Amtrak extending points expiration, 'actively evaluating' elite status adjustments
Andrew Kunesh is a senior editor at The Points Guy covering loyalty programs. He's been a miles and points fanatic since 2014 and previously wrote for Upgraded Points and Credit Karma. Outside of the travel world, Andrew is a cyclist, craft coffee aficionado and — despite now living in NYC — a Chicagoan at heart.
April 6 2020
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3 min read
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In an email to its members, Amtrak Guest Rewards shared a number of changes due to the global coronavirus outbreak. These changes come after Amtrak suspended a number of routes, including nonstop Acela service between New York City and Washington D.C. and all service to Canada.
In the email, Amtrak announced that it has paused expiration of Amtrak Guest Rewards points and all coupons — including companion passes, upgrade certificates and others — until Sept. 25, 2020. These changes are effective immediately and there's no need to enroll or contact Amtrak.
Amtrak is also waiving change fees on all new and existing reservations with travel set to begin before May 31, 2020. Affected customers can change their travel online or through the Amtrak app, or by calling Amtrak at 800-872-7245. We highly recommend changing online or through the app to avoid long hold times.
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Elite status changes are being evaluated
Additionally, Amtrak also stated that it's "actively evaluating" changes to Tier Status. We're hopeful that this means that an outright status extension will be announced in the near future — we'll keep you updated when there's more information to share.
Amtrak said the following regarding Tier Status:
"We know that Tier Status is important to you. We are actively evaluating potential adjustments for 2021 Tier Qualification and will keep you posted as details are confirmed."
Related: The best credit cards for train travel
Bottom line
It's nice to see Amtrak making positive changes to its loyalty program in response to the global coronavirus outbreak. Points and coupon extensions are a good start, and extending elite status for Amtrak's most loyal customers would sweeten the deal even further for the company's most loyal members. This is especially important as Amtrak positions itself as a worthy competitor to U.S. airlines in the Northeast Corridor.
As always, keep checking our coronavirus hub page for more info. We'll keep you in the loop on how the outbreak is changing the travel world.
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Featured photo by Amtrak Empire Builder Nears Glacier National Park. (Photo courtesy Amtrak)
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