New Select Executive Tier at AGR

[Devil's Advocate]

[united Club access] costs about $400 a year to buy, and for domestic travel, not even the top Mileage Plus tiers get it.

I sort of figured that Global Services would have unpublished access, but I guess not?

I don't think Global Services gets lounge access (based on a quick scan of the UA forum at FT), but I don't know for sure. My impression of GS is that it is 1K with some significant personal handling perks added like priority rebooking in irrops, upgrade priorities, and some ability to bend rules. Since I am nothing more than a frequent flyer wannabe, I will never come even remotely close to finding out.

Yeah, I hear you. I'm not going to be flying four million miles in my entire lifetime, let alone on the same carrier. I believe the best trick for discounted lounge access is to carry the Amex Platinum which also charges $400 per year in annual fees but comes with a $200 annual rebate for airline expenses. However, I don't think that United Clubs are currently covered by today's Platinum card. Which still leaves the loyalty swap trick, which is where you funnel your status points into a carefully selected foreign carrier in the same alliance or in a bilateral with your chosen domestic carrier, at which point your domestic trips become foreign trips with complimentary lounge access. As for me I don't fly nearly enough to make lounge access much of a perk. Priority access means I can arrive later and board earlier and that's good enough for my purposes.

 

[amamba]

Eliminating lounge access for S+ would be really frustrating for me. That is one of the big perks to me of that S+ level.

I know of at least one poster on this board who commutes NYP - PHL, and I assume would easily qualify for the new Select Executive level. I am sure he will enjoy those upgrade coupons if he decided to take a few commutes via acela instead of the regional!

Hey, that sounds like me!

I got the Select Executive email this morning letting me know that I would have the new status as of January 1. The 100% point bonus is nice and I'm definitely looking forward to earning an upgrade certificate every 3K TQP, since I'll rack up twelve or so of those next year. While I was hoping they would go with space-available upgrades (like many airlines offer), this is definitely an improvement over what I've been getting as S+.

Just keep texting me pictures of your 10 am cocktails so I can live vicariously through you.

 

[rtabern]

Wow, 20,000 points... quite a feat! I'm looking back at my AGR point totals for the past few years and they range between 13,000 and 15,000 rail points per year... I travel A LOT now to maintain Select Plus... and dont think I could realitsically obtain 20,000 rail points a year. (BTW, I live in Milwaukee, so a lot of my points are riding down to Chicago and doing day-trips on the Illinois regionals). But, hey, awesome some people on the Forum are there!!

My only reaction is... I *REALLY* hope they don't take the Club Acela and Metropolitan Lounge access away from Select Plus members. I'm hoping Select Plus and Select Executives will have access to the clubs. I ride a lot of extra trips a year to maintain S+... and the only reason I do that... is for a clean bathroom and a free place to store bags when passing through Chicago, DC, NY, or Boston. If they take the lounge access away from S+, I will probably stop doing my point runs and probably drop back to just 4,000-6,000 rail points a year instead of getting 10,000 (or well over 10,000)... I hope Amtrak isn't considering taking away lounge access for us S+'ers.

 

[rtabern]

Wow, 20,000 points... quite a feat! I'm looking back at my AGR point totals for the past few years and they range between 13,000 and 15,000 rail points per year... I travel A LOT now to maintain Select Plus... and dont think I could realitsically obtain 20,000 rail points a year. (BTW, I live in Milwaukee, so a lot of my points are riding down to Chicago and doing day-trips on the Illinois regionals). But, hey, awesome some people on the Forum are there!!

My only reaction is... I *REALLY* hope they don't take the Club Acela and Metropolitan Lounge access away from Select Plus members. I'm hoping Select Plus and Select Executives will have access to the clubs. I ride a lot of extra trips a year to maintain S+... and the only reason I do that... is for a clean bathroom and a free place to store bags when passing through Chicago, DC, NY, or Boston. If they take the lounge access away from S+, I will probably stop doing my point runs and probably drop back to just 4,000-6,000 rail points a year instead of getting 10,000 (or well over 10,000)... I hope Amtrak isn't considering taking away lounge access for us S+'ers.

Yeah, the more I think about it... I hope they don't drop lounge access for Select Plus members.

I have to do a few extra trips a year... or even a few "point runs" from Milwaukee-Milwaukee AIrport... to make sure I reach S+ status.

To me, it's worth the extra money I have to spend every year to do some extra trips to make sure I get 10,000 rail points, so I have a clean bathroom and free place to store my bags in Chicago and the east coast cities with Club Acelas.

It really wouldn't be worth the money or time I'd need to spend to try and get 20K rail points to keep lounge access.

Doing the math, I'd have to do TWO round-trips on the Hiawathas (or 4 one-ways) every week of the year to reach the new "Executive" status.

