Amtrak Guest Rewards: Points, Tiers, Benefits, and MasterCards Usage

Amtrak Guest Rewards is a loyalty program that helps travelers earn points on their train travel and other purchases, which can be later redeemed for free travel, seat upgrades, and many more benefits. It also features credit cards for earning bonus points to access additional advantages like lounge passes, companion travel coupons, and cost-cutting on Amtrak travel. This membership is free and open to all United States and Canadian citizens. Points buying and sharing are also allowed; they can be shared with other members or transferred to another self-account. Hence, through traveling more, they earn more. 

Overview of the Amtrak Guest Reward Program

The Amtrak Guest Reward Program is designed to provide a motivating gift to frequent commuters. It is important to read the terms and conditions of the scheme for more clarity. 

• All U.S and Canadian people above 13 years old can enroll in this program. 
• They can join this program either by filling out the form on Amtrak’s official website or by calling the passenger service centre. 
• The membership is free, but users are required to provide a unique email id while registering, as only one account per email is allowed. 
• All members will get a distinct membership number for identification during enrollment. 
• To earn points, passengers will have to provide their membership number while making Amtrak reservations and purchasing through other Amtrak program members.
• They will earn 2 points for every $1 spent on Amtrak travel. An additional 25% bonus can be earned on eligible business class travel, and 50% on Acela First Class.
• Passengers can earn only through one train in a single day. 
• If someone is using points to upgrade their tier, then the points will not be allotted on the upgraded seat, but on the original cabin booked.
• It will take 3 weeks for points that are earned through Amtrak train travel to be credited to travelers’ accounts. While Amtrak Thruway 8000-series points will take up to 90 days to reflect in the member’s account.
• Passengers are allowed to cancel or change their rewarded trips if their ticket fare allows. And if they don’t cancel the ticket till the time of departure, a point penalty will be imposed on them. 

• On the Amtrak Mastercard, the points don’t expire as long as the account remains open. 
• The account holder will have to keep his/her account active by earning points and using them within 24 months. 

NOTE:  Members will not be granted any points on Amtrak 7000-series Thruway services and the Canadian portion shared by VIA Rail Canada services. 

How to Enroll in the Amtrak Guest Reward Program?

There are two available methods for enrolling in the Amtrak Guest Reward program: through the official website and by calling the Amtrak customer service department. In both ways, passengers will have to present their personal information to complete the registration. 

Step-by-step procedure for Enrolling Online

1. Visit the website, amtrak.com, or download the app, and log in to the account.
2. Locate to Amtrak Guest Reward page and open the form.
3. Fill the form by entering personal details, such as full name, contact, address, and email ID. 
4. Complete the form and submit. The account will be created, and the traveler will receive his/her unique membership number on the registered email. 

Procedure for Enrolling Through Call

1. Call at 1-800-307-5000 and approach an Amtrak representative. 
2. Inform them about registering for the Amtrak Guest Reward program. 
3. Provide all accurate and correct details to the agent for enrollment. 
4. The agent will notify the traveler when the process is completed, and he will get his membership at his registered email address. 

NOTE: This program is free for everyone to join, and only one account should be created with an email as per the rules of the Amtrak Guest Rewards scheme. 

Ways to Earn Points in Amtrak Guest Rewards

Earning points at the Amtrak Guest Reward program is available in multiple ways, including Amtrak train travel, through retail partners, and using credit cards for purchases. 

Earning Points through Amtrak Train Travel

• Travelers can earn 2 points for each $1 spent on purchasing the ticket. 
• They are entitled to receive a bonus of 25% on all Amtrak business class tickets. 

Earning Points Through Credit Cards

Two credit cards are offered by Amtrak for Guest Rewards: Mastercard and Preferred Mastercard for earning points. Both of these help travelers in gaining points through every purchase they make while traveling with Amtrak, while the key difference is in its bonus points and rebate percentage. 

Difference Between Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard and Preferred Mastercard
Basis	Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard	Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard
Bonus Points	Earn 12,000 bonus points after purchasing things worth $1,000 in the first 3 billing periods.	Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 billing cycles.
Points on Onboard Purchases	3x points: 3 points per $1 spent on the purchases.	2x points: 2 points on every $1 spent on buying things while being on the Amtrak train.
Points on traveling purchases	2x points: 2 points earned on each $1 spent while buying anything.	2 points earned per $1 used in dining.
Rebate Percentage	20% rebate on buying food and drinks.	10% rebate on the purchase of food and beverages.
Additional Benefits	Round-trip companion coupon, one-class upgrade, tier status, 5% point rebate on Amtrak travel, points will remain intact till the account is open, and no international transaction fee.	Points don’t expire, international transaction fees will not be applied while making purchases outside the United States, and 5% rebate on each travel on Amtrak trains.
Fee	No fee	$99 Annual fee

Earning Points through Retail Partners

Travelers are provided with a chance to earn points while purchasing something from Amtrak Retail Partners. By paying on Survey Points Club, Teleflora, NRG Home, and Rail Passenger Association membership, they can earn up to 10,000 points for Amtrak Guest Rewards. 

