Second Person Using AGR Points in Roomette?

[dan72]

If this question has already been posted, point me to it and I'll happily read it. I am heading out to Boston this summer for a work-related conference (MSP - CHI - CHI - BOS). It will be paid for in combination of myself and my work and I will be in coach from MSP - CHI and a rommette from CHI - BOS. My wife would like to come along and has about 25,000 AGR points she could use towards the trip. My question is this: Could she book the trip using AGR points for coach only, but be able to ride with me in the rommette since I would have paid for it. Or, would she have to cash in her AGR points for the roommette rate instead? Any thoughts or experiences with this? Thanks!

Dan

 

[the_traveler]

I am sorta confused. Are you paying for the roomette, or is your employer? :huh: The roomette cost the same for 1 or 2 people - only the railfare would be extra. If your employer is paying, perhaps they allow you $xxx for the trip for you, and you can just pay the extra $xx for the 2nd railfare. If you are paying, why not get the AGR award for a roomette from MSP-BOS for BOTH of you? :huh: An AGR award for a roomette includes the roomette and railfare for BOTH of you! And you BOTH could get a roomette and the included meals from MSP-CHI also!

 

[inspiration100]

Same question as the_traveler. The roomette covers two people (just not the railfare) so you should both be able to enjoy the sleeper with meals included. As far as if your business is paying, I suppose you would need to ask your business whether she could use the roomette. You'll love it.

Have a great trip my friend!

 

[dan72]

Sorry about the confusion with my original post--I'll try to clarify. The roomette is already paid for...I split the cost with my employer (since it is more expensive than flying), but the bottom line with that is that it is paid for and there would not be any additional expense at my employer's end.

I guess the question is: Can my wife redeem her AGR points for coach only (it would be a two zone trip), but be able to join me in the roomette, get the meals, etc? Or, is this something that Amtrak/AGR would frown upon? I'm not trying to beat the system here, but it seems kind of silly that she would need to redeem for a roomette herself since one has been paid for and if she were paying for the ticket, she would only need to pay the coach portion as well.

Anyway, does this help? If not, I'll try it again! Thanks!

Dan

PS - Traveler, you bring up a good point as well. I'll have to think about your idea also! Thanks!

 

[the_traveler]

Technically, there are 2 problems with her getting a coach AGR award and joining you in the roomette:

1. Technically, coach passengers are not allwed to enter the sleeping cars, and the dining car staff may stop her from entering, and
   
2. The included meals are for only those passengers whose name is on the roomette reservation, and your wife's name will not be, so she would have to pay for her meals.
   

I would highly suggest:

1. Talking with your employer about paying the additional railfare for her, and
   
2. Call Amtrak and put her name on the romette reservation.
   

(BTW - When you are paying, the cost of the roomette or bedroom is the railfare for EACH passenger plus the cost of the roomette or bedroom (which is the same for EITHER 1 or 2 passengers. The "cost" of an AGR award is the SAME for EITHER 1 or 2 passengers, and includes the railfare and room charge for BOTH!)

 

[AlanB]

The easiest answer would be to call Amtrak and simply add your wife to the existing reservation; and then pay the difference when you pick up the tickets. That's the simplest way to do this and the one sure fire way not to run into problems.

However, if for some reason you don't see this as a viable option you may be able to buy a coach seat, either with points or money. Then call Amtrak, regular Amtrak not AGR, and have the agent link the two PNR's or reservation numbers together in the computer. This would get your wife's name onto the manifest for the sleeper. But this isn't guaranteed to work 100%. I've not heard of anyone having a failure to get into the sleeper, but I still won't deny that the best way is to simply get a ticket for her via the first method. By the way, I've only heard of people paying for the coach seat actually using the linking method.

The one big issue with using points and linking is that officially you're supposed to have enough points to travel in whatever class you want. The rules don't allow for one to pay for part of the reward as it were, which is technically what you're doing. I understand the reasons why, but Amtrak may or may not balk at linking an AGR ticket to a paid room.

 

[soitgoes]

If it is acceptable to your employer, you could refund the paid reservation and book an award for two people using an AGR award (20K points for a roomette).

 

[dan72]

Thanks everyone for their thoughts and insights. I kind of figured it would be a bit of a fiasco, but wanted to check with folks on here before pushing the issue with either AGR or Amtrak. If she decides to come along (and she is still a bit undecided), we'll have to either look at having her pay the difference to add her in, or cash out her AGR points. Thanks again!

Dan

 

[gswager]

The only difference is her railfare. If you want to add her to the roommette, all she have to do is to pay the railfare. Roomette is already paid for, up to 2 passengers.

If she decide to go, all you have to do is to call the reservation agent and give the reservation number which the employer paid for. Instruct the agent to add your wife to that roomette. Then pay her railfare (usually the lowest bucket system).

That's a biggest savings for your buck- her meals are included!

 

[jackal]

So, to summarize this thread, it appears you have a few options:

1. Add her to the roomette reservation. Total cost: $139 each way for her railfare, due when you pick her tickets up (or possibly paid over the phone; your employer should not have to pay for this).

2. Book her a revenue seat in coach and link her record to yours so she can enjoy sleeper benefits. Total cost: dependent on fare buckets, but $139 up to $226 (and possibly higher) each way. Access to sleeper benefits not guaranteed.

