Nice Point Savings with the new Guest Rewards

[the_traveler]

No, any current bucket can be used to redeem using points. What can not be used are any discounts like AAA or NARP. The point conversion is based on the full adult fare for that bucket.

Thus if the available buckets are $129, $142 and $155 with the current available being the $129, the points are computed using $129 not $155.

 

[gatelouse]

Because the lowest fares, the "saver" ones as well as SmartFares, are not eligible to be purchased with points.

The above is correct.

No, any current bucket can be used to redeem using points.

The above is well-intentioned but not correct.
As a rule of thumb, fares that can't be combined with discounts also can't be redeemed with AGR points. I know of only one exception.

 

[the_traveler]

That's just what I said above.

Using my example, if the current bucket is $129, the points will be computed using the full adult fare of $129. It will NOT be computed on the AAA fare of $116.10 ($129 - 10%)!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

That's just what I said above.

Using my example, if the current bucket is $129, the points will be computed using the full adult fare of $129. It will NOT be computed on the AAA fare of $116.10 ($129 - 10%)!

Dave, I just did a test. Showing Saver, Value, Flexible. The Value fare was the one that converted to points, not the saver fare.

 

[the_traveler]

Right & wrong.

The Saver fare is not eligible because it includes a discount already. It is computed as 20-25% off the lowest "normal" bucket. That is why you can not use a (for example) AAA discount on a Saver fare. You can't combine 2 discounts on the same fare. (You would be trying to combine a 10% discount on top of a 20-25% discount.)

 

[jis]

I am confused with the statement that seems to have a zen of its own

The bottom line is you cannot get an award ticket using the number of points computed based on a Saver fare. The rest of the reason and such other complication is irrelevant to a lay traveler. That is my understanding of the bottom line. Is that wrong?

 

[the_traveler]

No, you're correct.

It's relevant to the lay person because they wonder why they can not get their normal senior discount (of 15%) to work on the Saver fare. It shows a message saying it is ineligible for that fare - and it is the same as the "normal" Saver fare.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Right & wrong.

The Saver fare is not eligible because it includes a discount already. It is computed as 20-25% off the lowest "normal" bucket. That is why you can not use a (for example) AAA discount on a Saver fare. You can't combine 2 discounts on the same fare. (You would be trying to combine a 10% discount on top of a 20-25% discount.)

We're talking points, not discount w/saver fare. The points are calculated on the Value Fare, not the Saver Fare. The Saver Fare is the NEC's 25% off with 14+ days advanced purchase.

 

[jis]

No, you're correct.

It's relevant to the lay person because they wonder why they can not get their normal senior discount (of 15%) to work on the Saver fare. It shows a message saying it is ineligible for that fare - and it is the same as the "normal" Saver fare.

You have already defined a person who is more than a lay traveler. And still all this has no relevance whatsoever to award travel using points, which I thought was the primary subject of the conversation.

 

[Meat Puppet]

The new system blows. I travel not to get from point a to b, I travel to ride the train....Long gone are the 3 train, 4 night, 5 day trips for 20,000 points....

 

[PaulM]

I'm doing roomette trip in April, Crescent NOL to DC, Capitol Limited DC to CHI, and California Zephyr CHI to EMY for 26,000 points. I consider that a good deal. In a roundabout way I am traveling across at least three old zone boundaries.

Using lowest bucket prices for April, I came up with 36,984 points for that trip as a senior, in roomettes. How did you do that ?

As a senior? Seniors get no special deal when using points. Point price is based on adult fare.

I am a senior. I didn't write that seniors got a special deal on points. Do you agree ?

Sorry Rick. I was about to make the same comment.