And, the folks who ride the Hiawatha that much don't buy one-ways, they have monthly passes that don't get that as much points.

AMTRAK, I BEG OF YOU... PLEASE KEEP LOUNGE ACCESS FOR SELECT PLUS!!!

 

[Afsheen]

AMTRAK, I BEG OF YOU... PLEASE KEEP LOUNGE ACCESS FOR SELECT PLUS!!!

No need to worry for 2013, AGR Insider confirmed on FlyerTalk that, "The Select Plus benefits have not changed and will remain the same as in 2012."

 

[The Davy Crockett]

The way things have been trending towards 'revenue enhancement' I could see Amtrak working towards United Club access going away for S+ in 2014. That, and possibly the erosion of some other S+ perks, as they get bled off to SE+, as I somehow don't see Amtrak rolling out a lot of costly new perks for the new tier in the future.

My guess is that Amtrak is pretty much stuck with S+ access to its own lounges though, as I think even Amtrak is (hopefully) smart enough to realize what a slap in the face it would be to a majority of its most loyal customers to double the requirement for access to clean bathrooms, coffee, Goldfish Crackers and bag storage.

And yeah, what about preboarding?

 

[Anderson]

I've done the math, and I could in theory achieve this primarily through "looping" NFK-RVR-NPN-NFK (and variations may become workable at the start of FY13 once VA gets control of those trains), though assuming that I get 100 TQPs per leg, that would come to 300 TQPs/run. Do that 50 times during the year and I can make up 15,000 of the 20,000...but it'll cost me a bloody fortune ($2000 at the in-advance $20 one-way price).

With that said...I'm going to give it a semi-serious look, since racking up another 5,000 points isn't that hard for me to do on my regular travel (1600 at Christmas, 600-1200 each time I go to FL, etc.). The only shame is that I'm really hoping to, y'know, use some of these points one of these years.

 

[PRR 60]

I've done the math, and I could in theory achieve this primarily through "looping" NFK-RVR-NPN-NFK (and variations may become workable at the start of FY13 once VA gets control of those trains), though assuming that I get 100 TQPs per leg, that would come to 300 TQPs/run. Do that 50 times during the year and I can make up 15,000 of the 20,000...but it'll cost me a bloody fortune ($2000 at the in-advance $20 one-way price).

With that said...I'm going to give it a semi-serious look, since racking up another 5,000 points isn't that hard for me to do on my regular travel (1600 at Christmas, 600-1200 each time I go to FL, etc.). The only shame is that I'm really hoping to, y'know, use some of these points one of these years.

Why would you do that?? What benefits do you see in the new status that are worth spending over $2000 to get?

 

[JoshW]

I'm a commuter from the SF Bay area to the Central valley, using Amtrak (thruway bus and San Joaquin) about three times a week. I'll likely hit SE level around August of next year, assuming I get 100 qualifying points per ticket. I won't see any tangible difference in the quality of my daily commute, as there aren't any lounges in Northern California, but getting %100 qualifying points per ticket will really help when it comes time for a family trip.

 

[jis]

Yeah, I think it is perfectly reasonable to get a status based on travel that actually needs to be done irrespective of whether there is a status level to reach. But to do a substantial amount of completely unnecessary travel just tor each a status is a bit over the top. mind you a trip or two to fill a small gap to get there appears to be OK to me, but beyond that is a clear indication of being infected by the Statusitis virus.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yeah, I think it is perfectly reasonable to get a status based on travel that actually needs to be done irrespective of whether there is a status level to reach. But to do a substantial amount of completely unnecessary travel just tor each a status is a bit over the top. mind you a trip or two to fill a small gap to get there appears to be OK to me, but beyond that is a clear indication of being infected by the Statusitis virus.

Ditto! As usual , you Nailed it jis!

 

[TimePeace]

Yeah, I think it is perfectly reasonable to get a status based on travel that actually needs to be done irrespective of whether there is a status level to reach. But to do a substantial amount of completely unnecessary travel just tor each a status is a bit over the top. mind you a trip or two to fill a small gap to get there appears to be OK to me, but beyond that is a clear indication of being infected by the Statusitis virus.

Right: instead of simply calling it "quantity discount" status, which is what it is, we call it "Select Executive". Who says we don't have a class system. Clearly "Elite" status is worth a whole lot to the big spenders and high rollers among us.

 

[JoshW]

I've gotta say, I can only think of two travel perks: a waiting room with refreshments at the station, and early boarding. I could care less about getting on the train early, in my case, since it's never too crowded. But it would be kind of cool to have some free coffee at the station. So to me, right now it's essentially a way to get a free bedroom for my family later next year. But were they to implement a couple perks that I could utilize everyday, I wouldn't argue.

