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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.
| Personal Credit Cards | Amtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum Mastercard |
| Business Credit Cards | No business credit cards |
| Redemption Options | Amtrak 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.
| SELECT | SELECT PLUS | SELECT EXECUTIVE |
| 5,000 TQPs | 10,000 TQPs | 20,000 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:
| PERK | SELECT | SELECT PLUS | SELECT EXECUTIVE |
| Point bonus on Amtrak travel | 25% | 50% | 100% |
| One class upgrades | 2 | 4 | 4* |
| Companion coupons | None | 2 | 2 |
| Access to ClubAcela & Metropolitan Lounge | 2 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Access to United Club | None | Unlimited | Unlimited |
*Plus one class upgrade for every 3,000 TQPs.
For updated information, click here for our source.
Earning Amtrak Guest Rewards
Amtrak Guest Rewards is free to join. Once you have your member number, you can start earning points on Amtrak travel:
| Welcome Bonus | 500 points for your first Amtrak trip within 90 days of joining. |
| All Tickets | 2x points |
| Business-Class Tickets | 2.5x points (25% bonus) |
| Acela First-Class Tickets | 3x 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 MASTERCARD | PLATINUM MASTERCARD | |
| Welcome bonus | 20,000 points – spend: $1,000 – time: 90 days | N/A |
| Bonus value | $500 | $300 |
| Ongoing rewards | 3x on Amtrak travel 2x on other travel 1x on everything else | 2x on Amtrak travel 1x on everything else |
| Other perks | 5% 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:
| PARTNER | POINTS |
| 1800Flowers | 10x points |
| Audience Rewards | 100 points/ticket |
| NRG | 10,000 points |
| Rail Passengers | Up to 25,000 points |
| Samsonite | 1,000 points + 15% discount |
| Survey Points Club | 250 points/first survey Additional points/survey |
| Teleflora | 750 points/bouquet |
| Vinesse Wines | 2,000 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:
| PROGRAM | RATE |
| Audience Rewards | 1,000 : 1,000 |
| Choice Privileges | 32,000 : 5,000 |
| Hertz | 600 : 500 |
| Hilton Honors | 10,000 : 1,500 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 6,000 : 1,200 |
Unfortunately, Amtrak does not partner with any of the major transferable rewards programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards® or American Express Membership Rewards®.
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 SURPASS® 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 Surpass® Card has an offer for up to 180,000 Hilton Honors bonus points. You earn 130k points when $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months and another 50k points when you spend $10,000 within the first 6 months. The total 180k bonus points are worth around $1,080 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).
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 an offer for up to 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points. Earn 80k points when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, earn 50k more points when you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months. Our valuation puts the 130k combined points at around $780 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.
THE HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS BUSINESS 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 Business Card has an offer for up to 180,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points. You earn 130,000 points after you spend $2,000 within 3 months of account opening plus 50,000 points after you spend $10,000 within 6 months. We value these combined 180k points to be worth around $1,080.
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.
Redeeming Amtrak Guest Rewards
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:
| PARTNER | RATE |
| Best Western | 6,000 points = $50 travel card |
| Budget | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Celebrity Cruises | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Choice Privileges | 5,000 points = 15,000 Choice Privileges points |
| Disney | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Fairmont | 12,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Hilton | 10,000 points = 10,000 Hilton points |
Use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points for gift cards from the following restaurant partners:
| PARTNER | RATE |
| Applebee’s | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Brinker International | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Darden Restaurants | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Red Lobster | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Outback Steakhouse | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Panera Bread | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Ruth’s Chris | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Starbucks | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
Use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points for gift cards from the following entertainment partners:
| PARTNER | RATE |
| AMC Theaters | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Audience Rewards | 1,000 points = 1,000 Showpoints |
| Disney | 12,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Regal Entertainment Group | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Spa Week | 6,000 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 |
| 1800Flowers | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| AutoZone | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Barnes & Noble | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Bath & Body Works | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Bed, Bath & Beyond | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Bloomingdale’s | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Burlington | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| CVS Pharmacy | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Disney | 12,000 points = $100 gift card |
| GAP | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Kohl’s | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| L.L. Bean | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Lowe’s | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Macy’s | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Nike | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Nordstrom | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| PetSmart | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Pottery Barn | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| REI | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| Saks Fifth Avenue | 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Staples | 6,000 points = $50 gift card |
| TJ Maxx | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Top Golf | 6,000 points = $50 gift card 10,000 points = $100 gift card |
| Williams Sonoma | 6,000 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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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.