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Here’s a great opportunity for reduced price Amtrak travel!
The DealAmtrak is running a special promo that gives you a 50% bonus on purchased points until June 30, 2014. Typically, the number of points that you’re allowed to purchase for yourself or receive as a gift from another member is 10,000 per calendar year but, because this is a 50% bonus on purchased points, you can buy up to 10k points for $275 and will get 15k points:
AnalysisThis is a great deal, especially for those who don’t have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Plus/Bold that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to Amtrak. [...]
Amtrak Acela Express 2168 – First Class Car Review
I needed to get from Washington-WAS to New York-NYP and had already decided I was taking the train. But, instead of a Northeast Regional train (which has appx 1 departure every hour), I wanted to try America’s one and only “high speed” train.
Value and BookingThe Acela Express train isn’t cheap, especially when considering that it’s not so much of a “high-speed train” than an “Express Train”. The Acela will typically save you about 35 minutes when compared to the slower Northeast Regional train, but tickets can cost as much as 80% more (cheapest rates on the [...]
I took my first train trip on Amtrak’s Acela a few weeks ago from Washington, DC Union Station (WAS) to New York Penn Station (NYP). Because I had a First class ticket (Acela only has either Business Class & First Class), I was able to check out the ClubAcela lounge in Washington while I was waiting for my train.
You’ll need to present some credentials to make it past the doors to the luxury that lies beyond. Here are the ways to get into the Lounge:
Access included with First Class tickets on the “high-speed” Acela train or those traveling in sleeper cars Those with Select Plus/Executive status (top level Amtrak Guest Rewards [...]Amtrak’s fall 2013 promotion is in full swing– don’t miss out on getting closer to those rewards:
The Deal:Earn 2x the Amtrak Guest Rewards Points on all travel during September & October. Normal earning rate is $1 spend = 2 points, now $1 spend = 4 points.
How to Get It: Register here: Amtrak Double Days no later than October 31 All trips taken between September 9 and October 31 will qualify for bonus Extra points are posting at the same time as normal points (about 3-5 days after end of trip)Don’t forget:
“Limit of two qualifying one-way trips per day.” Amtrak has some great value awards available, check out our [...]54 Hours in New York
We took a short, weekend-getaway-style trip to New York.
When I say short, I genuinely mean it. Total time gone was 54 hours: 27 hours spent in the city and 27 hours spent on a train going to/from.
TRIP PLANNING:
I had been checking the cheapest/best way to get from Charleston, SC to New York off and on for the past week. Flights were around $450-500 Round Trip with one stop (in Atlanta or Charlotte), or $600+ for the non-stop into Newark or LaGuardia! A lot more than I wanted to spend. Even the trusty Spirit Air flight from Myrtle Beach into LaGuardia was close to $400 round-trip; couple that with the fact that the 6:30pm flight on [...]
