My Amtrak points were going to expire: Here’s how I spent 15 minutes to keep them active
Editor's Note
In March 2019, I rode the rails from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago in an Amtrak Roomette. I earned some Amtrak Guest Rewards points on this journey but haven't traveled with Amtrak since then. So, I wasn't surprised when I recently received a notification from AwardWallet that my Amtrak points were set to expire April 6.
I'm not sure I'll ever use these points, but I figured I'd look into the Amtrak expiration policy and whether I could extend them. Here’s what I found.
Do Amtrak points expire?
Amtrak points expire after 24 months of inactivity.
According to section D of Amtrak’s terms and conditions, "Points earned under the Program will not expire as long as the Program continues and the Member’s Program account is active. 'Active' means that the Member earns and/or redeems Program points using his or her Membership Number within a 24-month period. If no Member initiated qualifying activity is recorded or reported within 24 months for a Member, the Member’s points will expire."
So, the key to keeping your Amtrak points from expiring is account activity.
Related: The best credit cards for Amtrak and train travel
How to determine when your Amtrak points expire
If you log into your Amtrak Guest Rewards account and look around, you won’t see an expiration date for your points anywhere. The solution is a slightly convoluted workaround.
After logging into your account, click on your name in the top right-hand corner of the window and select “My Account.” From here, click “My transactions” on the left sidebar to see your recent Amtrak Guest Rewards activity.
Your recent activity won't be helpful if you're worried about your points expiring. So, change the “from” date to 24 months before the current date and click “Search.”
My most recent account activity was canceling an award booking April 5, 2023. Based on that, if I did nothing, my Amtrak points would expire April 6 after 24 months of inactivity.
Related: The Jet vs. Amtrak: What is the best way to get between New York City and Washington, DC?
How I kept my Amtrak account active
Amtrak’s terms and conditions note that any earning or redemption activity on my account will keep my points from expiring.
I have many options since my points won't expire for almost two months. As an infrequent Amtrak user, the options that'd make the most sense to consider would be to earn points on Amtrak travel, earn points by taking a Survey Points Club survey, buy Amtrak points, redeem points for Amtrak travel or earn points by shopping with one of Amtrak's retail partners.
Unfortunately, I don't have any upcoming Amtrak travel needs, so earning or redeeming points for Amtrak travel isn't a useful way to keep my account active. Amtrak no longer charges award cancellation fees, so it's unclear whether you'd reset your expiration clock if you booked and canceled an award.
I also don't need to shop with Amtrak retail partners like 1-800-Flowers.com, Teleflora or Vinesse Wines.
Related: You can now search Amtrak routes on Google Flights
The smallest amount of points I could buy is 500, which would cost me $18.85 at a purchase rate of 3.77 cents per point. Since I may never redeem my Amtrak points, I'm not willing to pay $18.85 for 500 more points to extend the validity of my existing points.
My best option is to earn a few Amtrak points by taking a Survey Points Club survey. Points from completing surveys often post instantly but can take up to a week. I enrolled in the Survey Points Club, answered some demographic questions and started my first survey.
After starting the survey, I didn't get past the first few pages of questions. Once I said a doctor hadn't prescribed me any prescription pain medicine in the past six months, the survey loaded a message stating I wasn't a good fit. However, I still got five points for starting the survey.
Now, my Amtrak points should expire Jan. 12, 2027. However, I'd feel better if Amtrak stated the expiration date in my account.
Related: How to keep your airline, hotel and rental car points and miles from expiring
Bottom line
It's annoying that Amtrak points expire if your account is inactive for 24 months. However, earning points through Survey Points Club was a relatively easy way to keep my Amtrak account active. The points posted to my account almost immediately, so Survey Points Club may be an option even if your points are set to expire in just a few days.
Remember that you must manually track when your Amtrak points expire or rely on an award travel tool that tracks your points and miles expiration dates. After all, your Amtrak points expiration date won't appear in your Amtrak account, and Amtrak won't notify you before your points expire.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
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Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.