I was thinking of transferring some of my Guest Rewards points to my MileagePlus account (which took a big hit booking BusinessFirst FCO-EWR-LAX-SBA for two next Spring) and discovered that that is, apparently, no longer an option. You used to be able to do the switch in either direction.
You can still EARN Guest Rewards point on select Amtrak travel that connects to a United flight at EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport).
Does anyone know when this happened? I must have missed the memo.
Frank in sunny and a tad too warm SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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I never even knew that this was a possibility, as I use both mileage programs (I cashed in my Mileage Plus points to get a new iPad!).
I received an email yesterday from AGR which gave me my current points balance. To my surprise, I have enough points for a two-zone trip in a sleeper! I'm currently trying to figure out where to go....
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Smitty - I never have a problem figuring out 'where' to go..... in fact I usually have a couple or three trip ideas in the back of my mind.
It's managing to find enough time free..... the 'when' to go...... which always seems to hang me up.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I may be mistaken, but I believe the change in terms you are asking about may have happened this past spring when the slightly higher rates for redeeming points for some Amtrak travel went into effect.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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David: The funny thing is, it has been so long since I've used AGR points to travel that I forgot how far a two-zone trips extends. I put a message on my Facebook page asking for suggestions on where I should go. People talked about different places, and I thought to myself, "That's too far---I've only got two zones to use". Then I took a look at the map, and was pleasantly surprised that I had forgotten that I can go all the way to Chicago, Texas, Denver, etc...For some reason, I had in my mind that I had to stay in the Western zone. But now that I've been corrected and know that I can actually do a two night/three day trip in a roomette, I've got some great ideas in mind! There are actually some trips that can be taken where you do THREE zones for a two-zone price, because of how they have to route you east before you can go west. Not sure I'd want to be on Amtrak THAT long, but I'm not looking at some neat possibilities.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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I think the most 2-zone bang for your points is the Texas Eagle CHI->LAX (or the reverse). 3 nights on the train! I think westbound is less prone to. a missed connection, but it is only a 3 day/week departure.
-------------------- My new "default" station (EKH) has no baggage service or QuikTrak machine, but the parking is free! And the NY Central RR Museum is just across the tracks (but not open at Amtrak train times. . ..) Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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For Chicago to LAX, they would probably put you on #3, unless the AGR agent goes along with the trick to extend the trip (they used to do that---do they still accommodate a request like that?).
I forget one that someone told me once, but you start at Point A and you have to go east first because it's the only way to be routed west. You end up getting 4 nights/5 days on 3 or 4 different trains. I forget which city was the starting point though.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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My fantasy one-zone AGR trip would be El Paso to Wolf Point, MT. The Amtrak website puts you on the Sunset to Starlight to Builder only.
But for the opposite direction (WPT>ELP), the Amtrak website says "we cannot find train service matching your request." Of course it IS possible, via either LAX or CHI. But the Starlight to Sunset connection is 1 hour in LAX, vs. 1:05 Starlight to Builder in PDX in the allowed direction. Is that the reason the regular website shows no service WPT>ELP or is it just another Amtrak glitch?
Can you chose to stay overnight at your transfer point on a Guest Rewards trip if your connection is not guaranteed?
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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I believe the answer is yes. We were able to break a trip from Vancouver to Seattle to SBA because there was no guaranteed connection. I believe the rule says you must continue within 24 hours. And, because we were booking in a sleeper SEA-SBA Business Class was included for VCN(?)-SEA.
Frank in sunny and too warm for us SBA.
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Zone trickery - I once went Denver-Chicago-Washington-Atlanta for 15,000 points because Atlanta is on the east/central border.
I'd be interested in trying something similar again using the Cardinal via Charlottesville instead of DC.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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