Maximize your money on Amtrak train travel
Welcome! If you're new here, you may want to check out my about page to find out why I started this blog, and if you like what you see, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The subject of Amtrak came up recently in a discussion with a friend about traveling over the summer. Having spent some time on the East Coast, I have come to appreciate how useful Amtrak can be for traveling in certain situations. That being said, Amtrak is certainly not always a cheap option. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to mitigate the cost.
Book Early
Simple rule: the later the book, the greater the risk of a more expensive ticket. Amtrak ticket prices go up as seats fill up.
Discounts, Discounts, Discounts
One of the amazing things about Amtrak is that there are virtually always discount codes out there that can save money. For example, on my last trip to Philadelphia, I used a coupon code that reduced the price of our second and third tickets by 50%. While the discounts are not always that great, in my experience I have almost always been able to save at least 10% on tickets.
These discount codes are given out to various audiences around the United States, but there are several places on the internet that pull together these discounts. They often are restricted to certain track lines, seasons, or number of passengers — so sometimes it takes a few tries to find one that works. Two important caveats: first, these discount codes can in theory make it difficult or impossible to cancel and get a full refund (I have successfully refunded tickets purchased with discount codes in the past, but some codes may prohibit it — your mileage may vary). Second, while you should not run into any problems picking up the tickets at a ticket counter, I would recommend using the QuickTrak machine to avoid any questions about the discount.
I recommend checking the list of 2008 Amtrak discounts kept on the FlyerTalk forums. Otherwise, doing a Google search for “Amtrak discounts” will usually yield useful results.
Student Advantage Card (http://www.studentadvantage.com/discountcard/)
I should also briefly mention the Student Advantage Card, which offers a flat and consistent 15% off all Amtrak travel for travel booked at least three days in advance; the card, however, costs $20 to purchase for a year, and so if you use it only for Amtrak travel, you would have to spend in the neighborhood of at least $150 a year to start seeing savings. The card does, however, have several other useful discounts, including Greyhound bus travel, so it may be worth it depending on your situation. Note that no other coupons can be used in addition to the Student Advantage discount on Amtrak.
Shorter Is Not Always Cheaper
Conventional wisdom might suggest that booking a shorter ticket would cost less, but on Amtrak this is not always the case. On a recent trip, for example, a ticket from Philadelphia to New York was several dollars cheaper than my intended trip of Philadelphia to Newark, despite the fact New York is further along the line. What did I do? I bought the longer ticket and just got off earlier, pocketing the few dollars saved.
When booking, take a moment to compare prices with a few of the neighboring cities, especially if there is a large city nearby, and see if you can save a few dollars. Three reminders:
- No one will care or notice if you get off a train early, however, the conductor might have an issue with you getting on at a later stop (although you’ll likely to not run into trouble)
- Getting on a train early or getting off a train late (or, in other words, traveling longer than your ticket) is definitely not a good idea and not recommended.
- When trying to take advantage of these sorts of pricing quirks, remember that a round-trip can just as easily be booked as two one-way tickets.
Amtrak Guest Rewards (http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com)
Just as the airlines have frequent flyer programs, Amtrak, too, has a program where you can earn free tickets – the Amtrak Guest Rewards Program. After registering, you earn two points per dollar for each segment traveled on Amtrak; free tickets on Amtrak start at around 3,000 points, but that number varies by the type of ticket you’re trying to earn.
It is probably obvious that for most infrequent travelers – including students – earning a free ticket could take quite a while. Given that the program is free, though, there is virtually no reason not to join, as these programs frequently have ways of earning extra bonus points (for example, for most of this fall, Amtrak offered double points for travel). All you have to do is remember to include your Guest Rewards number when booking.
To sign up, go to http://www.amtrakguestrewards.com. You can receive 500 bonus points if you travel within the first ninety days of registering.
Refunds
Finally, in contrast to airline tickets, Amtrak tickets are in many cases fully refundable, especially when purchased online. For Amtrak, what seems to matter is whether a physical ticket has been printed: if not, and you just have an online reservation, you should be able to get a 100% refund. If a ticket has been printed, you’ll have to deal with a processing fee. For this reason, I would always recommend not having the tickets mailed to you and instead choosing to pick them up at the QuickTrak machines, so that you’ll have the option of a full refund up to the day of travel.
How can this help save you money? Amtrak tickets may go up in price as tickets start to sell out on trains; for this reason, booking early can be key. Amtrak’s generous refund policy should make it more comfortable to book early.
-
Subscribe to Student Scrooge
-
Badges
