I have question for anyone who knows AGR's policies. I am considering taking a cross country trip using AGR points in a roomette. Do you need to take the most direct routing to get to your destination? I want to route my trip New York-Pittsburgh-Chicago-Emeryville-Seattle. I am NOT stopping overnight at any of these cities, i.e. I will be taking the next connecting train out on each. Does AGR allow this, and will they only charge the 3 zone fare for points (I think 35000 for a roommette?) Has anyone tried this or have any info? Any imput would be appreciated! By the way, this is a great time to apply for the AGR Mastercard- 32000 bonue points!!!
notelvis Member # 3071
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Joe,
Call the AGR number and ask to make certain but I believe you're obligated to the routing which pops up in the computer. You can try it yourself on the Amtrak website and while you might get an option for using the California Zephyr, they will most likely try to route you via the Empire Builder.
If you do get the routing you desire, they may require you to transfer from the California Zephyr to the Coast Starlight at Sacramento rather than Emeryville.
Let us know what you discover.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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I'd be interested in the answer to this question, too. From time to time I think about trying for a Chicago-LA-Seattle trip in a bedroom using two zones. Wonder if it depends on the person who fields the question at the AGR call center. Maybe some will interpret the rules flexibly, maybe some will go strictly by the book.
JoeR Member # 2633
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I went on Amtrak website and typed in New York- Seattle to book a paid reservation, and it does indeed allow the routing above (albeit via Sacramento as notelvis suggested). I am pretty sure when you book through AGR online, the same routings also come up (only without prices). When I do get the points I will try online first (sometimes it's best to NOT talk to someone), then call in.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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My fantasy AGR 1-zone trip with the most bang for your buck would be El Paso to Wolf Point MT (Amtrak routes you via the Starlight). But if you try to go WPT to ELP it says there is no service.
Four days in a roomette for 15,000 points but then you are stuck in Wolf Point.
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