I have been away from this forum for quite some time (too much work, not enough time).
I have 146,000 Guest Rewards points that are burning a hole in my pocket.
I want to take my family of 4 from FTW to CHI this summer. Can I:
- Use my Guest Rewards points to book 2 roundtrip sleepers?
- Can I book the trip now (while sleepers are still available) for travel in July?
- Does the room cost 20,000 points per person? Point requirements according to the Guest Rewards program:
Roomette/Accessible Bedroom 15,000 Bedroom 20,000 Reserved Coach 5,500 Business Class 6,500
So is the total required:
20,000 points X 2 people X 2 rooms X 2 trips = 160,000 points?
Or
{(20,000 points X 2 rooms) + (5,500 points X 2 people)} x 2 trips = 102,000 points?
Is there a catch or can I really take my family on this trip for free?
Do you have any tips or things to watch out for?
Thanks,
Mark
Mike Smith Member # 447
posted
If you booked 2 bedrooms between FTW & CHI for your family, you would burn 80,000 guest reward points.
The 20,000 gets you the bedroom and 2 or 3 passenger fares one way to CHI.
As an FYI, bedrooms D & E or B & C can be combined into one large room.
Bob from MA Member # 4686
posted
Yes, you can and should book now for a July trip. As Mike said, the 20,000 is for the room and includes the fares of passengers that ride in it.
You have to book the trip through the Guest Rewards department and not at the regular reservations number. They can answer any questions that you have.
Recently I did a trip of 3 regions, but only had enough points for two. I had to book one part through Guest Rewards and the other part through regular reservations.
I also found that I could not combine my guest rewards points with those of my wife for a given trip, even though she was going with me.
The information on combining bedrooms is good advice. Just avoid bedroom A which is somewhat smaller.
mho357 Member # 1204
posted
Thanks to all for your help. I'm now in the process of working out the details. It has been 4 and 1/2 years since I have ridden the rails (in the US, anyway).
posted