Insuring that your AGR shopping transactions are posted

[dlagrua]

The last three purchases that I made though the Amtrak shopping portal did not show up as transactions. The clicks did track so with a bit of follow up I was given credit. The site advised to check "accept cookies" . I did and a forth purchase met the same fate.

The solution is simple and here it is. First off do not use "in private browsing".

If you use tracking protection you must also disable it for your transaction to show up.

For the shopping portal purchase to track, these are the steps.

Using Internet explorer activate the Command bar

Click on the safety tab, the menu pulls down

Click to turn off tracking protection

Click to turn off Do not track requests

Now immediately go to the AGR website shopping portal and do your purchases. Once you go to a site just remember to not use the back arrow or go back functions on the web page. If you do hit the back arrow, close and start over. Following this procedure will allow transactions to track and show up in a few days. Did two on Monday and they showed up the following day.

After you are finished shopping go back and turn on both internet tracking and do not track requests. If you leave them off, your computer will fill with all kinds of tracking cookies and garbage that will slow down your web browing. Don't forget to delete your cookies too.

There ya go, six months of trying to figure it out and two clicks did it. I also do not recommend using Firefox with the AGR shopping portal. Firefox has so many good cookie shredders, ad, pop up blockers, that we add as options it may be very difficult for your purchases to be identified as transactions. While I browse exclusively with Firefox I buy through AGR using Internet Explorer

 

[City of Miami]

I found out the hard way that if you use any kind of promo code for your purchase it is thereby not eligible for AGR points. This includes a promotion that the merchant site itself offers on the site. If it says "Sale - 50% off" it is OK but if it says "enter 'sale50%' in the code box on payment page.......no good. Of course they don't tell you this ahead of time.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I use firefox. I allow cookies. Some of my transactions show up (Vitacost, always within two days, even when I've used promo codes!), and the points come through with no further participation from me. Some do not. The clicks always show up, and the points do eventually. But sometimes I need to send in the contact form to get the points.

 

[dlagrua]

Conflicting info here. As for promo codes. Used them on Wyndham, Autozone and on Vitacost. Have also used them on Enterprise. The transactions showed up as valid so mabe it can be said that some companies disqualify the AGR purchase with coupon code use. Bottom line is that I shop around and look for the best buy. If the best value is on the portal, I purchase there.

 

[TinCan782]

With some vendors, the description will indicate variations (fewer) from the points earnings for promos, certain product types, etc.

 

[me_little_me]

When I find a product to buy on a site that gets Amtrak points before going through AGR, I copy the product name. Then I exit FF which deletes all my cookies per my setting. Then I go back in, go to the Amtrak shopping site and then go to the site that had the product. As soon as I get there, I copy the URL which has the partner code for Amtrak. If I happen to get things screwed up, I can always use the copied URL to exit FF then restart the site. In either case, on that site, I search for the product I wanted then order it. Generally, I have no problem but some sites take forever to post; others disallow the points on discounted or special products; others just have obscure, undefined rules but none of them show how many points you will be getting when you check out.

 

[dlagrua]

When things were not tracking, I would do a snip of the screen (including the address bar and tabs) and save it for later reference. I was never challenged on a claim but it was reassuring to have good back up info. I still do the screen snips and save them as my receipts.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I did a weekend booking with Enterpirse a couple weeks ago as they are running a heavy Bonus and all the Points showed up in the Kitty in just over a week. I booked straight through the Enterprise site entering the promo code when prompted.

 

[PaulM]

The email responding to my latest missing pending points request may have yielded some useful information. It recommended:

• Clear all your cookies before you log into your Points for Shopping account next time so that when you click out to the retailer only the cookies created for that purchase is recorded.
• Don’t click on other websites before you complete your transaction (including Google ads, banners, email/newsletter, coupon sites etc.) as interrupting the browser session that started from Points for Shopping can affect tracking and overwrite the last referral as being from us.
• Temporarily disable any ads block software/extension when browsing our online mall.

As far as the second point is concerned, I would never have occurred to me to click on other websites; but the 1st and 3rd possibly explain the problem. I don't believed they were among the FAQs.

 

[willem]

What arrogance! Some of those cookies are there for a reason, and AGR just cavalierly says to clear other sites' cookies. I suppose it's easier than developing a system that works.

 

[oregon pioneer]

What arrogance! Some of those cookies are there for a reason, and AGR just cavalierly says to clear other sites' cookies. I suppose it's easier than developing a system that works.

Umm, yeah, clear all your cookies, and you have to do the dance of validating your computer all over again with all your secure sites that require the step. I wonder if just clearing "this week's history" would work well enough.