Summer Promotion

[chuljin]

I called and registered over the phone. So I registered for this promotion during the first qualifying trip.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who read the terms of this promotion, saw how it allowed at least 100 bonus points for any trip and thought, "Chuljin is going to be all over this one."

Well, sadly, not any trip...as suspected by everyone when it was first announced, and confirmed by LTR, sleeper travel does not qualify.But yes, chuljin also thought 'chuljin is going to be all over this one.'

It's a nice last hurrah and/or parting gift before we move:

Offer made last Tuesday, accepted last Wednesday, escrow opens today (probably...our agent and theirs have been in a protracted back-and-forth about the legibility of our [faxed] documents), inspection this Friday, closing on June 23, moving late July.

Bye, Amtrak! (until October and the Gathering )

Here's my question: I can stack this promotion with the "We Miss You" triple-points promotion that runs concurrently, can't I?

The way I understand it, unless either promo says it can't be combined with others (and at least this one doesn't), then yes. A few people mentioned success in so combining such promos with e.g. the Spring Promo.I have a question about such promos: I assume you were targeted with a promo code starting with 470 (don't put it here, it wouldn't work anyways, and that's not what I'm asking about ), because they noticed it'd been a while since you Amtraked. My question is: how long had it been since you last traveled until they targeted you? I suspect I may be similarly targeted a while after my Amtraking abruptly stops in July (see above). I hope it's during Gathering time...I could stack it and the inevitable fall promo (similar to 90808) and get quadruple or quintuple points.

 

[printman2000]

It's a nice last hurrah and/or parting gift before we move:

Where you moving to?

 

[AlanB]

I have a question about such promos: I assume you were targeted with a promo code starting with 470 (don't put it here, it wouldn't work anyways, and that's not what I'm asking about ), because they noticed it'd been a while since you Amtraked. My question is: how long had it been since you last traveled until they targeted you? I suspect I may be similarly targeted a while after my Amtraking abruptly stops in July (see above). I hope it's during Gathering time...I could stack it and the inevitable fall promo (similar to 90808) and get quadruple or quintuple points.

In my experience, it seems to happen after 3 months or so after your last ride.

 

[chuljin]

I don't think that agent knew what was going on. It is 500 bonus points for Acela in addition to the 500 for BC or 750 for FC. Then on "all other Amtrak trains" 100 for coach, 200 for BC, and 400 for FC.

I bought Sunset Limited tickets a long time ago and if I cancel and rebook, it is less than three days so I would have penalties plus the fare has doubled. Will I get my points still?

If your new fare, after rebooking, is double what your original fare was, I think you will get more than just 100 more points as a bonus. You will double your actual (non-bonus) points due to the much higher fare you will need to pay, no?

Perhaps not, I think...the way I read the promo, it is not (in contrast to previous promos), a multiplication (x2, x3, x5) but a simple addition (+100, +200, +400).

So your coach ticket that costs $27 will get 100+100 (making it appear to be a doubling, but only coincidentally)

But your coach ticket that costs $53 will get 106+100 (not 106+106)

Your business ticket that costs $27 will get 100+200 (making it appear to be a tripling)

But your business ticket that costs $53 will get 106+200 (not 106+212)

And so on.

And since AGR have confirmed that sleepers are not considered first class for the purposes of this promotion, that leaves only Acela.

Your business ticket that costs $85 will get 170+200 (not 170+340) (or, for special city pair, 500+200, not 500+1000)

Your first ticket that costs $190 will get 380+400 (not 380+1520) (or, for special city pair, 750+400, not 750+3000).

[bJG]Clear as mud?[/bJG]

 

[chuljin]

It's a nice last hurrah and/or parting gift before we move:

Where you moving to?

Phoenix. So no more Amtrak for me, at least not frequent and convenient Amtrak. No Select Plus after February 2011...perhaps I'll soft-land to Select. But it's all good...a super-inexpensive house.

And I'll be there to witness first-hand the creation of Phoenix commuter rail to/from the west, northwest, and southeast suburbs, and of course Amtrak Arizona with its flagship (only?) route, the Desert Sandliner® between Flagstaff and Tucson.

 

[Ispolkom]

I have a question about such promos: I assume you were targeted with a promo code starting with 470 (don't put it here, it wouldn't work anyways, and that's not what I'm asking about ), because they noticed it'd been a while since you Amtraked. My question is: how long had it been since you last traveled until they targeted you? I suspect I may be similarly targeted a while after my Amtraking abruptly stops in July (see above). I hope it's during Gathering time...I could stack it and the inevitable fall promo (similar to 90808) and get quadruple or quintuple points.

In my experience, it seems to happen after 3 months or so after your last ride.

