Guide to Amtrak Guest Rewards – Forbes Advisors

Traveling on Amtrak trains is the primary way to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards, but they can also be earned through hotel reservations, shopping portals, and paid for with Amtrak co-branded credit cards.

Ride an Amtrak train

The easiest way to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards is to ride Amtrak trains. Members earn 2 points for every dollar spent on Amtrak travel. There is a 25% points bonus on business class tickets and a 50% points bonus on first class tickets.

Refer a friend

Amtrak Guest Rewards will award 500 points for each person you refer to the program when you register and book travel within the first 90 days. Simply enter the email address of the person you want to refer and Amtrak will send an invitation email. 500 miles are issued when you complete paid travel on Amtrak within the first 90 days.

Earn with status miles

All Amtrak passengers enrolled in the program will earn 2 Amtrak Guest Rewards for every dollar spent on Amtrak travel. However, once you reach elite status, you can earn even more.

• member: Earn 2 Amtrak Guest Rewards for every $1 spent.
• select: Earn 25% more Amtrak Guest Rewards for every dollar spent.
• select plus: 50% more Amtrak Guest Rewards for every $1 spent.
• Select Executive: Earn 100% more Amtrak Guest Rewards for every dollar spent.

Earn status with Amtrak Guest Rewards

Amtrak Guest Rewards has four tiers of programs, but before we dive into how to earn status with Amtrak, let’s take a look at what benefits you get at each level.

• member: No benefits other than earning and redeeming points
• select: 25% Points Bonus, 2 Single Class Upgrades, 2 10% Discount Coupons, 2 One-Time Passes to Amtrak Lounges, Priority Call Handling, Exclusive Offers. Additionally, you can purchase unlimited points, share up to 100,000 points, and transfer up to 50,000 points from your account.
• select plus: 50% Points Bonus, 4 One Class Upgrades, 2 Companion Coupons, 2 10% Discount Coupons, Unlimited Access to Amtrak Lounges, Priority Call Handling, Exclusive Offers. You can buy unlimited points, share up to 100,000 points, and transfer up to 50,000 points from your account.
• Select Executive: 100% Points Bonus, 4 1-Class Upgrades, plus 1 for every 3,000 Tier Eligible Points, 2 Companion Coupons, 2 10% Discount Coupons, 1 Auto Train Priority Drop-Off Coupon, Unlimited Access to Amtrak Lounges , priority call handling and exclusive offers. An unlimited amount of Points can be purchased, shared or transferred. Select Executive Members are automatically enrolled in promotions offered by the Program.

Ancillary perks get better and better as you move up the tiers, but the most valuable perk is the bonus multiplier that helps you earn more points faster.

To qualify for Amtrak Guest Rewards status, you must earn Tier Qualification Points (TQPs) by traveling on Amtrak trains each year. The more you travel, the more you earn. But keep in mind that if you travel in Business Class or First Class, you’ll earn it even faster. Earn 25% and 50% faster respectively.

• select: Accomplished by earning 5,000 TQP in a calendar year.
• select plus: Awarded for earning 10,000 TQP in a calendar year.
• Select Executive: Achieved by earning 20,000 TQP in a calendar year.

Traveling on Amtrak trains is the primary way to earn TQP, but if you have an Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard, you earn TQP at a rate of 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 spent on your card can also do.

Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards Through Our Partners

Amtrak partners with several retailers, car rental companies, and hotels, and you can earn rewards through these programs as well.

• Hotel: Earn up to 10,000 points per night when you book a stay at more than 350,000 Amtrak hotels worldwide and expand your point balance even further.
• car rental: When you book a car through Amtrak Rent-A-Car, you can also earn extra points and book a car at more than 29,000 program locations worldwide.

credit card

First Omaha Bank has two Amtrak-affiliated credit cards, one is an entry-level card and the other is a slightly more premium card with an annual fee.

• Amtrak Guest Rewards® Mastercard®*: Earn 2 points for every dollar spent on Amtrak travel (including in-car purchases), 2 points for every dollar spent on meals, and 1 point for every dollar spent anywhere else. There is also a welcome bonus where new cardholders can earn 12,000 bonus points when they make purchases of $1,000 or more for her within her first three billing cycles of account opening.
• Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard®*: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on Amtrak travel (including in-car purchases), 2 points per dollar spent on dining, travel, transportation and rideshares, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases can. There is also a welcome bonus where a new cardholder can earn 20,000 bonus points when he makes a purchase of $1,000 or more within her first three billing cycles of account opening.

Featured Partner Offers

Amtrak Guest Rewards® Mastercard®

Up to 2x reward rate

2 points per dollar spent on Amtrak trips (including onboard sales), 2 points per dollar spent on meals, 1 pointread more

welcome bonus

12,000 bonus points

normal annual interest

27.74% change

credit score

Good to Excellent (700 – 749)

card details

• Earn 12,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 or more within the first 3 billing cycles of account opening
• 2x points per dollar spent on Amtrak trips (including onboard purchases)
• Double points for every $1 spent
• 1x Points For Every $1 Spent Elsewhere
• 20% rebate in the form of statement credit for food and beverage purchases on board

transfer partner

Amtrak is not a transfer partner for major transferable currency programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards, but you can transfer points from other smaller programs and convert them to Amtrak Guest Rewards points. increase.

Not necessarily the best conversion rates, but programs that allow transfers to Amtrak include:

• Viewer benefits: Convert 1,000 Audience Rewards Showpoints to 1,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards
• Choice Hotels: Convert 32,000 Choice Privileges Rewards points to 5,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards

shopping portal

Like some airlines, Amtrak operates its own shopping portal where you can earn points for every purchase you normally make online. The portal redirects to the retailer’s website to track purchases and issue Amtrak Guest Rewards points for every dollar he spends. Shopping portals are a great way to earn extra points by accumulating points on top of what you can do with your credit card.

Purchase Amtrak Guest Benefits

You can buy points on Amtrak. Not usually great value, but can be useful if you need to top up your account before redeeming your points for travel.

Amtrak offers buy points promotions that allow you to earn more points at discounted prices.