Earn a boatload of bonus Amtrak points when booking hotels and car rentals
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
All aboard! For the entire month of September at The Points Guy, we'll be exploring the world of train travel with reviews, features, deals and tips for maximizing your trip by rail.
It appears that Amtrak wants in on the fun of TPG train month —they've published a promotion offering thousands of bonus points for booking hotels and rental cars through their site.
The details
- You must book and complete travel by Oct. 20, 2019, at 11:59 p.m Eastern Time
- Limit one hotel bonus and one car bonus per member
- You'll earn bonus points in addition to the normal base points you'd get from a hotel or car rental booking
- Only valid for members making their first booking on each hotel and car rental through Amtrak Hotels & Cars
- You will receive your points within two weeks of your completed reservation
Amtrak also states that if they smell anything fishy (such as creating several Amtrak accounts to get this one-time bonus multiple times), they'll retract the bonus points. They didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday.
Here's a rundown of the deals you can book.
Bonus points for hotel stays
- Spend $150 to $299 — get 1,000 bonus Amtrak points
- Spend $300 to $449 — get 2,000 bonus Amtrak points
- Spend $450 or more — get 3,000 bonus Amtrak points
TPG values Amtrak points at 2.5 cents each, meaning if you spend $450 on a hotel, you're essentially getting a $75 rebate in the form of Amtrak credit, on top of the base points you'd normally earn through Amtrak's portal.
You can normally buy Amtrak points for 3.77 cents each. This promotion can help you "buy" Amtrak points at a slight discount while giving you a free hotel. For example, the Conrad Chicago offers 13,600 Amtrak points per night, and costs $597.43 (after taxes). You'll get an extra 3,000 points for spending more than $450, giving you a total of 16,600 points. You've effectively purchased Amtrak points at a value of 3.6 cents each, and you've got a night at a five-star hotel.
That's a lot of Amtrak points. Again, according to TPG's valuation, 16,600 Amtrak points is worth $415. Just note that you won't earn hotel points or have your elite status recognized when booking through Amtrak.
I live in Cincinnati, so a leisurely jaunt to Chicago costs as little as 1,760 points. I can usually book a roomette for between 6,000 and 7,500 points each way. You can see how far Amtrak points can go.
Bonus points for rental cars
- Spend $150 to $249 - 500 bonus Amtrak points
- Spend $250 to $349 - 1,000 bonus Amtrak points
- Spend $350 or more - 1,500 bonus Amtrak points
If you're looking to rack up Amtrak points, this is a far less profitable angle. You've got to spend a lot of money for relatively few Amtrak points. I recommend passing on this one, and instead book directly with the rental company. They've often got some kind of promotion going on (like this latest one from Avis).
Plus, there are cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve that offer elite status with National and Avis (meaning almost certain upgrades and fast check in). But as is the case with hotels, you likely won't reap those status benefits if you book through Amtrak as there's no place to put your rental car loyalty number.
You can check out our guide on credit cards that offer elite status for car rentals.
Featured photo by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.