Buy Amtrak Guest Rewards Points With up to 40% Bonus [Ends December 31]

Updated: December 2, 2024, 2:37am CST

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Promotion Details
Is It Worth It?
Final Thoughts

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In 2024, you’d be hard-pressed to find a company without an award program. Amtrak, though still a staple of many Americans’ travel, isn’t usually high on the list of travel companies we’d consider when thinking of points and miles.

If you’re a frequent patron of Amtrak, signing up for its Guest Rewards program should be a no-brainer. But is it worth it to buy the program’s points outright? Let’s take a closer look at the promotion Amtrak is currently running, which allows you to purchase points with up to a 40% bonus, to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Promotion Details

Amtrak regularly runs promotions allowing you to buy points, but they don’t always make sense. And sadly, this offer isn’t as good as the last sale.

The bonus you’ll receive is tiered based on how many points you buy. Our targeted offer featured:

1,000 to 3,500 points: 15%
4,000 to 11,500 points: 20%
12,000 to 50,000 points: 40% (2.7 cents each)

Here’s the fine print:

The bonus is tiered based on points purchased.
You can purchase points in increments of 500.
To receive any bonus, you must purchase at least 1,000 points.
To receive the maximum bonus, you must purchase at least 12,000 points.
This promotion runs through December 31, 2024.
Purchased points do not affect elite status.
You can purchase a maximum of 50,000 points in a year.
Points expire if you don’t use your membership for 24 months.

Is It Worth It?

The value of points will vary on your specific redemption. However, we found a one-way ticket from New York to Boston in business class for either $73 or 3,300 points.

Amtrak Northeast Regional Business Class Rear — Amtrak Northeast Regional business class. Image Credit: James Larounis

This pegs the value of a point at 2.21 cents each. By maximizing this promotion, you’ll be dropping the purchase price of these points to just 2.7 cents each, so you’re paying more for the points than what you’re getting from them in a redemption.

That means this promotion is best for frequent Amtrak guests who may be short a few points for a great redemption and just need to top off their accounts.

Amtrak sells points through Points.com, meaning this won’t code as a travel purchase on your credit card. Thus, if you decide to purchase points from Amtrak, use your best credit card for everyday spending.

Hot Tip:

If you frequently ride on Amtrak, you may be considering earning elite status. Our guide, “How To Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards Elite Status (And Is It Worth It?),” will help you determine whether it’s worth it.

Final Thoughts

Amtrak’s offer of 40% bonus points is a great tool to get some traction in the world of points and miles, but purchasing points doesn’t always make sense. Before you do, crunch some numbers to see if you’ll be coming out ahead versus just paying cash. If you need to top off your account for a redemption, this could also be a good option.