Amtrak Rail Pass questions
I am planning to travel the United States by Amtrak Rail Pass, however, all the info I found online about the rail passes hasn't bee sufficient and didn't answer all my questions.
I would be very happy I someone experienced enough with the Rail Passes could answer me these questions:
- Are bookings in advance mandatory or can any train be booked at any counter given the 80% pass holder threshold has not been met?
- When I buy a pass, does one segment allow me to travel that one route regardless of price? (e.g. train costs 180$ but I am booking the leg with a segment, hence I pay nothing)
- Does the 45-day limit mean I must complete all 18 legs in 45 days else they will expire?
- When booking a Train Pass I have to specify a pickup date. Must I pick it up that specific day or can it be before that day?
- Given I book the Silver Star from Miami to Washington, DC with one segment, could I decide to get off in Orlando, letting the some of my ticket expire, could I rebook the segment (e.g. Orlando to Washington, DC)
Any tips regarding Amtrak travel and Amtrak Passes would also be much appreciated.
Best Answer
Are bookings in advance mandatory or can any train be booked at any counter given the 80% pass holder threshold has not been met?
I believe you can just book at the counter.
When I buy a pass, does one segment allow me to travel that one route regardless of price? (e.g. train costs 180$ but I am booking the leg with a segment, hence I pay nothing)
Correct
Does the 45-day limit mean I must complete all 18 legs in 45 days else they will expire?
Correct
When booking a Train Pass I have to specify a pickup date. Must I pick it up that specific day or can it be before that day?
I don't know this one, sorry.
Given I book the Silver Star from Miami to Washington, DC with one segment, could I decide to get off in Orlando, letting the some of my ticket expire, could I rebook the segment (e.g. Orlando to Washington, DC)
If I've understood you correctly, yes. You will obviously spend another segment rebooking later; one trip on one train from origin to destination counts as a segment, so if you get off at an intermediate stop and catch the next train (or another subsequent one), that's a new segment.
I'm not American but I've used a USA Rail pass before.
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Are Amtrak rail passes worth it?
The Amtrak Rail Pass is worth getting because your cost per trip is only $49. If used to travel on long distance routes you'll have a substantial savings over booking your tickets individually. If you are lucky enough to find the pass on sale, you'll enjoy incredible savings.How does a rail pass work?
A rail pass covers the cost of train travel in a certain country (or countries) for a certain number of days (usually for a number of days spread out across a wider window of time; a few passes cover travel over a span of continuous days or weeks).Does Amtrak make you go through a metal detector?
Nope. There are no metal detecters so you don't have to worry about that! :) over a year ago.How many Amtrak points do you need for a free trip?
How many points do I need for a free Amtrak trip? You need to collect at least 800 points for train travel, and longer trips and sleeping accommodations require more points. If you were to earn points only from purchasing Amtrak tickets (2 points per $1), you would need to spend $400 in order to reach 800 points.Amtrak Rail Pass Sale And Your Questions
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