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Home Banking

The Complete Guide To Amtrak Guest Rewards: Earn and Redeem Benefits

Diana Mason by Diana Mason
November 16, 2020 11:20 am CST
in Banking, Credit Cards
0
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If you’re looking for an alternative to flying, Amtrak is a great option. The railway company connects to more than 500 destinations in the United States and Canada, from popular commuter trains to long-haul sleeper routes. Those that travel regularly by train will find plenty of value in Amtrak Guest Rewards, the rail operator’s loyalty program.

See our best credit card bonuses here.

Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get the most out of Amtrak Guest Rewards.

Amtrak Guest Rewards Quick Facts
Personal Credit CardsAmtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard
Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum Mastercard
Business Credit CardsNo business credit cards
Redemption OptionsAmtrak travel
Non-Amtrak travel
Dining
Entertainment
Shopping
Points pooling
Average Point Value$0.025

Amtrak Guest Rewards Elite Status

Amtrak Guest Rewards has three elite status tiers. Qualification is based on how many Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) you earn in one year.

SELECTSELECT PLUSSELECT EXECUTIVE
5,000 TQPs10,000 TQPs20,000 TQPs

The rate in which you earn TQPs depends on the type of ticket you purchase. Regular tickets earn two TQPs for every dollar you spend. Business-class tickets get a 25% bonus, and Acela first-class tickets enjoy a 50% bonus.

And the higher your status, the more perks you get:

PERKSELECTSELECT PLUSSELECT EXECUTIVE
Point bonus on Amtrak travel25%50%100%
One class upgrades244*
Companion couponsNone22
Access to ClubAcela & Metropolitan Lounge2UnlimitedUnlimited
Access to United ClubNoneUnlimitedUnlimited

*Plus one class upgrade for every 3,000 TQPs.

For updated information, click here for our source.


Earning Amtrak Guest Rewards

AMTRAK TRAVELCREDIT CARDSNON-AMTRAK TRAVELSHOPPINGREFER A FRIENDTRANSFER POINTSPURCHASING POINTS

Amtrak Guest Rewards is free to join. Once you have your member number, you can start earning points on Amtrak travel:

Welcome Bonus500 points for your first Amtrak trip within 90 days of joining.
All Tickets2x points
Business-Class Tickets2.5x points (25% bonus)
Acela First-Class Tickets3x points (50% bonus)

Points are credited to your account once you complete your trip.

For updated information, click here for our source.

Amtrak offers two co-branded rewards cards:

WORLD MASTERCARDPLATINUM MASTERCARD
Welcome bonus20,000 points
– spend: $1,000
– time: 90 days
N/A
Bonus value$500$300
Ongoing rewards3x on Amtrak travel
2x on other travel
1x on everything else
2x on Amtrak travel
1x on everything else
Other perks5% rebate Amtrak award travel
Companion coupon
One-class upgrade
Station lounge pass
Fast track to elite status
No foreign transaction fees
10% Food & Beverage Rebate
5% rebate Amtrak award travel
No foreign transaction fees
Annual fee$79$0

Hotel stays. Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points when you stay at Choice Hotels or Wyndham Resorts. Simply make a reservation through RocketMiles or the Amtrak Hotels & Cars portal. For current earning rates, click here.

Car rentals. Earn points for each day you rent a car from Budget, Enterprise or Hertz. For current earning rates, click here.

Cruises. Earn four Amtrak Guest Rewards points for every cruise dollar spent. Plus, enjoy bonus amenities from TravelStore.

Flights. Earn points when you fly United and take Amtrak to connect to or from Newark Liberty International Airport. For earning rates, click here.

Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points when you shop with the following retailers and specialty partners:

PARTNERPOINTS
1800Flowers10x points
Audience Rewards100 points/ticket
NRG10,000 points
Rail PassengersUp to 25,000 points
Samsonite1,000 points + 15% discount
Survey Points Club250 points/first survey
Additional points/survey
Teleflora750 points/bouquet
Vinesse Wines2,000 points/membership
3x points/wine purchases

Amtrak also has an online shopping portal, which offers up to 12x Amtrak Guest Rewards points at select merchants. Popular retailers include Target, Walmart, Home Depot and more.

Earn 500 Amtrak Guest Rewards points for each person you refer to the loyalty program and take a paid Amtrak trip within their first 90 days. Your referral will also receive 500 bonus points.

We don’t recommend converting your points or miles into Amtrak Guest Rewards points, because you’ll usually lose value. But if you’re a few points shy of a free Amtrak trip, you can transfer points from the following loyalty programs:

PROGRAMRATE
Audience Rewards1,000 : 1,000
Choice Privileges32,000 : 5,000
Hertz 600 : 500
Hilton Honors10,000 : 1,500
Wyndham Rewards6,000 : 1,200

Unfortunately, Amtrak does not partner with any of the major transferable rewards programs like Chase Ultimate Rewardsยฎ or American Express Membership Rewardsยฎ.

You can also buy Amtrak Guest Rewards points in increments of 500 at $18.85. In one calendar year, you’re allowed to buy up to 30,000 points. This maximum does not apply to Select Executive members, who don’t have limits on point purchases.


Earning Amtrak Guest Rewards With Transfer from Hilton Honors

While we don’t recommend converting your points or miles into Amtrak Guest Rewards points, if you need to, points from Hilton Honors is a an option.

Here are some co-branded Hilton Honors credit cards that offer generous welcome offers with plenty of points to transfer to Amtrak.

HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS SURPASSยฎ CARDHILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDTHE HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS BUSINESS CARD

HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS SURPASSยฎ CARD

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpassยฎ Card has an offer for 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points when you spend $2,000 within 3 months of account opening. The total 130k bonus points are worth around $780 per our valuation.

Earn 12 points per $1 spent on a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. This chain of hotels consists of over 5,000 locations. Earn 6 points per $1 on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations. All other purchases will earn 3 points per $1.

Other benefits include complimentary Gold Status and a Weekend Night Reward after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.

The card has an annual fee of $95 (See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply).

Card Review

HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The Hilton Honors American Express Card has a welcome bonus offer for 80,000 Hilton Honors Points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Our valuation puts the 80k points at around $480 in value ($0.006 per point).

This Hilton credit card earns 7 Hilton Honors points per $1 spent directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands. U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas station spending earns 5 Hilton Honors points per dollar. All other purchases will earn 3 Hilton Honors points per dollar.

Other features include no foreign transaction fees and free Hilton Honors Silver Status. This card has no annual fee. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.

Card Review

THE HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS BUSINESS CARD

business credit card bonus

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has an offer forย 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Pointsย and a Free Night Rewardย after you $5,000 in purchases within 3 months of Card Membership. We value these 130k points to be worth around $780. Also, earn a Free Night Reward after you spend $10,000 in the first 6 months. Limited time offer ends 12/21/22.

This card earns 12 points per $1 on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. It earns 6 points per $1 on select business purchases:

  • U.S. gas stations
  • Wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers
  • U.S. purchases for shipping
  • U.S. restaurants
  • Flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel
  • Car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies

All other purchases will earn 3 points per $1.

Spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year and you’ll earn a Weekend Night Reward. Earn another Weekend Night after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year. You’ll also get free Hilton Honors Gold Status with this card.

There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.

Card Review


Redeeming Amtrak Guest Rewards

AMTRAK TRAVELNON-AMTRAK TRAVELDININGENTERTAINMENTSHOPPINGPOINTS POOLING

Amtrak does not use a fixed award chart. Instead, point pricing is related to the cash cost of the ticket. To get the best value for your points, use them for trips when the cheapest (Saver Fare) tickets are sold out. Other factors include type of train, class of ticket and departure times.

Redemptions start as low as 800 points, but most Amtrak trips and trip upgrades begin at around 5,000 points.

Use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points for other travel services. Partners include:

PARTNERRATE
Best Western6,000 points = $50 travel card
Budget10,000 points = $100 gift card
Celebrity Cruises10,000 points = $100 gift card
Choice Privileges5,000 points = 15,000 Choice Privileges points
Disney10,000 points = $100 gift card
Fairmont12,000 points = $100 gift card
Hilton10,000 points = 10,000 Hilton points

Use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points for gift cards from the following restaurant partners:

PARTNERRATE
Applebee’s6,000 points = $50 gift card
Brinker International6,000 points = $50 gift card
Darden Restaurants6,000 points = $50 gift card
Red Lobster6,000 points = $50 gift card
Outback Steakhouse6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Panera Bread6,000 points = $50 gift card
Ruth’s Chris6,000 points = $50 gift card
Starbucks6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card

Use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points for gift cards from the following entertainment partners:

PARTNERRATE
AMC Theaters6,000 points = $50 gift card
Audience Rewards1,000 points = 1,000 Showpoints
Disney12,000 points = $100 gift card
Regal Entertainment Group6,000 points = $50 gift card
Spa Week6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card

Use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points for gift cards from the following retail partners:

PARTNER RATE
1800Flowers6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
AutoZone10,000 points = $100 gift card
Barnes & Noble6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Bath & Body Works6,000 points = $50 gift card
Bed, Bath & Beyond6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Bloomingdale’s10,000 points = $100 gift card
Burlington10,000 points = $100 gift card
CVS Pharmacy6,000 points = $50 gift card
Disney12,000 points = $100 gift card
GAP6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Kohl’s10,000 points = $100 gift card
L.L. Bean6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Lowe’s6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Macy’s6,000 points = $50 gift card
Nike6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Nordstrom6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
PetSmart6,000 points = $50 gift card
Pottery Barn6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
REI6,000 points = $50 gift card
Saks Fifth Avenue10,000 points = $100 gift card
Staples6,000 points = $50 gift card
TJ Maxx6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Top Golf6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card
Williams Sonoma6,000 points = $50 gift card
10,000 points = $100 gift card

Pooling Amtrak Guest Rewards points will get you (or your friends) rewards faster. You can transfer up to 100,000 points per account in a calendar year.


Amtrak Guest Rewards Tips & Tricks

For the best value, use your points for Amtrak award travel. You’ll get an even better deal if you book “Saver Fares,” the lowest-cost option, or a promotion like “Double Days.”

Families can utilize the 50% discount on paid fares and redemptions for kids ages 2 to 12 when traveling with an adult.


Bottom Line

Amtrak is a great option for short trips up and down the coast. You’ll avoid long airport security lines and all the chaos and headache that goes along with air travel. What’s more, Amtrak Guest Rewards points hold incredible value. Especially if you follow our tips and tricks above.


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Diana Mason

Diana Mason

My passion for travel eventually led me away from the 9 to 5 office life and into the embrace of freelance work. Born in Cali and raised in Philly, I am a creative professional with a delightful knack for words. When I'm not gallivanting across the globe, you can find me writing (of course), teaching yoga, and dreaming of my next big adventure.

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