Tickets missing on My Trips (both website and app)

[SNJRider]

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I have several dozen tickets purchased for the next 12 months and have email confirmations on all of them. However, some trips (80%) show on the website and some trips (a different 70%) show on the app. On the app, I'm able to manually add individual trips to the timeline by looking up the reservation. However, doing the same method on the website, via Modify Trip, doesn't add them to my trip timeline. A few questions about Amtrak's software:

1. Is there a reason why some trips aren't appearing on my Amtrak account? They were not purchased with vouchers nor done with trip changes. All were bought via credit card through the website or app.

2. Is there a way to reconcile the website with the app? I don't mind manually adding in the missing trips in the app if it ends up showing up on the website. The main reason is because I want to populate my AwardWallet Trips. Emailing the trip to AwardWallet only adds it to my Trips temporarily. Later, when AwardWallet updates the Amtrak account, AW deletes any Amtrak trip that isn't on the Amtrak system, even the ones I just sent them.

Thank you all in advance.

Edit: I've only started riding Amtrak heavily since the pandemic so don't know everyone's previous experience. Are these sorts of IT problems just expected from Amtrak and I need to find my own workarounds? Googling and asking on other forums hasn't yielded any clues.

 

[n3rdg1rl]

If it plugs into something and deals with Amtrak, it's probably not going to work as it should. Put them into the app manually. If a QR code shows up, you're fine. If it doesn't, your seats may have been cancelled and you need to call customer service.

 

[trimetbusfan]

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I have several dozen tickets purchased for the next 12 months and have email confirmations on all of them. However, some trips (80%) show on the website and some trips (a different 70%) show on the app. On the app, I'm able to manually add individual trips to the timeline by looking up the reservation. However, doing the same method on the website, via Modify Trip, doesn't add them to my trip timeline. A few questions about Amtrak's software:

1. Is there a reason why some trips aren't appearing on my Amtrak account? They were not purchased with vouchers nor done with trip changes. All were bought via credit card through the website or app.

2. Is there a way to reconcile the website with the app? I don't mind manually adding in the missing trips in the app if it ends up showing up on the website. The main reason is because I want to populate my AwardWallet Trips. Emailing the trip to AwardWallet only adds it to my Trips temporarily. Later, when AwardWallet updates the Amtrak account, AW deletes any Amtrak trip that isn't on the Amtrak system, even the ones I just sent them.

Thank you all in advance.

Is your guest rewards number on all of your tickets?

 

[SNJRider]

If it plugs into something and deals with Amtrak, it's probably not going to work as it should. Put them into the app manually. If a QR code shows up, you're fine. If it doesn't, your seats may have been cancelled and you need to call customer service.

I've manually added the tickets to the app but the app doesn't push the data to the website. And therefore it doesn't populate my calendar. Based on your first sentence (haha), these are normal Amtrak IT quirks?

 

[SNJRider]

Is your guest rewards number on all of your tickets?

Yes, AGR is on all the missing tickets. And the iOS app, Android app, and website all list different reservations under My Trips (some overlapping, some exclusive to the app/website). It's as if I'm booking tickets through three different airlines.

 

[trimetbusfan]

Yes, AGR is on all the missing tickets. And the iOS app, Android app, and website all list different reservations under My Trips (some overlapping, some exclusive to the app/website). It's as if I'm booking tickets through three different airlines.

As long as you know all your info is correct I woudln’t worry too much. I’ve had perfectly valid reservations not show up on the Amtrak app either.

Btw, once you ‘add’ a reservation to the app it should stay there until you sign out or delete the app.

 

[n3rdg1rl]

Based on your first sentence (haha), these are normal Amtrak IT quirks?

I feel like they hired their IT department in 71 and haven't made any hires since. The amount of issues they have is really astonishing.

 

[zephyr17]

I feel like they hired their IT department in 71 and haven't made any hires since. The amount of issues they have is really astonishing.

The 70s guys kept Arrow running reasonably smoothly, since Amtrak has been unwilling to invest in a new core system. Their absence now is part of the problem.

The current IT staff appears wholly incompetent. Especially their web guys who built the new AJAX style UI and completely screwed it up

 

[20th Century Rider]

Always have them email you your ticket and store it in a folder.

As things become more advanced and more virtual... things tend to become more lost!

 

[freejak]

The 70s guys kept Arrow running reasonably smoothly, since Amtrak has been unwilling to invest in a new core system. Their absence now is part of the problem.

The current IT staff appears wholly incompetent. Especially their web guys who built the new AJAX style UI and completely screwed it up

Ditto zephyr! If Amtrak had a bunch of 70's Data Processing, er, IT staff their stuff would work.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

No one ever scanned my ticket on 48 (8/13) boarding in Toledo. Maybe because I was in a sleeper? Or, maybe because it was a round-trip ticket that was scanned on 49 (8/3) boarding in NYP?

 

[Bob Dylan]

No one ever scanned my ticket on 48 (8/13) boarding in Toledo. Maybe because I was in a sleeper? Or, maybe because it was a round-trip ticket that was scanned on 49 (8/3) boarding in NYP?

The Conductor probably did a "Mass Lift" when you boarded, they often do this on busy Trains.

