Today, July 12, 2015, is the last day to purchase Amtrak points with the current 30% bonus. While this can be a good offer for some, I do want to point out that the cost of purchasing points has increased drastically in the past few months and the value is nearly not as good as it used to be.
In the past, you could purchase up to 10,000 points per calendar year per account, plus the bonus. They have increased that amount to 15,000 points, which is great if you need to purchase a ton of points, but unfortunately with that change the cost per point also increased. In the past, the cost to purchase 10,000 points was $275. Now, it is $395 which is significantly more expensive. Usually when there is a bonus, 30% is the norm, so you are still getting the same bonus but for more money. This means that where it used to ultimately cost $91 per Amtrak ride in the Northeast, it now costs $131!
At purchase price of $91 per ride, that used to be a great deal. Amtrak tickets in the northeast can easily cost $100+ if looking not too far in advance. However, typically they won’t cost more than $131 (although they can at times!).
So while this might be an okay promotion for some of you, it is nearly not as good as the old days. A few years ago you could actually end up purchasing points for about $55 one way in the Northeast! Those days are gone and it is now close to triple the price!
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