Why not stopovers on AGR trip?

[Tumbleweed]

What exactly is the reason(s) for not allowing stopovers on an AGR award trip? I don't believe it makes any difference in cost when you purchase a ticket that includes a stopover and I can't see where it would cost Amtrak any more to allow stopovers on an AGR trip.....but then I may be missing something? :help:

 

[Ryan]

You can't purchase a ticket with stopovers either.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Doesn't multi-city allow stopovers?

 

[Ryan]

That just allows you to buy two different tickets at once.

Example:

Booking CHI-WPT on tomorrow's 7, then WPT-SEA on a later train yields a total cost of $576.

Booking straight through CHI-SEA on the same train is only $386 (for this Tuesday, only $297 for next week's train).

You can do the stopover, but you have to pay as if it were 2 separate trips. Just like AGR.

 

[amamba]

You can't purchase a ticket with stopovers either.

Yes you can. You can purchase a ticket BOS - NYP - WAS on the acela with stopover in NYC and pay the through rate of BOS - WAS. You get 500 points for each BC segment and then you can stay in NYC for up to 24 hours.

People talk about doing this on flyertalk all the time for the extra points, they generally just wait an hour in NYC and then take the next available train.

 

[amamba]

That just allows you to buy two different tickets at once.
Example:

Booking CHI-WPT on tomorrow's 7, then WPT-SEA on a later train yields a total cost of $576.

Booking straight through CHI-SEA on the same train is only $386 (for this Tuesday, only $297 for next week's train).

You can do the stopover, but you have to pay as if it were 2 separate trips. Just like AGR.

Go ahead and try it on the acela BOS - WAS in multi-city. I just tested it. Still getting $171 for acela and $76 for the NER with stopovers, which is the same price as the through fare.

I just tried for October 17 to price it out.

 

[amamba]

I believe it only works if the stopover is less than 24 hours. This is presumably the same rule as with AGR.

 

[Ryan]

I'd never noticed that before, that's pretty nice!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Remember AGR has always allowed Stopovers in New Orleans on your own Nickel due to no connections between LD Trains and a few of our members have also gotten to do this in LAX and CHI! The 23.5 Hour Layoiver Policy from AGR should also allow Stopovers when there is no Direct Connection between LD Trains! ( for example, #22 to #7/#27 in CHI )

 

[June the Coach Rider]

What exactly is the reason(s) for not allowing stopovers on an AGR award trip? I don't believe it makes any difference in cost when you purchase a ticket that includes a stopover and I can't see where it would cost Amtrak any more to allow stopovers on an AGR trip.....but then I may be missing something? :help:

The rule on the stop over, is under 24 hours I believe. So unless there is another train leaving the same place in less than 24 hours from when you stop as is the case in the NEC and Acela, the stop over is not available on one trip. I do think that it is available in cities where there is no train leaving until the following day like New Orleans, but I don't know that for sure.

 

[SubwayNut]

Stopovers have to be less than 24 hours to allow through fares and the higher bucket price applies for the whole trip. (but not prices of individual segments). It's how I've earned S+ and I've photographed most of the stations on my website.

Strangely I thought it didn't apply to Acela tickets but it looks like it does (at least now), guess I'll have to add on a NYP-NWK segment to my Acela trip next week for an extra 100 AGR points! since why not? 850 points then (I'll upgrade the BOS-NYP trip) in my quest for S+ next year for $109. BOS-NYP is the same fare as BOS-NWK. It will be fun trying to explain my reasoning to an agent when I upgrade the first trip but not the second.

 

[amamba]

Stopovers have to be less than 24 hours to allow through fares and the higher bucket price applies for the whole trip. (but not prices of individual segments). It's how I've earned S+ and I've photographed most of the stations on my website.
Strangely I thought it didn't apply to Acela tickets but it looks like it does (at least now), guess I'll have to add on a NYP-NWK segment to my Acela trip next week for an extra 100 AGR points! since why not? 850 points then (I'll upgrade the BOS-NYP trip) in my quest for S+ next year for $109. BOS-NYP is the same fare as BOS-NWK. It will be fun trying to explain my reasoning to an agent when I upgrade the first trip but not the second.

Supposedly your upgrade coupons will work on both segments of an acela that you book as multi-ride with a stopover. At least according to the folks on flyertalk, I've never tried. So if you book multi-city BOS - NYP - WAS you should get 1500 points with one upgrade coupon.

 

[Slasharoo]

I just checked a route I will be taking an AGR redemption on next month...Santa Barbara to Milwaukee. $572 CS to EB. Then I checked the multi city in two sections, Santa Barbara to Portland, then two days later Portland to Milwaukee and it was the exact same price. It would be nice if you could split AGR redemptions that way.

 

[SubwayNut]

Wait, I'm going to have First Class on my one upgrade coupon for the 14 minute ride from NYP to NWK? that will make things interesting since I was having a feeling that I will spend the ride trying to find the conductor to make sure my ticket gets scanned for the extra 100 AGR points. (I do NYP to NWK AGR point run adds-on to my Amtrak trips with some frequency since I've learned its a basically free way (I spend a dollar or two more on a couple trips) (well $1.70 for PATH or whatever it deducts from my Smart link card since I buy them 10 at a time) to get an extra 100 AGR points in less than an hour.

I don't need to go to DC although only $171 for 1,500 points before bonuses isn't to shabby. Makes me want to try a BOS-NYP-NWK-MET-WAS trip that I guess would earn 1,700 points. Don't quite have the time though on Wednesday after I return to go down to DC. Well I guess I'll see what happens on this trip and keep that emergency plan in mind in case I'm ever desperate for AGR Points.

MET-WAS is the most southern Acela city pairs for the 7,500 points I think.

 

[Anthony]

no, an upgrade coupon is only valid for a single segment.

 

[jerichowhiskey]

Interesting, I can stop in Philly for a bit and then board a later train to DC doing this.

 

[amamba]

no, an upgrade coupon is only valid for a single segment.

The folks on flyertalk disagree. YMMV. I have never attempted it.

ETA: It might be that some folks are just smooth talkers and have been able to convince phone agents to do this when it is against the rules. I am just reporting what I have read on the other site and am not actually aware of what the rules are regarding this. It is certainly possible its against the rules but that some have done it anyways.

 

[Anthony]

no, an upgrade coupon is only valid for a single segment.

The folks on flyertalk disagree. YMMV. I have never attempted it.

ETA: It might be that some folks are just smooth talkers and have been able to convince phone agents to do this when it is against the rules. I am just reporting what I have read on the other site and am not actually aware of what the rules are regarding this. It is certainly possible its against the rules but that some have done it anyways.

(hmm, I'm being told that my attachment isn't visible - can you see it?)

 

[KayBee]

I see an attachment (coupon_rest.jpg), but get a statement that I do not have permission to view the attachment....

 

[Ryan]

Same here. See, you leave and the place falls apart!

 

[MrFSS]

See it here?

 

[Anthony]

It could be some quirk about my downgraded account.

 

[Ryan]

Can't see Tom's either.

 

[MrFSS]

Can't see Tom's either.

Strange - as I see mine and Anthony's.

Will have to look into this problem.

Can you see this one?

 

[PRR 60]

See it here?

coupon_rest.jpg

Fot those who cannot see it, the coupon says:

Coupon valid for one (1) space-available, one-class upgrade. Valid only from Coach to Business Class, or from Acela Business Class to Acela First Class on a single travel segment or leg.