Four months, in my case. We had last traveled at Christmas time, and both my wife and I got the offer at the beginning of May. Our promo is good 5/10-8/10.

The promo must be keyed off of railpoint activity, as we got the promotion with half a dozen paid-up trips for the rest of the year, starting ten days after the promo started.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I don't think that agent knew what was going on. It is 500 bonus points for Acela in addition to the 500 for BC or 750 for FC. Then on "all other Amtrak trains" 100 for coach, 200 for BC, and 400 for FC.

She made it clear there was no bonus for sleeper travel...

 

[AAARGH!]

FYI: You can sign up via the AGR website also.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Perhaps not, I think...the way I read the promo, it is not (in contrast to previous promos), a multiplication (x2, x3, x5) but a simple addition (+100, +200, +400).So your coach ticket that costs $27 will get 100+100 (making it appear to be a doubling, but only coincidentally)

But your coach ticket that costs $53 will get 106+100 (not 106+106)

Your business ticket that costs $27 will get 100+200 (making it appear to be a tripling)

But your business ticket that costs $53 will get 106+200 (not 106+212)

And so on.

Since the Sunset Limited is a long distance train, would not its typical fare be more than $27 ?

Possibly re-asking Tony's question, if one had a lowest bucket ticket on the SL, and changed it to a highest bucket ticket (possibly a dumb move, but that's the example), could the difference for that alone, be at least 100 points?

 

[chuljin]

Perhaps not, I think...the way I read the promo, it is not (in contrast to previous promos), a multiplication (x2, x3, x5) but a simple addition (+100, +200, +400).So your coach ticket that costs $27 will get 100+100 (making it appear to be a doubling, but only coincidentally)

But your coach ticket that costs $53 will get 106+100 (not 106+106)

Your business ticket that costs $27 will get 100+200 (making it appear to be a tripling)

But your business ticket that costs $53 will get 106+200 (not 106+212)

And so on.

Since the Sunset Limited is a long distance train, would not its typical fare be more than $27 ?

Possibly re-asking Tony's question, if one had a lowest bucket ticket on the SL, and changed it to a highest bucket ticket (possibly a dumb move, but that's the example), could the difference for that alone, be at least 100 points?

1. It is.

2. It could. So you would indeed get many more base points. I just priced tomorrow's #2, LAX-NOL, and it is $167. Given that it's only a day away, I'm guessing that's highest bucket, but I could be wrong. You'd get many more base points (334 in this case), but still only 100 for the bonus. It's adding 100, not multiplying 2.

The most expensive single-segment terminus-to-terminus LD trip I could conjure manually (without writing a program) is tomorrow's (south)west bound Southwest Chief, at $281 for coach. You'd get 562 points for that, but still just the 100 bonus points.

 

[AlanB]

2. It could. So you would indeed get many more base points. I just priced tomorrow's #2, LAX-NOL, and it is $167. Given that it's only a day away, I'm guessing that's highest bucket, but I could be wrong.

High bucket is $261 for LAX-NOL.

I'm guessing, but based upon the range, I'd say that $167 is only the second bucket; as low bucket is $133.

 

[the_traveler]

I don't think that agent knew what was going on. It is 500 bonus points for Acela in addition to the 500 for BC or 750 for FC. Then on "all other Amtrak trains" 100 for coach, 200 for BC, and 400 for FC.

She made it clear there was no bonus for sleeper travel...

I think that she didn't know what she was talking about!

But then again, a sleeper fare is a combination of:

1. the rail fare (coach fare)
   PLUS
   
2. the accomodation charge
   

So maybe it's the 100 bonus points. I don't know.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I don't think that agent knew what was going on. It is 500 bonus points for Acela in addition to the 500 for BC or 750 for FC. Then on "all other Amtrak trains" 100 for coach, 200 for BC, and 400 for FC.

She made it clear there was no bonus for sleeper travel...

I think that she didn't know what she was talking about!

But then again, a sleeper fare is a combination of:

1. the rail fare (coach fare)
   PLUS
   
2. the accomodation charge
   

So maybe it's the 100 bonus points. I don't know.

Yeah I plan on calling again tomorrow to see because to me it just doesn't feel right that if you book a sleeper you get nothing. Its the most expensive way to travel on Amtrak (yes, I know high bucket Acela First Class Seat might be even but you get what I mean) and all you get from this promotion is a poke in the eye? ....

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Still, 100 points for a sleeper is almost insulting and 100% wrong.

 

[printman2000]

It's a nice last hurrah and/or parting gift before we move:

Where you moving to?

