The Amtrak Guest Rewards program is Amtrak’s loyalty program for riding trains across the U.S.
While many people tend to remember programs associated with airlines, hotels, and car rental programs, Amtrak actually has a somewhat robust loyalty scheme with several elite tiers and ways to earn points.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at the Amtrak Guest Rewards program, how to earn points, how to earn elite status, and how to spend points, allowing you to be better equipped to ride the rails across the country.
How To Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards Points
The primary way to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points is to actually travel on Amtrak trains — and the earning structure is fairly simple to understand. When you earn Amtrak points, you earn both redeemable points (the points you can use to redeem towards free train travel) and tier qualifying points (the points you use to earn elite status) at the same time.
- For every $1 you spend on Amtrak travel, you earn 2 Amtrak Guest Rewards points
- If you travel in business class, you’ll earn a 25% point bonus
- If you travel in Acela first class, you’ll earn a 50% point bonus
Interestingly, if you travel in a sleeper car, you will not earn any point bonus, aside from the 2x points per $1 spent.
Hot Tip: Don’t purchase a sleeper car cabin to earn any points — you won’t earn anything additional for traveling in a room.
In an example Amtrak provides:
- A $100 Amtrak ticket would earn you 200 Amtrak Guest Rewards points, which is 200 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs)
- A $100 business class ticket would earn 2x the TQPs + a 25% point bonus, which is 250 redeemable Amtrak points (which is the same as 250 TQPs)
- A $100 Acela first class ticket would earn 2x the TQPs + a 50% point bonus, which is 300 redeemable points (which is the same as 300 TQPs)
- We’ll talk more about elite status later, but it’s worth noting that when you earn Amtrak points, you’re earning both elite qualifying points and points you can use to redeem towards free items at the same time
Bottom Line: The quickest way to earn Amtrak elite status is to purchase an Acela first class ticket — this earns the most points out of any ticket in the Amtrak system.
Amtrak operates routes across the country, including short-distance services, commuter rail trains, and long-distance journeys. Image Credit: AmtrakAmtrak Guest Rewards Credit Cards
UPDATE: These cards are currently not open to new applicants.
There are 2 versions of credit cards that earn points in the Amtrak Guest Rewards program: the Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® and the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Platinum Mastercard®.
The Amtrak Guest Rewards card comes with these benefits for a $79 annual fee:
- 3x points on Amtrak travel
- 2x points on all other travel
- 1x points on all other purchases
- 20% rebate on onboard food and beverage purchases
- Complimentary companion coupon
- Complimentary 1-class upgrade
- Complimentary station lounge pass
- Ability to earn 1,000 TQPs for every $5,000 spent
- No points expirations
- A 5% rebate on all redeemed Amtrak points when redeemed for Amtrak travel
- No foreign transaction fees
The Amtrak Guest Rewards Platinum card comes with these benefits for no fee:
- 2x points on Amtrak travel
- 1x points earned on all other purchases
- 10% rebate onboard board food and beverage purchases
- No points expiration
- 5% rebate on redeemed Amtrak Guest Rewards points
- No foreign transaction fees
- With either card you choose, you’re earning more Amtrak Guest Rewards points to help you redeem towards free Amtrak travel
How To Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards Elite Status
Amtrak has 3 tiers to its elite status program: Select, Select Plus, and Select Executive, each with different benefits as you progress up the tier ranks.
