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We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.
This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.
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Update: You can no longer transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Amtrak.
Frequent Miler and Doctor of Credit report Amtrak’s loyalty program is changing to a revenue-based system. This means the price of an award seat will be tied to the cost of a paid ticket.
Here are some of the main changes (starting January 2016) outlined in the leaked document from Amtrak:
Award pricing will be based on the cost of a paid ticket, and Amtrak will eliminate their zone-based charts
There will no longer be blackout dates around popular travel times or certain trains (like the Acela service during weekday rush hour)
You’ll be able to book award travel online or with Amtrak’s mobile site
Revenue-Based Award Pricing and No More Blackout Dates & Times for Trains Like the Acela Service Between Boston and Washington, DC
And the document briefly describes new Amtrak credit cards (no longer issued by Chase) that will be introduced in September 2015.
While they don’t say who the issuing bank will be, Doctor of Credit reports the sample cardholder name and number on the card images are the same as other Bank of America cards.
Folks’ Detective Work Revealed the New Amtrak Card Issuer Will Likely Be Bank of America
Bank of America does not issue as many travel rewards cards as other banks. And the number of cards they’ll let you have is based mostly on the total amount of credit they’re willing to extend you.
What About Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points?
You can directly transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Amtrak at a 1:1 ratio if you have the Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
But they mentioned Chase usually gives at least 60days notice of major program changes. So far, there have been no announcements.
Chase Representatives Couldn’t Say Whether Amtrak Would Continue as a Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner
That said, if you plan on booking Amtrak travel next year after the changes take effect, you might consider transferring points (and booking) soon.
Especially if you’re thinking of booking expensive sleeper tickets, like bedrooms or roomettes, which could end up costing many more Amtrak points after the changes take effect.
Pricey Sleeper Accommodations Will Likely Cost More Amtrak Points Under Their New System
But if you’re someone who usually books cheap, short-haul tickets, you may do better under the revenue-based rules.
Until we know exactly how much Amtrak points are worth in their new system, it’s hard to say for sure what to do. Amtrak says they’ll officially launch the new program on August 31, 2015.
I’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more information!
Bottom Line
Amtrak is changing their award program to a revenue based system. Starting in 2016, the cost of an award ticket will depend on the price of a paid seat.
And a leaked document from Amtrak suggests their new credit cards, which will be launched next month, will be issued by Bank of America.
And we’ll have to wait until August 31, 2015, when Amtrak officially shares the new rules, to decide if it’s best to book Amtrak award tickets now or wait until 2016.
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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