Excellent offer for Amtrak Mastercard

[daybeers]

You'll head back up by the end of the year with those habits.

Trick: Find out when your card issuers report to the bureaus and try pay off or pay down before that date rather than your billing date. That way they report lower or no balance sooner and that will help your score recover the dip.

Don't want to make it seem like you're not using your credit, though, as that affects it as well. It's a fine balance.

I also already have both Amtrak cards. BOA just gave me my second World Card and the 50,000 bonus points.

I was thinking of canceling my World card and going to the no-fee one, using that for just Amtrak and getting a cash back card for everything else, but now I may do this and cancel my current World card. Isn't the $79 waived for the first year?

 

[joelkfla]

I was thinking of canceling my World card and going to the no-fee one, using that for just Amtrak and getting a cash back card for everything else, but now I may do this and cancel my current World card. Isn't the $79 waived for the first year?

I didn't see anything about a waiver, but I just got my first statement and there was no fee charged on it. Although I requested a due date change, so the first statement only covers about a week; perhaps that messed up the timing and the fee will show up on the 2nd statement.

 

[daybeers]

I didn't see anything about a waiver, but I just got my first statement and there was no fee charged on it. Although I requested a due date change, so the first statement only covers about a week; perhaps that messed up the timing and the fee will show up on the 2nd statement.

There's no fee for the first year.

How much would my credit dip by opening a new World card and closing my current one 30 days later?

 

[Bob Dylan]

There's no fee for the first year.

How much would my credit dip by opening a new World card and closing my current one 30 days later?

It actually should go up since you're increasing your Credit Line. No real need to Cancel the Non-Fee Card, lots of AUers have both.

 

[neutralist]

There's no fee for the first year.

How much would my credit dip by opening a new World card and closing my current one 30 days later?

Last time when I did that, I keep both card for one year, and close the new one then shift the credit line to the old one. So my oldest AGR World card credit limit keeps going up.

 

[gregg_vw]

There's no fee for the first year.

How much would my credit dip by opening a new World card and closing my current one 30 days later?

There is a $79 fee for the first year. And my credit score essentially stayed the same.

 

[joelkfla]

As I

It actually should go up since you're increasing your Credit Line. No real need to Cancel the Non-Fee Card, lots of AUers have both.

As I said earlier, my score did drop by 17 points, probably not enough to affect anything. But there are lots of different scoring models, and perhaps they're applied differently by the 3 credit bureaus.

The drop was on the FICO #9 score at the bureau that BoA queried, and "Too many inquiries" was one of the factors listed. Looking at Credit Karma, it looks like the other 2 bureaus haven't yet received notice of the inquiry.

 

[deBASHmode]

Don't want to make it seem like you're not using your credit, though, as that affects it as well. It's a fine balance.


I was thinking of canceling my World card and going to the no-fee one, using that for just Amtrak and getting a cash back card for everything else, but now I may do this and cancel my current World card. Isn't the $79 waived for the first year?

Closing accounts isn't good for your score. It reduces your overall available limit and shortens your credit history. You can ask for your account to be changed to the other card to avoid this.

 

[deBASHmode]

As I

As I said earlier, my score did drop by 17 points, probably not enough to affect anything. But there are lots of different scoring models, and perhaps they're applied differently by the 3 credit bureaus.

The drop was on the FICO #9 score at the bureau that BoA queried, and "Too many inquiries" was one of the factors listed. Looking at Credit Karma, it looks like the other 2 bureaus haven't yet received notice of the inquiry.

The inquiry can temporarily outweigh the credit line increase if you have other recent inquiries. I'd give it at least 6 months before applying for anything else and keep an eye on your score. It should recover what it lost.

 

[Exvalley]

My 50,000 points posted. I am very pleased!

My wife is going to apply for her own card before the September 30th deadline.

100,000 points for everyday spending is a darn good deal.

 

[joelkfla]

My 50,000 points posted. I am very pleased!

My wife is going to apply for her own card before the September 30th deadline.

100,000 points for everyday spending is a darn good deal.

Mine just showed up, too. Today's the statement period closing date, and the statement isn't even on the BoA website yet, but the 50,000 points plus the 1 point per dollar spent were already credited to my AGR account. Good job!

BTW, I have a question: When I pay for Amtrak tickets with the card, are the 3 points/dollar for the card added to the normal 2 points/dollar from AGR, for a total of 5 points, or is it just 3 points total?

 

[neroden]

Mine just showed up, too. Today's the statement period closing date, and the statement isn't even on the BoA website yet, but the 50,000 points plus the 1 point per dollar spent were already credited to my AGR account. Good job!

BTW, I have a question: When I pay for Amtrak tickets with the card, are the 3 points/dollar for the card added to the normal 2 points/dollar from AGR, for a total of 5 points, or is it just 3 points total?

Total of 5.

