Exchanging a ticket toward future travel: Limits?

[diesteldorf]

Printed tickets retain their value for one year from DATE OF ISSUE. .It has always been my advice and practice to apply an old ticket or soon to expire voucher toward a new reservation. That always seems to extend the credit for another year from the new date of issue. There are times when I have created a reservation simply to prevent an old ticket or voucher from expiring forever.

Does anyone know if their is a preset limit for how many times a ticket can be exchanged?

If so, what happens when that limit has been reached? Has anyone had that experience?

 

[the_traveler]

I've never done it more than once, but I don't think there is a limit. (At least don't think there is.) The new ticket has a value on it, so I think they just apply that value to a new ticket. I would make a reservation for a ticket for (say) PDX-SEA for 10 months from now instead of asking for a voucher for $___!

 

[AlanB]

I'm not sure about actual tickets, but here are the rules for vouchers. If you got a voucher for a problem encountered on the train, then it's good for one year with no renewals. If you got a voucher for a refund, it's good for one year, but if you mail it into Amtrak prior to the expiration date then a new voucher good for yet another year can be issued. AFAIK, only one renewal is allowed, but I'm not positive on that.

Sp basing on that, it would not surprise me to find out that there is a limit on tickets, quite possibly a two year limit. But that is nothing more than a guess on my part.

 

[diesteldorf]

I'm not sure about actual tickets, but here are the rules for vouchers. If you got a voucher for a problem encountered on the train, then it's good for one year with no renewals. If you got a voucher for a refund, it's good for one year

So, if you apply a voucher toward a reservation and then later on apply those printed tickets from the 1st reservation, paid for with the voucher, toward a new reservation, are you stating it wouldn't work if the original voucher used to pay for the original tickets had already expired?

 

[AlanB]

I'm not sure about actual tickets, but here are the rules for vouchers. If you got a voucher for a problem encountered on the train, then it's good for one year with no renewals. If you got a voucher for a refund, it's good for one year

So, if you apply a voucher toward a reservation and then later on apply those printed tickets from the 1st reservation, paid for with the voucher, toward a new reservation, are you stating it wouldn't work if the original voucher used to pay for the original tickets had already expired?

No, once the voucher is converted to a ticket, that stops that clock from running.

 

[Alice]

Printed tickets retain their value for one year from DATE OF ISSUE. .It has always been my advice and practice to apply an old ticket or soon to expire voucher toward a new reservation. That always seems to extend the credit for another year from the new date of issue. There are times when I have created a reservation simply to prevent an old ticket or voucher from expiring forever.
Does anyone know if their is a preset limit for how many times a ticket can be exchanged?

If so, what happens when that limit has been reached? Has anyone had that experience?

I had a voucher from last October that I gradually used up whenever I had it with me. Each time they gave me the ticket I wanted and a new voucher for the balance, with a new one-year date. I just used it up on the train day trip this month. I can't tell you how many replacement vouchers I got, but it is in the 10-15 range. Everything was used well within the 1-year lifespan of the original unused ticket and voucher, but I do not think there is anything on the ticket or in their computer to cut it off. There is also a possibility that there is something in the computer, but certain agents are willing to ignore it.