Points and miles are usually discussed almost exclusively with regards
to paying for airfare and hotels. But for domestic travelers living somewhere
along an Amtrak train line, Amtrak’s rewards program is arguably one of the
best bangs for your buck around.
The Basics of Amtrak Rewards
Amtrak Rewards are set up somewhat like a distance-based mileage
program. They split the U.S. (and a bit of Canada) into zones. All travel
within one zone is a certain price. Travel from one zone to another is also a
set price.
The Good
- There’s no cost to booking last-minute
- As long as there is a seat for sale, you
can buy it with your points
- Points prices are really cheap
The Bad
- Holiday blackout dates
- Short trips between zones can be costly
- Can’t start your trip on an Acela train
before 9am or between 2pm and 6pm (you can still start non-Acela train
trips during these times)
Prices
Here is a link
to Amtrak’s zone map and prices for each zone. Here are some sample trips:
New York to Boston
4,000 points
DC to Boston
4,000 points
DC to Montreal
4,000 points
Montreal to Miami
5,500 points
Chicago to Saint Louis
5,500 points
Chicago to Dallas
5,500 points
Seattle to LA
5,500 points
You get the idea. North-South travel is incredibly inexpensive because
the three zones run North-South across the country. You can also pay more money
for Acela travel in business class instead of regional coach class, or for a roomette or bedroom if you’re
traveling for long periods of time. A Boston to Miami trip would take about 36
hours, not necessarily an amount of time you’d want to be without a bed.
How to Earn
Traveling
Every dollar you spend with Amtrak earns you 2 points. Definitely not
the most lucrative way to earn points, but this is true for pretty much any
loyalty program.
Credit Cards
Chase currently has a few credit cards that offer the option of Amtrak
Rewards.
Chase Amtrak Guest Rewards card
12,000 points after $500 spend in 3 months
1 point per dollar spent (2 on Amtrak)
No annual fee
Even though this card is specifically for Amtrak, it is not the best
way to earn Amtrak Rewards because there are better signup bonuses available in
other programs that transfer to Amtrak.
Chase Sapphire Preferred card
40,000 points after $3,000 spend in 3 months
1 point per dollar spent (2 on travel and dining)
No annual fee first year ($95 after)
Chase Ink Bold Business card
50,000 points after $5,000 spend in 3 months
1 point per dollar spent (5 on office supplies and other categories)
No annual fee first year ($95 after)
These two cards earn Ultimate Rewards points, which can be used to
purchase travel at 1.25 cents apiece, or can be transferred to a number of
travel partners such as airlines, hotels, and Amtrak at a 1:1 ratio. One
benefit to these cards is that they have a higher signup bonus than Amtrak,
meaning you earn more points that can be used on Amtrak. The other benefit is
that these points have flexibility in case you want to use them for other types
of travel besides the train.
Wenneker Stamp of Approval? Yes
Overall this is a fantastic program with some amazing redemption
options. I’d rather spend 4,000 points to travel to New York than spend $150 on
a train ticket or ride the bus. And Penn Station is actually in Manhattan,
making train travel much more enticing than air. Be careful of the blackout
dates, but other than those I give this program a hearty stamp of approval.
Credit Card Application Links
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