 

[BOS-T-Time]

Hello,

I am confused as to what the perk "100% tier point bonus" means. I am nowhere near being at this level but I was just curious, does it mean 100% bonus points towards tier qualifying status of just 100% bonus points? In other words, say you ride Acela and earn 500 points which go towards tier qualification. Do you get another 500 points towards tier qualification status or 500 bonus points towards your account? Here is the link:

https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/info/selectexecutive

thanks,

BOS-T-Time

 

[Anthony]

Hello,

I am confused as to what the perk "100% tier point bonus" means. I am nowhere near being at this level but I was just curious, does it mean 100% bonus points towards tier qualifying status of just 100% bonus points? In other words, say you ride Acela and earn 500 points which go towards tier qualification. Do you get another 500 points towards tier qualification status or 500 bonus points towards your account? Here is the link:

https://www.amtrakgu...selectexecutive

thanks,

BOS-T-Time

No - it is a 100% bonus you get for being a part of that tier. Bonus points are not Tier Qualifying Points.

 

[AlanB]

Hello,

I am confused as to what the perk "100% tier point bonus" means. I am nowhere near being at this level but I was just curious, does it mean 100% bonus points towards tier qualifying status of just 100% bonus points? In other words, say you ride Acela and earn 500 points which go towards tier qualification. Do you get another 500 points towards tier qualification status or 500 bonus points towards your account? Here is the link:

https://www.amtrakgu...selectexecutive

thanks,

BOS-T-Time

No - it is a 100% bonus you get for being a part of that tier. Bonus points are not Tier Qualifying Points.

Or to put it another way; with a 500 point Acela trip you would earn 1,000 points that you could use to buy a AGR reward and you would earn 500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) if you were a Select Exec member.

Right now as a Select Plus member, if I do an Acela run for 500 points, I get 750 points to spend on trips and 500 TQP's.

 

[Anderson]

Well, I can offer four benefits to engaging in some rather absurd points-running:

1) Raw value. The extra points bonus is worth about 10,000 points per year at the bottom of the level (net of what I'd get at S+). Mind you, that's nothing next to what VIA Preference offers, but it's still noticeable. Basically, I might spend a couple of hundred dollars...but a respectable share would be coming back through the door to me.

2) I actually want to make a run at the status in one year primarily to do a massive point buy during a bonus season (though I suspect that SE+ is the kiss of death for any 50% bonus buy offers, being able to drop a 100,000 point buy [absurdly expensive though it might be] in during such a season would be worth my while). Even accounting for periodic devaluations (which I do expect), I am reasonably hopeful that fare increases will tend to at least keep pace with, if not outpace, award price increases.

3) Insurance against benefit erosion. This concern has come up in a few cases.

4) Perhaps most ephemeral, propping up ridership on the NFK-RVR segment until a better schedule can be worked out is something that I do want to engage in.

Notwithstanding this, I do expect my point earnings to slowly rise as time goes on and fares go up on a lot of routes. I'll note that Amtrak may need to seriously look at tweaking the 500/750 point awards before too long...top bucket WAS-NYP is $249 (it's closing in on $300 WAS-BOS), which given the PPR dynamic on that run is likely to turn that "guarantee" into a bit of a joke. In the same vein, on the LD routes I frequent (the Meteor, the Star, and the Cap), fares are up substantially over the last 3-4 years, and if the economy gets rolling again things are going to get "interesting" in some cases.

 

[Nick]

To the Amtrak employees monitoring this thread:

I'm a bit confused. I got a letter this morning saying that I'm getting the Executive status but I am a bit confused as to what are the additional benefits for giving Amtrak 10k in one year (other than 100% point bonus instead of 75%).

United Clubs access is already a part of S+. Will there be if-space-available automatic upgrades to First? Complementary pick ups / pick offs in a destination in the city? Something to parallel the similar perks extended by airlines?

Thank you.

 

[calwatch]

Some might say it is a cynical way to gain more revenue. Right now many pass holders on Capitol Corridor and the Pacific Surfliner are S+ by virtue of holding the monthly pass. Now they will have to buy individual tickets to try to make the new level. The question is, is there any reason for a pass holder on the Capitol Corridor paying $400 a month to buy 10-trips or individual tickets to try to make Select Executive?

 

[Blackwolf]

Some might say it is a cynical way to gain more revenue. Right now many pass holders on Capitol Corridor and the Pacific Surfliner are S+ by virtue of holding the monthly pass. Now they will have to buy individual tickets to try to make the new level. The question is, is there any reason for a pass holder on the Capitol Corridor paying $400 a month to buy 10-trips or individual tickets to try to make Select Executive?