Phoenix. So no more Amtrak for me, at least not frequent and convenient Amtrak. No Select Plus after February 2011...perhaps I'll soft-land to Select. But it's all good...a super-inexpensive house.

And I'll be there to witness first-hand the creation of Phoenix commuter rail to/from the west, northwest, and southeast suburbs, and of course Amtrak Arizona with its flagship (only?) route, the Desert Sandliner® between Flagstaff and Tucson.

Well, welcome to my world! Closest Amtrak service I have is four hours away.

Good luck with your move, Chris!

 

[Ispolkom]

Still, 100 points for a sleeper is almost insulting and 100% wrong.

Looking at this promotion, it seems to be strictly aimed at the NEC, and maybe Amtrak California. Other routes and sleepers are simply an afterthought. And here's the reason why: it's summer, high season for long-distance trains. Amtrak doesn't have to increase interest in sleepers on long-distance trains this time of year. It does want to increase ridership on its NEC trains, though. Makes sense to me. Note that the promotion is specifically aimed at business and first class travelers -- coach passengers on short run trains get fewer bonus miles than they would in a regular triple-mile promo.

And it, along with the Wyndham Rewards promo, have made me plan an August trip to Milwaukee that I would not otherwise have made.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Alright I had some free time right now at my lunch here and I called Amtrak Guest Rewards back to ask the same question i posed yesterday about sleeper bonus points under this promotion I talked to another agent and she put me on hold and talked to her supervisor. She came back and said this question hasn't been asked yet (unture I called yesterday) and that they would call me back when they figured it out. She said "were going to learn along with you"

So its back up in the air I will let you guys know what happens. This is pretty crazy IMHO.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Well of course its aimed at the NEC, almost ALL of Amtrak's promotions are aimed there. NEC traffic doesn't die down because everybody decides to take LD trains, NEC traffic is down in general because of a sagging economy.

And its good to know that they haven't a clue what to do about the sleepers.

By the way... the Spring promo triple points... has anybody actually got those credited yet?

 

[Kim]

Sorry, about the last post. I'm new to the forum. Anyway, everyone on here is saying that the 400 bonus points for First Class is for Acela. The email I received about this promotion says that Acela gets 500 bonus points and on all OTHER TRAVEL first class gets 400 points. I realize Acela is the only train with First Class so they are not making sense with this it seems. Here is the quote from the Amtrak email I received about the promotion:

Power trip.

Enjoy the comfort and superior service that Acela® travel has to offer and earn an additional 500 Amtrak Guest Rewards® bonus points for each trip. Plus, on all other Amtrak® travel, earn 100 bonus points for Coach class, 200 bonus points for Business class, and 400 bonus points for First class trips.

 

[Steve4031]

Quite honestly, if there is no bonus for sleeper travel, I would be really ticked off. I bought 1500 dollars worth of sleeper tickets, and I travel in sleepers in almost exclusively. Airlines give a bonus for extra fare travel, why not Amtrak. This might be the straw that causes me to cancel my AGR membership, or send a letter threatening to.

I agree with the bonus for bc, and wish that just became a regular policy because I use bc when I travel on midwest corridor trains.

 

[the_traveler]

This might be the straw that causes me to cancel my AGR membership

Why would it cause you to cancel your AGR membership, but still travel by Amtrak? :huh: That's like saying I'm still going to eat at McD's, but I am only paying with cash! Or I'm still going to drive, but when I get to the station, I'm going to go inside to pay the cashier (but not buy anything else), instead of paying at the pump! Or I'm going to fly United Airlines, but I'm not going to collect any Mileage Plus (or any other frequent flyer) miles anymore!

 

[Steve4031]

They don't know that!!

 

[printman2000]

They don't know that!!

You do. And you would be the one hurt by your cancellation, not them.

 

[Ispolkom]

And its good to know that they haven't a clue what to do about the sleepers.

For which I am grateful. Look at the rates: a 2-zone coach award is 8k points, while half of a roomette is only 10k. Even on a straightforward trip (no Traveler-like dodges) like MSP-WAS, the extra 25% is easily made up in 5 meals, privacy, flat beds, the Metropolitan Lounge, drinking your own private stock. If you can be more creative, the rewards increase.

Given the devaluations I see in other rewards programs (my favorite quote: "Delta Skymiles are devaluating faster than the Zimbabwean dollar."), I'm happy to enjoy benign neglect.

But I'll bet that sleepers are in the end considered first class. Whoever designed the promo probably forgot about them.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

But I'll bet that sleepers are in the end considered first class. Whoever designed the promo probably forgot about them.

Same here I just wanted things to be clear! just a little clarity goes a long way! When that supervisor calls me back I better get some bonus points for bring it up :lol: :lol: