Reminder: Only Days Left To Transfer Chase Points To Amtrak

I know Amtrak isn't as sexy as Lufthansa (or even Spirit) but it used to be a great mileage redemption opportunity. 4,000 (used to be 3,000) for any one way trip in the Northeast Corridor.

A couple years back my wife and I each got 32,000 points for the Amtrak CC. Just this summer we finally used up our points, basically giving us 3 years of free travel to visit her family in the DC suburbs. (NYC->DC trips usually average $80-100 each way).

Amtrak still represents in my mind the best way to get from NYC to DC or Boston, but sadly their frequent flier program is no longer as exciting.

Remind me -- if we book under the old program, are we permitted date changes after Jan 24th without reticketing? How about origin/destination changes within the same regions? (I'm assuming a change of regions would require reticketing under the new program.)

I transferred 25k UR this weekend & booked a one zone bedroom from San Fran to Denver for July. We have been talking about a train trip, too, so the deadlines forced action. It was all really easy & made me sad it will no longer be available. @Josh, I asked about ticket date changes & she read to me about the program changes but I was not clear & really felt like she wasn't either. I felt like she was saying I would have to make up the difference in points if I made changes. Looking forward to the trip. 🙂

Please clarify for me. Is the one zone, bedroom, total point cost for two people 25k points? Thank you

@JB - That is correct for the one zone bedroom price. Here is the entire redemption chart: https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/redeem

@Michelle - We're probably doing the same route but not sure which direction we're traveling yet.

@Josh - Sounds like you'd get repriced with the new chart if you made the change after Jan 24 based on what Michelle posted.

Thanks for the reminder! Excited for the change... as someone who exclusively travels between DC and NYC - this is great. Tickets are routinely $49-89 a week or two out so this brings down the # of points needed significantly.

Please clarify -- Is the 25K one way or round-trip? If it's one way, are you flying back to your departure point? We live in L.A. and looking at the Amtrak map for the Western Zone I'm thinking I may try to maximize the distance traveled, so maybe we could travel all the way up to Montana next summer and still staying within a single zone. However, getting back home may be tricky if the 25K price is only one-way...

@Laura - 25k is the one-way price. We plan on incorporating flights to and from the train into our trip.

If you really want the most bang for your buck check out the one way trip from GPK (Glacier Park) to DEN (Denver, CO). You're talking $4k+ value for 25k points! But you have to be okay with the idea that the train adventure is the or as much of the purpose than the destination.

My wife and I did this with our 5 and 7 year old this past summer and they had a blast. The girls felt like they were on a great "adventure" with the Amtrak bunks. The family rooms had more than enough space, meals included and included day stops in Portland and Sacramento (5-6 hour layovers perfect for a quick look around). Two days in Glacier on the front and two days in Denver on the back end.

Hands down one of the best (affordable + memorable) week long vacations we've ever had. I'd do it again, but they're hungry for something different so I cashed in one more trip and this summer we'll visit some family in El Paso and take two separate night trains with layovers in LA and Seattle before ending up for a week in Vancouver, BC.

Happy Travels!