helps, but knowledge helps. Knowledges of discounts, timing, buses, stopovers, etc. I can save with two minimum point segments and then find an alternate way home. Or just get home and work on collecting TQPs even if these segments don't double redemption points.

For Double Days I suppose there aren't really "points runs" unless you're trying to max out on minimum point TQPs, since they max out at two per calendar day. One round trip and you're done - if they're short trips.

One of these days I'm going to try a GAC-SCC-GAC roundtrip or maybe BKY-EMY-BKY.

 

[neutralist]

Basically anything that can be booked in the online system will earn points.

This includes those "Train Day" excursion trips, like CHI - CTD (May 9th) and CHI - CHC (May 8th).

 

[BCL]

So - anyone really clean up? So far I've only gotten 1200 points (all from minimum point segments) as I've been driving to work more often. Last Double Days I racked up 5100 doubled points, although that included more TQPs than that because I rode 3 or more segments a few days.

I think my cheapest points were $6.75 for two segments using a 25% discount to go to a baseball game (EMY-OKJ-OAC). I made sure to enter a door where there was a conductor, and one time the conductor even scanned my ticket outside of the train.

 

[Shanghai]

I have received 5.050 bonus points and more to go on travel from yesterday & today.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I decided to wait till almost the last minute to get double points. I'm getting on a train at 5:45 today. Though I won't get a lot of points because only a small portion was paid with cash.