The Worst Part About Air Travel is Coming to Trains — Baggage Fees
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It seems it's only a matter of time before every travel carrier starts charging baggage fees to its customers. We've seen how airlines have started charging checked baggage fees and how it's turned into one of the biggest money-makers for each of them. So, it was only a matter of time before the country's largest train service started charging for bags, too.
Effective October 1, 2015, Amtrak will begin charging passengers $20 for exceeding the given weight limit or allowed number of bags — two personal items (25 lbs — 14" x 11" x 7" each) and two carry-on bags (50 lbs — 28" x 22" x 14" each). The fee will apply to each bag that exceeds the limits. Representatives will collect the fee for those over the allowed amount either at the station or on board the train.
Amtrak announced earlier this year that it was revamping its baggage regulations in a press release that has since been removed from its site. Thankfully for travelers, packing more than 150 lbs of luggage for a train trip doesn't sounds all too common, so it's possible to avoid this fee altogether.
It's been a busy few weeks for Amtrak, with lots of consumer-unfriendly changes going into effect. First, Amtrak announced a new revenue-based rewards program, which goes into effect in January. Then, it announced that it would be ending its relationship with Chase, with a new credit card on the way from Bank of America. Finally, just this week, Amtrak shared an end date for Ultimate Rewards transfers — you'll have until December 7 to transfer your points earned with cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred.
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