7

Jan

Amtrak is offering a free roundtrip trip on a Northeast regional train after two roundtrips or four one-ways on same between January 7, 2010 and March 13, 2010. Registration is required.

Up to 8 free trips can be earned, and will be valid for use between June 1 and August 31.

They’ve basically outlawed straight mileage running for the promo by limiting folks to one qualifying roundtrip per day, and by imposing a minimum qualifying fare of $49 each way.

Finally the terms and conditions also state, “Other terms and conditions apply.” But of course they don’t tell you what those other terms and conditions are. I suspect there really aren’t any, but they’re covering themselves, this is a program with a history of making significant changes without notice — I don’t really trust Amtrak Guest Rewards, but it’s better for there to be a program for the occasional obligatory train trip than for there to be no program at all.

Ultimately this wouldn’t sway me away from flying the route, but if you’re going to take the train anyway you should certainly register.

4 Comments

  1. AS said,

    There is an Acela offer too. 3 RT or 6 OW to get a free RT. Minimum spend of $85 per OW and you can’t use the free ticket to travel peak hours on weekdays (before 9am, or 2-6pm).

    It’s registration code 10710 on the Amtrak Guest Rewards website.

  2. Mark said,

    If you live in the DC area, and even if you don’t, you can take advantage of the Washington Post’s Post Points program. One of their redemption partners is Amtrak Guest Rewards. Get points for subscribing, taking quizzes, and visiting certain merchants. It’s free…www.washingtonpost.com/postpoints

  3. Dan said,

    Of course, unlike with airlines, Amtrak doesn’t check to see if you actually showed up to take the trip. So you could buy four one-way $49 tickets on consecutive days, never use them, and get a free r/t.

  4. Not Dan said,

    I’m pretty sure Dan’s wrong about missed trains. I’ve missed an Amtrak connection before and not only was my ticket canceled, but my card was refunded in full. I had to take the next train out – at the prevailing full rate.

    Besides…spending $196 (assuming you could actually find exactly $49 tickets) on Amtrak for travel you don’t take just to get an award seems pretty pointless. You can travel from BOS all the way to NPN one way for only $90 – that’s the full length of the Northeast Regional line. Why not just book your $180 trip at cost and save yourself $16?

    5. Add A Comment

home | top

View from the Wing is a project of Miles and Points Consulting, LLC. Some links to credit card and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission, and this website has a financial relationship with several credit card issuing banks. All content unless otherwise noted or quoted is the author's own, and not provided or commissioned by any other entity. Opinions have not been reviewed, approved, endorsed, or likely even edited for typos and grammatical errors by any other entity. Occasionally a travel or other product provider may offer a complimentary item, most often that is the source of giveaways, but the author of this blog may also occasionally benefit from the blog's popularity and your travel experiences may differ This site is for entertainment purpose only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

DISCLAIMER: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.