3. Book her an award seat in coach and attempt to link her record to yours so she can enjoy sleeper benefits. Total cost: 16,000 AGR points (a relatively low redemption rate of 1.8-2.8 cents per point, depending on fare bucket). Access to sleeper benefits unlikely--you might end up spending a few hundred dollars on just her meals.

4. Cancel your revenue sleeper ticket and book a sleeper award. Ethical solution: negotiate with your company to give you what they were going to pay in cash. Unethical solution: collect the balance of your ticket as a voucher good for future rail travel; the company should never know. Total cost: 40,000 AGR points (you can use 20,000 of your wife's for the way there and 20,000 of yours for the return, if you have that many; a relatively low redemption rate of about 2.5 cents per point, depending on fare bucket, but the only real solution if you don't want to lay out the $278 round-trip for her).

Out of options #1 and #2, there is absolutely no reason to go with #2. #1 does exactly what you want and costs either the same or less. #2 is only a possibility and will cost at least the same and likely more. #3 and #4 are the only ways to do this without spending real money (if that's what you want). Neither is ideal, since it is possible to get a lot more value from your points on other awards, but #3 isn't a reasonable solution if you want to share the trip with your wife--unless you can get Amtrak to bend its policies and allow her to join you. If you arrange it right, #4 could actually put cash in your pocket (or at least in a voucher for future rail travel) but takes the most number of points, which you may not have. (You could have the company pay for one way and use points for the roomette on the return or vice versa.)

Hope this helps...

 

[dan72]

So, to summarize this thread, it appears you have a few options:
1. Add her to the roomette reservation. Total cost: $139 each way for her railfare, due when you pick her tickets up (or possibly paid over the phone; your employer should not have to pay for this).

2. Book her a revenue seat in coach and link her record to yours so she can enjoy sleeper benefits. Total cost: dependent on fare buckets, but $139 up to $226 (and possibly higher) each way. Access to sleeper benefits not guaranteed.

3. Book her an award seat in coach and attempt to link her record to yours so she can enjoy sleeper benefits. Total cost: 16,000 AGR points (a relatively low redemption rate of 1.8-2.8 cents per point, depending on fare bucket). Access to sleeper benefits unlikely--you might end up spending a few hundred dollars on just her meals.

4. Cancel your revenue sleeper ticket and book a sleeper award. Ethical solution: negotiate with your company to give you what they were going to pay in cash. Unethical solution: collect the balance of your ticket as a voucher good for future rail travel; the company should never know. Total cost: 40,000 AGR points (you can use 20,000 of your wife's for the way there and 20,000 of yours for the return, if you have that many; a relatively low redemption rate of about 2.5 cents per point, depending on fare bucket, but the only real solution if you don't want to lay out the $278 round-trip for her).

Out of options #1 and #2, there is absolutely no reason to go with #2. #1 does exactly what you want and costs either the same or less. #2 is only a possibility and will cost at least the same and likely more. #3 and #4 are the only ways to do this without spending real money (if that's what you want). Neither is ideal, since it is possible to get a lot more value from your points on other awards, but #3 isn't a reasonable solution if you want to share the trip with your wife--unless you can get Amtrak to bend its policies and allow her to join you. If you arrange it right, #4 could actually put cash in your pocket (or at least in a voucher for future rail travel) but takes the most number of points, which you may not have. (You could have the company pay for one way and use points for the roomette on the return or vice versa.)

Hope this helps...

Thanks for the summary and research! There is absolutely no way I would approach my employer about them paying for her. Heck, I'm dang lucky *I* get to go with things going the way they are in our current economic situation. Plus, with the difference of the flying, I'm paying for about 60% of trip as it is. So, I think the best option will be to either have them add her which seems the most reasonable and ethical on all fronts at this point. We'll just have to see if financially we can swing it and if she is all that interested in going (at this point, she is still on the fence).

Anyway, thanks for all of your thoughts on this. This board always come through for me with ideas and insights. Thanks, everybody!

Dan

 

[AlanB]

We'll just have to see if financially we can swing it and if she is all that interested in going (at this point, she is still on the fence).

Well tell her that she'll be much more comfortable sitting in the sleeper than she'll be sitting on the fence. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[the_traveler]

We'll just have to see if financially we can swing it and if she is all that interested in going (at this point, she is still on the fence).

Well tell her that she'll be much more comfortable sitting in the sleeper than she'll be sitting on the fence. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Especially if it's a picket fence! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[GG-1]

We'll just have to see if financially we can swing it and if she is all that interested in going (at this point, she is still on the fence).

Well tell her that she'll be much more comfortable sitting in the sleeper than she'll be sitting on the fence. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Especially if it's a picket fence! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aloha

Well almost added a comment with the "Alanism" now I must. Hope she like Cats. :lol: :huh: :lol:

 

[dan72]

We'll just have to see if financially we can swing it and if she is all that interested in going (at this point, she is still on the fence).

Well tell her that she'll be much more comfortable sitting in the sleeper than she'll be sitting on the fence. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Especially if it's a picket fence! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aloha

Well almost added a comment with the "Alanism" now I must. Hope she like Cats. :lol: :huh: :lol:

:lol: :lol: Good stuff, guys!