The Offer
- FNBO Amtrak Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred card is offering a signup bonus of 30,000 points when you spend $2,000 within the first three billing cycles. You also earn 5,000 tqps
(tier qualifying points) toward select status.
Card Details
- Annual fee of $99 is not waived
- Complimentary Companion Coupon, One-Class Upgrade and a single-day
- ClubAcela pass for access to ClubAcela, Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge or First class
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 3 points per $1 spent with Amtrak
- 2 points per $1 spent on all other qualifying travel and dining purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
No foreign transaction fees
- 5% Amtrak Guest Rewards point rebate when you book your Amtrak redemption
Our Verdict
Not as good as the recent 40,000 point offer unless you highly value the elite credits.
The two 10% off coupons you get with Select status could save some money on a larger booking.
You need to spend almost a thousand dollars on Acela First Class within a calendar year (the quickest way) to get to Select status though.
Opened with the 40k bonus, and it appears my credit card spend is counting towards elite status (AA loyalty points style)
I wonder if Biden had the Amtrak card when he did his commute lol.
One of the benefits of this sign-up bonus is Select status (which is different than in the past. The card typically doesn’t come with status).
Depending on if/when the Select coupons are awarded, it would be fantastic to be able to apply them against a booking that also helped to meet the minimum spend. The status may be awarded along with the bonus points though.
What are the rules on canceling in month 13? Can’t find anything about that online
I did this promo a few months ago. You can also redeem for select gift cards.
You can sign up for the survey program with a small signup bonus and do a few surveys if your wanting to get to 32,500 points or $325 in gift cards
Where do I find that survey program? How much time does it take?
You will get an email with the offer to get 200 points for completing the first survey. You might be able to find it on the guest rewards program prior to getting the email.
Gift cards are an option, but most will probably do better redeeming AGR for Amtrak travel, Amtrak coupons (lounge passes or upgrades) or even Amtrak merch? Not all of the gift cards are even 1 cpp. If one doesn’t want to travel with Amtrak, there are probably a number of better cards to earn gift cards with, if not just straight cash.
Have been waiting for a credit card advertising campaign that straight up asks, “How much do you hate yourself?”
Feels like this could finally be the one.
Or maybe it will be the WF Choice Hotels Privileges Mastercard?
What are you whining about? Amtrak is perfectly fine. It just takes longer.
It doesn’t take longer once you factor in travel time to and from the airport, going through security, etc. (Depending on exactly where you’re traveling, of course, but for trips on the East Coast up to a couple of hundred miles, Amtrak is faster.)
Buzz off. Super useful on the East Coast.
“A power outage shut down Amtrak trains along its Northeast Corridor on Thursday, disrupting evening commutes and causing train delays that stretched into Friday morning.”
Talk more. Still six months until winter.