 

[denmarks]

Years ago Princess cruises had a $100 onboard credit if you got their card and used it for anything. It was a no fee card. I looked back and I only spent $93 on it. I was going on a cruise anyway so I took up the deal. It was a very small percentage of my max credit so I let it expire in a few years with no effect on my credit. Based on the calculations I have seen above the total payout would only be about 3%. The current bank card I have pays 2% plus a 75% bonus (3.5% total) so getting the Amtrak card is not worth it especially with the annual fee.

 

[jebr]

Has anyone received the single-day lounge pass from this yet? I just realized that I haven't, and am trying to avoid a (likely quite frustrating) call to Bank of America over it.

 

[daybeers]

Has anyone received the single-day lounge pass from this yet? I just realized that I haven't, and am trying to avoid a (likely quite frustrating) call to Bank of America over it.

I haven't. Not sure if they send them out or the provider for AGR sends them out. I reached Select this year and thus got the welcome kit in the mail after about 6 weeks, but the call center said they don't know when they're sent out since they contract that out.

 

[joelkfla]

Has anyone received the single-day lounge pass from this yet? I just realized that I haven't, and am trying to avoid a (likely quite frustrating) call to Bank of America over it.

Yeah, mine came in the mail very quickly. I think it was around the same time I received the card.

I just pulled it out to take a look, and the return address is AGR in Philadelphia, not BoA. Everything on the envelope is printed on, so there's no postmark or meter mark to show a date or mailing location.

 

[Exvalley]

I got my pass about three weeks after I got my card.

 

[daybeers]

I am canceling my original card after getting a new card in order to get the points offer. I was going to switch to another card from another company but the offer convinced me otherwise. While calling to cancel it, I had to agree to forfeit rewards points, as that's what BOA does for their rewards cards, but since BOA doesn't issue points, AGR does, they couldn't guarantee that I'd get the points I'd earned this billing cycle that ends next week. So, I hung up so I could investigate further. I want to cancel the card tonight since it renews tomorrow and I no longer have use for it, and though I called AGR before 8 PM EST (7:45ish) I was never put through from holding and at 8:01 it said they're closed. I doubt the regular number can answer that and I'm sure the wait time is two hours, though BOA is 24/7.

So, do we think AGR will give me the points I've earned this billing cycle or not? They aren't too much so if I can't find an answer or they won't, I'll still cancel since they're not worth the annual fee.

 

[Anderson]

It actually should go up since you're increasing your Credit Line. No real need to Cancel the Non-Fee Card, lots of AUers have both.

It'll do both. There will be a dip from the credit inquiry and a dip from the new card being, well, new. There will be an increase if your credit limit goes up. And there will be an increase as the account "ages".

It's...complicated.

 

[Anderson]

I am canceling my original card after getting a new card in order to get the points offer. I was going to switch to another card from another company but the offer convinced me otherwise. While calling to cancel it, I had to agree to forfeit rewards points, as that's what BOA does for their rewards cards, but since BOA doesn't issue points, AGR does, they couldn't guarantee that I'd get the points I'd earned this billing cycle that ends next week. So, I hung up so I could investigate further. I want to cancel the card tonight since it renews tomorrow and I no longer have use for it, and though I called AGR before 8 PM EST (7:45ish) I was never put through from holding and at 8:01 it said they're closed. I doubt the regular number can answer that and I'm sure the wait time is two hours, though BOA is 24/7.

So, do we think AGR will give me the points I've earned this billing cycle or not? They aren't too much so if I can't find an answer or they won't, I'll still cancel since they're not worth the annual fee.

At last check, BofA allows you to get a "new" card even if you have one of the cards already. I did this with the AGR card a few years ago...I was initially issued two accounts (I got caught up in the computer error when the card first came out). I eventually closed one (but kept the other open). When a 40k offer came along a few years ago, I applied for and received a second account (and the bonus).

 

[Just me]

OK question about the Amtrak World Card. Are the points that you earn on purchases count as TQPs? Or are just the 1000 TQPs that you earn quarterly for the required quarterly purchase the only TQPs that you earn? (I think that I know the answer, but I would like to get it confirmed by the Amtrak gurus here on the board). Thanks for sharing.

 

[happycamper]

Can the one-class upgrade coupon be applied to saver fares?

The only thing the upgrade seemed to be good for was to go from coach to business class. Have more options on east coast but west coast was pretty much Coastal Starlight upgrade to business.... Also the companion fare is based on value price coach not saver. So you have to pay a bit more for the value ticket to get one free....

 

[penguinflies]

Got my November statement which crossed minimum spend threshold. Points bonus are posted on the statement and were deposited into my agr account same day.

 

[20th Century Rider]

OK question about the Amtrak World Card. Are the points that you earn on purchases count as TQPs? Or are just the 1000 TQPs that you earn quarterly for the required quarterly purchase the only TQPs that you earn? (I think that I know the answer, but I would like to get it confirmed by the Amtrak gurus here on the board). Thanks for sharing.

With each $5000 in spend on the paid affinity card you will get 1000 agr points.

 

[TheVig]

With each $5000 in spend on the paid affinity card you will get 1000 agr points.

You mean 1000 TQP’s.