I see two: the 100% bonus on points earned and the United Lounge access if they fly a lot as well. Since Select+ is loosing the United Lounge access, some might see this as a reason to go the distance for Select Executive. So, so it seems to the lay-person like myself who never hopes to even get halfway to Select.

 

[PRR 60]

Some might say it is a cynical way to gain more revenue. Right now many pass holders on Capitol Corridor and the Pacific Surfliner are S+ by virtue of holding the monthly pass. Now they will have to buy individual tickets to try to make the new level. The question is, is there any reason for a pass holder on the Capitol Corridor paying $400 a month to buy 10-trips or individual tickets to try to make Select Executive?

I see two: the 100% bonus on points earned and the United Lounge access if they fly a lot as well. Since Select+ is loosing the United Lounge access, some might see this as a reason to go the distance for Select Executive. So, so it seems to the lay-person like myself who never hopes to even get halfway to Select.

AGR Insider at Flyertalk says that S+ benefits are not being changed. If so, S+ will retain United Club access.

 

[Anthony]

I see two: the 100% bonus on points earned and the United Lounge access if they fly a lot as well. Since Select+ is loosing the United Lounge access, some might see this as a reason to go the distance for Select Executive. So, so it seems to the lay-person like myself who never hopes to even get halfway to Select.

I'm sorry, where did you hear that S+ is losing United Club access? This has been stated nowhere and in fact has been debunked by AGR Insider at FlyerTalk.

 

[AlanB]

To the Amtrak employees monitoring this thread:

I'm a bit confused. I got a letter this morning saying that I'm getting the Executive status but I am a bit confused as to what are the additional benefits for giving Amtrak 10k in one year (other than 100% point bonus instead of 75%).

United Clubs access is already a part of S+. Will there be if-space-available automatic upgrades to First? Complementary pick ups / pick offs in a destination in the city? Something to parallel the similar perks extended by airlines?

Thank you.

Nick,

Since this forum is no run by Amtrak, officially there are NO Amtrak employees monitoring anything here. Some employees do post here, but they do so in an unofficial capacity.

As for benefits:

Select Plus gets a 50% bonus. So Exec is getting double that, at 100%.

Additionally you will get 48 hour upgrade coupons, just like Select Plus. In addition to the coupons mailed in late Feb, throughout the year once you've earned 20K in points again, for every 3,000 after that you'll get another coupon. You'll also get companion coupons, in addition to a few other benefits.

 

[PRR 60]

To the Amtrak employees monitoring this thread:

I'm a bit confused. I got a letter this morning saying that I'm getting the Executive status but I am a bit confused as to what are the additional benefits for giving Amtrak 10k in one year (other than 100% point bonus instead of 75%).

United Clubs access is already a part of S+. Will there be if-space-available automatic upgrades to First? Complementary pick ups / pick offs in a destination in the city? Something to parallel the similar perks extended by airlines?

Thank you.

Nick,

Since this forum is no run by Amtrak, officially there are NO Amtrak employees monitoring anything here. Some employees do post here, but they do so in an unofficial capacity.

As for benefits:

Select Plus gets a 50% bonus. So Exec is getting double that, at 100%.

Additionally you will get 48 hour upgrade coupons, just like Select Plus. In addition to the coupons mailed in late Feb, throughout the year once you've earned 20K in points again, for every 3,000 after that you'll get another coupon. You'll also get companion coupons, in addition to a few other benefits.

So, in other words, not much.

 

[Anthony]

To the Amtrak employees monitoring this thread:

I'm a bit confused. I got a letter this morning saying that I'm getting the Executive status but I am a bit confused as to what are the additional benefits for giving Amtrak 10k in one year (other than 100% point bonus instead of 75%).

United Clubs access is already a part of S+. Will there be if-space-available automatic upgrades to First? Complementary pick ups / pick offs in a destination in the city? Something to parallel the similar perks extended by airlines?

Thank you.

Nick,

Since this forum is no run by Amtrak, officially there are NO Amtrak employees monitoring anything here. Some employees do post here, but they do so in an unofficial capacity.

As for benefits:

Select Plus gets a 50% bonus. So Exec is getting double that, at 100%.

Additionally you will get 48 hour upgrade coupons, just like Select Plus. In addition to the coupons mailed in late Feb, throughout the year once you've earned 20K in points again, for every 3,000 after that you'll get another coupon. You'll also get companion coupons, in addition to a few other benefits.

Actually, not quite - the 3,000 TQP counter for Select Executive earned upgrades starts as soon as you earn the status, from what I understand. For 2013, if you earned 20K TQPs in 2012, then on Jan. 1 every 3,000 TQPs thereafter will result in an additional upgrade. For those who qualify in 2013, as soon as the status is reached, the 3K TQP counter begins.