 

[SNJRider]

Always have them email you your ticket and store it in a folder.

As things become more advanced and more virtual... things tend to become more lost!

I think I have it sorted pretty well on my end (separate folder, printed the tickets out) but it would be nice to have it populate to my Google/Apple calendar.

 

[SNJRider]

As long as you know all your info is correct I woudln’t worry too much. I’ve had perfectly valid reservations not show up on the Amtrak app either.

Btw, once you ‘add’ a reservation to the app it should stay there until you sign out or delete the app.

I'm curious about the app. Do you think the reservations that I manually add to the app are stored locally on the phone? So if I were to clear the data or cache they would disappear? I would do a test run but I've added 20+ trips manually and don't want to start over if it all gets deleted.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I feel like they hired their IT department in 71 and haven't made any hires since. The amount of issues they have is really astonishing.

As much as I used to joke about the relatively limited functionality of the Boardman era website it was much more reliable than this obnoxious Pinterest monstrosity. Newer is not always better.

As things become more advanced and more virtual... things tend to become more lost!

I've had good luck using Apple Wallet but if my phone died I'm not setup to replace that functionality. I'm not down with daily watch charging and the iPad does not function as a digital wallet.

 

[Arctifox]

I'm curious about the app. Do you think the reservations that I manually add to the app are stored locally on the phone? So if I were to clear the data or cache they would disappear? I would do a test run but I've added 20+ trips manually and don't want to start over if it all gets deleted.

Not sure about Android, but on iOS devices you can add reservations to your "Wallet", and if you do that then they are on your phone (and not just in the Amtrak app) and should remain there even if the Amtrak app "forgets" them or even if you delete it, the same should apply if you open the reservation and add it to your calendar.

One thought about the cause of this issue: Are you sure you were logged in every time you booked the tickets? I noticed that once when I booked multiple tickets, the Amtrak web site just logged me out of my account and I almost missed that (I only noticed it because the passenger data was not pre-filled) - but that doesn't explain why you have different reservations shown on the web site than in the App ...

 

[SNJRider]

Not sure about Android, but on iOS devices you can add reservations to your "Wallet", and if you do that then they are on your phone (and not just in the Amtrak app) and should remain there even if the Amtrak app "forgets" them or even if you delete it, the same should apply if you open the reservation and add it to your calendar.

One thought about the cause of this issue: Are you sure you were logged in every time you booked the tickets? I noticed that once when I booked multiple tickets, the Amtrak web site just logged me out of my account and I almost missed that (I only noticed it because the passenger data was not pre-filled) - but that doesn't explain why you have different reservations shown on the web site than in the App ...

I'm logged in there every time. I purchased a ticket via app and two via website last night. The app ticket shows on the app but not on the website. And vice versa. For some reason the app and website are not syncing the trips to each other. I've emailed Amtrak twice but no response.

 

[zephyr17]

The Conductor probably did a "Mass Lift" when you boarded, they often do this on busy Trains.

I wouldn't trust it. Having been the victim of an unscanned ticket messing up a trip (thankfully not an involved multiple day/multiple train sleeper journey), now I'll chase down a conductor/AC if they don't scan my ticket to make sure it is scanned.

 

[tricia]

I wouldn't trust it. Having been the victim of an unscanned ticket messing up a trip (thankfully not an involved multiple day/multiple train sleeper journey), now I'll chase down a conductor/AC if they don't scan my ticket to make sure it is scanned.

If you're in a sleeper, you can also ask the SCA, who'll tell you whether he/she notified the conductor that you boarded.

 

[zephyr17]

If you're in a sleeper, you can also ask the SCA, who'll tell you whether he/she notified the conductor that you boarded.

Happily, it appears they may have stopped that practice. On my November 2021 trip which involved 4 long distance trains across the country, the Empire Builder, the Lake Shore (both directions), the Southwest Chief, and the Coast Starlight, the conductors scanned my ticket directly on all trains. Prior to that trip, on at least half trips since eticketing started, the SCA just told the conductor all present and accounted for and the conductor didn't scan.

I will still chase down the conductor, they are the ones with the device they are the ones that make entries on it. The SCA could tell them, and they might forget to enter it. In fact, on the one time my trip wasn't scanned/entered it was the conductor herself that failed to do it. I got on the southbound Cascades in Business Class at Everett heading to Portland, I was the only Business Class passenger boarding there. The conductor told me what seat I was in, gave me a seat check, and never scanned my ticket. I very rationally assumed that she just checked me off on the manifest on her device, but apparently she forgot to. Shortly after my arrival in Portland, I got a call from Amtrak (thankfully they were proactive then) asking if I took my trip to Portland. I said I had, and they told me my ticket had not been scanned and my return had been cancelled. Happily, they got me back on my return train, but were unable to put me back in Business Class. So it was a fairly minor inconvenience rather than the catastrophe it would have been on a multiple connection sleeper trip. But I have been very mindful of that experience since then. And on every sleeper trip since that time, I have always chased down the conductor even when the SCA told me that they had told them I was onboard.

Trust but verify. If the conductor doesn't scan my ticket, I will find the conductor and have them scan it or verify my presence on their device.