You can earn each status level as follows:
- Select — 5,000 TQPs ($2,500 in Amtrak spend without bonuses)
- Select Plus — 10,000 TQPs ($5,000 in Amtrak spend without bonuses)
- Select Executive — 20,000 TQPs ($10,000 in Amtrak spend without bonuses)
Having lounge access is one of the most valuable benefits of the upper Amtrak tiers. Image Credit: James LarounisBenefits of Each Amtrak Guest Rewards Elite Status Level
These are the benefits of earning status, according to Amtrak:
| Points Earning | Member up to 4,999 TQPs | Select 5,000 TQPs | Select Plus 10,000 TQPs | Select Executive 20,000 TQPs |
| 2 points per $1 on Amtrak travel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 25% point bonus on business class travel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 25% point bonus on Acela business class travel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 50% point bonus on Acela first class travel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Point-earning offers from our partners | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tier status point bonus on Amtrak travel | __ | 25% | 50% | 100% |
Coupons & Upgrades | Member | Select | Select Plus | Select Executive |
| 1-class upgrades | __ | 2 | 4 | 4, plus 1 with every 3,000 TQPs |
| Companion coupons | __ | __ | 2 | 2 |
| Auto train priority vehicle offloading coupon | __ | __ | __ | 1 |
| 10% discount coupons | __ | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Special Access | Member | Select | Select Plus | Select Executive |
| Access to Amtrak Lounges | __ | 2 single-visit passes | ✔ | ✔ |
| Priority call handling | __ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Exclusive offers | __ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Auto-registration for promotions | __ | __ | __ | ✔ |
Managing Points | Member | Select | Select Plus | Select Executive |
| Buying points | Up to 50,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Sharing points | Up to 100,000 | Up to 100,000 | Up to 100,000 | Unlimited |
| Transferring points from your account | __ | Up to 50,000 | Up to 50,000 | Unlimited |
Bottom Line: For most people, Amtrak Select status is a great status to attain — it comes with discount coupons and upgrade vouchers. Unlike airline status, earning Amtrak status is, in most cases, not something you should spend the money on unless you live within the Northeast Corridor.
Is Amtrak Guest Rewards Elite Status Worth It?
The more points you accumulate, the easier it is to secure a room on a long-distance train. Image Credit: James LarounisIt’s not necessarily worth “chasing” Amtrak status, but certainly if you’re close enough, or travel Amtrak often enough, it can be useful to keep track of your elite qualifying points and aim to earn status. Keep in mind, it’s much easier to earn status on the 2 coasts — within the Northeast Corridor and along the Pacific Surfliner route. Fares here are usually higher, the trips shorter, and the trains much more frequent than either long-distance services or those trains in the Midwest.
The biggest benefits of Amtrak elite status are:
- Tier status point bonuses, which count towards the renewal of status
- The higher you work your way up the Amtrak ranks, the easier it is to earn status in the future
- 1-class upgrades, which allow you to go from coach to business, or business to first class (on the Acela)
- The most valuable use of these coupons is on the Acela, upgrading from business to first class
- Companion coupons, which allow you to take a companion for free
- Use these coupons on especially expensive trains, such as ultra-long-distance rides
- Lounge access or lounge access coupons
- Depending on how much you ride Amtrak and don’t otherwise have access, you’ll find Amtrak lounges a quiet place to wait before your train
Redeeming Amtrak Guest Rewards Points
Amtrak points can be redeemed for a number of non-Amtrak travel-related awards, like travel, dining and entertainment, and retail gift cards, though you’ll likely get the most value when using your points on train tickets.
The most valuable way to redeem Amtrak points is for Amtrak travel itself. Unfortunately, Amtrak uses a variable revenue-based system, tied to the cash cost of the ticket, for determining how many points are required on a journey.
You can use your points on coach class, business class, first class (on Acela), Roomettes, Bedrooms, and other sleeping accommodations, as well as for the Auto Train. When you search for Amtrak tickets online, you’ll see the cash cost of your ticket.
Keep in mind that the number of points you need will vary depending on the train you’re taking, and the time of year. During peak travel times, it will cost you more points to travel because the cash fares on trains are higher. While you may get the cheapest redemption by using your points for coach class seating, consider using your points, where you can, on sleeper accommodations — these are often the most expensive seats on the train and come with the highest price tag, not to mention they are the most comfortable.
Final Thoughts
While Amtrak offers a loyalty program for train travel, it certainly isn’t as robust as airline loyalty programs, offering minimal benefits. It can be hard to earn Amtrak status — with some Amtrak journeys between even close city pairs taking many hours, Amtrak is often thought of as a secondary to air transportation, so you’ll really have to be committed to train travel if you want to work your way up the elite ranks or earn enough points for a free ticket.
If you’re a regular Amtrak commuter or simply prefer watching the country go by as you ride the rails over longer distances, the Amtrak Guest Rewards program can provide some incentive to work towards free Amtrak trips, upgrades, status, and more.
The information regarding the Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® and the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Platinum Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Featured Image Credit:
Amtrak
