Upgrade Coupon on a Points Booking?

[D E K E R]

Hi guys,


Just called AGR to an apply upgrade coupon to a trip I'm taking tomorrow. Rep told me it could not be applied to a points booking. Is that actually the case? Maybe I haven't looked too closely at the terms on those, but I thought the only real thing to be aware of was to call in 12 or 24 hours prior to travel. No other restrictions from my understanding.

Let me know your thoughts and experiences, thanks.

 

[D E K E R]

Okay, I think I found my answer.......a non-Amtrak site mentions the following rules for upgrade coupons -

• They can only be applied starting at 12 hours prior to departure
• They can be used if there are seats available in the upgraded cabin (but aren’t otherwise capacity restricted as far as I can tell)
• They can be applied in the Amtrak app, online, by calling, or at the station (if space is still available)
• If you cancel your trip the upgrade coupon will not be re-issued
• They’re good for Coach to Business upgrades, or Business to First depending on the train you’re on
• Upgrade may be combined with corporate discount, but is not combinable with any other discount, coupon, or Amtrak Guest Rewards® redemption travel.
• The previous line means they can’t be used to upgrade an award ticket (you’d want to purchase the higher cabin as a reward if you wanted to use points in that case)
• The coupons expire 12 months after being issued
• They’re not valid for sleeper car upgrades
• They’re not valid on the following services: Adirondack®, California Zephyr®, Capitol LimitedSM, City of New Orleans®, Empire Builder®, Keystone Service®, Silver Meteor®, Silver Star®, Southwest Chief®, Sunset Limited®, Texas Eagle® and train/Thruway series 7000-8999

 

[jis]

The last bullet I think is trying to say in a maladroit fashion that they are not valid on trains (and buses) where there is no valid accommodation to upgrade to

 

[D E K E R]

Understood, that does make sense. Too bad I can't apply a coupon to a points booking though, the upgrade cost in points was almost exactly double to go from coach to business class.

 

[daybeers]

Can't get a free upgrade on top of a free travel redemption.