• Survey Points Club: Users can earn 250 points at the time of registration and more points while completing their first survey. 

• Teleflora: For ordering every bouquet they can earn 750 points. 

• NRG Home: People who has NRG homes as their electricity suppliers can save money on their bills and earn 10,000 points on Amtrak Guest Rewards. 

• Rail Passenger Association membership: It is possible to earn 10,000 points on Guest Rewards for Amtrak and additional discounts on hotels, regional trains, and more. The amount of points earned certainly depends on the membership level of the passenger. 

Amtrak Guest Reward Membership Tiers

Amtrak offers multiple membership tiers to passengers for choosing their level rewards. Basic amenities are provided in all types of tiers, however, theguest rewards amtrakre are some benefits that are only awarded to premium members. 

• General Members: Travelers who earn 4,999 TQP (Tier Qualifying Points) in a one calendar year. No additional bonus will be permitted to general members. 

• Select Members: The level of general member’s tiers increases when their TQP crosses 5,000. Extra 25% bonus points will be granted on Amtrak train travel, irrespective of traveling cabin.

• Select Plus Members: This level can be reached after earning 10,000 TQP in a year. Passengers can earn 50% additional bonus on train travel with Amtrak.

• Select Executive Members: This is the most premium level of Amtrak Guest Rewards. A passenger will reach this level after earning 20,000 TQP, 100% bonus points will be earned on Amtrak Travel.

NOTE: Buying of points are restricted up to 50,000 for general members while for other tier member, it is unlimited. Sharing of points for Select Executive members is unlimited while other tier members are restricted to share their points up to 1,00,000. 

Ways to Redeem Amtrak Guest Rewards

After earning points travelers are required to use them while redeeming them through multiple ways by traveling on Amtrak. They can utilize those points to travel in more than 500 destinations within the United States through upgrading their seats or buying lounge access with those points. 

1. Book train ticket: Seat reservations can be done by combining the guest reward points and cash to get an extra discount and reduce the price of the ticket. 

2. Lounge Access: The Amtrak station lounge passes are available to be bought with guest reward points. Single-visit station lounge passes are for 1500 points per person. 

3. Class Upgrade: One-class upgrades coupon can be bought for 2500 points on Amtrak trains.

4. Uber Rides and UberEats E-gifts: A $25 uber ride and UberEats E-gifts can be earned for 3,000 points. And $50 uber ride and UberEats E-gifts are available for 6,000 points. 

5. Additional Redemptions: Travelers can also redeem these Amtrak guest reward points can be redeemed on hotel bookings, shopping, and dining at the restaurants. It can also used while renting cars, merging it with cash and card values. 

Benefits of Amtrak Guest Rewards

Amtrak being the largest passenger rail company offers only benefits to Guest Reward members as it can be used anywhere, even internationally without applying any extra charges. However, the level of these benefits certainly depends on the tier of their membership. 

1. Earning Points per dollar: Travelers will be able to earn 2 points per $1 spent on each Amtrak travel. 

2. Bonus Points: In every tier of membership passengers get additional bonus points. 25%, 50%, 100% bonus points are provided on Select, Select Plus, and Select Executive tiers respectively. On business class and Acela first class travel, they can earn 25% and 50% additional points. 

3. Lounge Access: It is provided for points to general members while Select ones can get 2 single-visit passes. The remaining members of other tiers will have complimentary access to Amtrak station lounges. 

4. One-class upgrades: Except general tier members, all gets one-class upgrades in some amount, each increasing with the level of tier. 

5. Companion Coupons: 2 companion coupons are offered to Select Plus and Select executive members. 

6. Other Discounts: Amtrak Guest Rewards travelers can use other available discounts as well by combining them with points to reduce the overall cost of the ticket and maximise their benefits, including Amtrak Senior Discount, Military Discount, Shared Fares and others. 

7. Seat Selection: Exclusive offers for seat selection are provided to  Select Plus and Select executive members. 

8. Buying and Sharing points: Travelers can buy extra points and share it with other members of any tier. However, there are some limits of making this purchasing and sharing on all tiers, except Select Executive. 

Final Words

Amtrak Guest Reward program offers an opportunity to travelers to earn points on every purchase they make while traveling with Amtrak, whether it’s booking tickets, taking rideshares, dining in restaurants, shopping, even paying electricity bill through their partners retailers. They can join this program either through the official website of Amtrak or by calling their customer support department for assistance. The points will never expire as long as the account is open, but it is important to keep the account active by earning points and redeeming them. Additionally, they can select Amtrak guest rewards mastercard or preferred mastercards for accessing extra perks.

Frequently Asked Questions