From upgrade ‘hack’ to IT fixes, Amtrak loyalty chief dishes on Guest Rewards' big growth
There's big news on the rails this week: Amtrak just reached 20 million members of its Guest Rewards program.
Launched in 2000, the Guest Rewards program was originally introduced to coincide with the launch of the Acela trains that travel along the Interstate 95 corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C.
And what might've once been a program focused on road warriors based in the Northeast has since grown its appeal to cover the entire country.
To celebrate the milestone, Amtrak's loyalty chief, Lisa Copeland, spoke exclusively to TPG about where the program is headed. Read on for the details.
New train smell: Amtrak's brand-new high-speed Acela trains finally set to enter service next spring
Points & Cash is well received
Amtrak's newest redemption option, Points & Cash, launched earlier this year, and it's since been well received.
In fact, it's quickly become "one of our most popular redemptions," said Copeland, who posited that this new option is so popular "because it's giving members the opportunity to leverage different point values that they have."
While the redemption rate for outright free travel is still better than Points & Cash, the ability to redeem a smaller subset of points toward a trip is understandably quite appealing. (Many airlines also offer a similar redemption option that mixes cash with miles.)
The state with the most members is ...
... surprisingly not New York.
Given Amtrak's penetration along the Northeast corridor, one might've expected that New York, Massachusetts or Pennsylvania might be the state with the most Guest Rewards members.
It turns out that's not the case. "You would be surprised to know that we have the most Amtrak Guest Rewards members outside of the Northeast; it's California," said Copeland. Don't worry, though: New York is a close second, according to Copeland.
While the program launched with a focus on frequent travelers in the Northeast Corridor, it's since expanded its reach nationwide.
And with that, Copeland said that as the program scales, "It's our role to really make sure we're designing a loyalty program that meets different customer profiles and different customer needs. Clearly, the business traveler is important to us, but also, there's an opportunity for us to connect with all of our passengers."
Amtrak Guest Rewards: How to earn and redeem points with train travel
More partners are coming
One area where airline and hotel loyalty programs have excelled is in building out a broad suite of partners that touch all aspects of the travel journey.
Amtrak sees value in partnerships and wants to create more for its Guest Rewards program in the coming years. "A top priority for us, we are focused on partnership development. And without giving away too much, I think you should expect to hear from us."
Copeland was mum about what type of partnerships we might see first, but she did emphasize that partnerships are being designed "for our members to extract more value and to stay top of mind."
Don't expect points transfers
Another area where airlines and hotels have made (massive) sums of money is in selling their points to credit card companies, which then, in turn, let cardmembers transfer their credit card points to partner loyalty programs.
However, Copeland wasn't bullish on bringing back points transfers to the Guest Rewards program. "Our loyalty program is the best way to enjoy Amtrak because you're going be earning and redeeming on all of your travel."
Aside from two cobranded credit cards issued by First National Bank of Omaha, Amtrak isn't currently entertaining other ways to accelerate your points-earning potential. (Note that Amtrak was a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner until 2015.)
The upgrade 'hack'
Speaking about the most lucrative redemptions, Copeland shared one of my tried-and-true "hacks" of the Guest Rewards program.
"One of the best ways actually to upgrade for Amtrak is booking an Acela business-class ticket and upgrading to our first-class experience," Copeland said.
That upgrade costs just 2,500 points, and according to Copeland, this is "probably the best way to experience an upgrade on Amtrak." I fully concur.
Lucrative redemption rates
Take a look at a $213 train from Washington, D.C., to New York. It will reliably cost about 8,000 Amtrak points.
Meanwhile, if you were booking a flight, there's no telling how much Delta Air Lines or United Airlines would charge for the same route since those programs offer dynamically priced redemptions.
Amtrak's redemption rates are mostly fixed at around 2.67 cents per point, which means that some of the cheapest trains are pretty reasonably priced. (A $10 one-way from Philadelphia to New York requires just 375 points.)
And Copeland likes Amtrak's redemption rate strategy because it can provide immediate, measurable value. "If you were to compare this loyalty program to others in hospitality, don't be fooled. One thousand points for Amtrak is going to get you a lot and unlock a lot more travel value than even 5,000 points with some of our competitors," she said, referring to airlines that compete for an overlapping slice of the intra-Northeast market.
IT fixes are coming
One of the biggest pain points with the Guest Rewards program is the IT interface. (For instance, sometimes it can take weeks for train activity to post to your account.)
Amtrak is well aware of its technical shortcomings, and Copeland emphasized that "We are 100% working on IT. We have a very robust roadmap. We recognize we have a lot of opportunity, and we are diligently working on that."
Expiration dates probably aren't changing
In recent years, we've seen more loyalty programs drop expiration dates for their currencies. Amtrak's policy is that points expire after 24 months of inactivity, and that policy probably isn't changing anytime soon, according to Copeland.
"I think we have a pretty lucrative expiration program today. As long as you're an active member with Amtrak, your points won't expire. So, there's a lot of opportunity to maintain those points over a 24-month period," she said.
Asked about what portion of the 20 million members are active members, Copeland declined to share specifics.
Offers are getting more personalized
Some travelers might know Amtrak Guest Rewards for its promotions, such as the annual "buy three, get one free" campaign, which awards a free train ticket after taking three round trips.
This promotion usually requires travel in the winter, and the free ticket is available to use in the summer. This is a popular one-size-fits-all promotion model.
But that's not necessarily the type of promotion Amtrak will invest in in the future. Copeland shared that "We are also looking at being a lot more personalized with our offers."
In September, Amtrak launched a Mystery Offer that gave different offers to different travelers. Copeland said to expect more of this style of offer in the coming years.
No invitation-only tier
Concierge Key, Delta 360, and Global Services are the names of the invitation-only membership tiers that the Big Three U.S. airlines offer.
It typically takes upward of $50,000 a year in spending to be invited into one of these levels, but the benefits that they confer are often the envy of many lower-tier elite members.
As for Amtrak, its highest published status level is Select Executive, which requires $10,000 in annual Amtrak spending.
But does Amtrak offer an invitation-only tier? American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines executives typically punt on any question about their invitation-only tiers as they try to keep those levels under wraps.
Copeland felt no such compunction on questions about whether Amtrak has a special invitation-only tier. "We do not," she said emphatically.
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- 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.
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| 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. |
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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.