How Can I Make My Amtrak More Affordable

Are you planning to make a reservation via Amtrak anytime soon? Then you should be aware of the various tips & strategies that will allow you to book Cheap Amtrak Tickets. 

Ways To Get Affordable Amtrak Ticket

Continue reading to uncover those tips to make your Amtrak flight booking more affordable for you. 

Buy Your Tickets As Early as Possible

Amtrak opens its train schedules 11 months before the journey date. So, you have no excuse not to book early when the trip rates are highly discounted. In other words, to avail affordable tickets you should avoid buying at the last hour. 

This is because as the journey date comes closer, with the increased demand, Amtrak increases the flight prices majorly. 

Amtrak's Designated Deals Page

This is the most critical. If you want to save your dollars on tickets, you should be making use of Amtrak’s deals page. It is the go-to place to avail maximum discounts on your trips. This is possible because the company brings regular updates on the page with several limited-time offers. 

Particularly, if you are making a booking for well-known trains like the Pacific Surfliner, you can save as much as 50% (do cross-check at the time of booking because the fares & discounts change regularly). 

Check For Extra Discounts Eligibility

If you come under a certain category of passengers like veterans, students, military families, & children, you will be getting more discounts than standard fares. For instance, you can save as much as 50% on Amtrak tickets for children. If you work for the government or are part of the Rail Passengers Association can also avail of extra discounts. Also, if you are suffering from some disability, you may get savings of 10 to 50% as per travel route. 

This has to be mentioned because passengers often forget that this option is available.

Sign Up for Amtrak's Guest Rewards

This is highly recommended. Just sign up for the guest rewards options whenever you book through Amtrak. This works like a credit card and wherever you get time to purchase an Amtrak ticket, you will be gaining points which can then be redeemed for future Amtrak purchases, car rentals & hotel bookings. 

Handy tip: even if you don’t book Amtrak much, you may book a hotel from their portal or sign up for car rental, and thus earn free points. 

Choose Amtrak ‘Night Owl’ Tickets

Amtrak has another unique new program called “Night Owl” in which passengers who are traveling at off-peak times can do that with exceptionally affordable tickets. 
In fact, as per reports, tickets can be as low as $5 one-way (depending upon the travel route of course).  But, again, it is best if you check the prices beforehand to make the booking and not wait till the last moment which may still vary due to demand. 

Utilize a Promo Code

If you are still willing to book from a third-party website then you should be aware that Amtrak regularly brings out promo and coupon codes to these sites. Get as much as 10% to 50% savings on your Amtrak trips!! These coupons are not found on the Amtrak website. 

Is it cheaper to buy Amtrak tickets online or at the station?

The answer is simple i.e., you are likely to get cheaper flights if you book seats online as compared to at station. Moreover, the booking process will happen faster as you will avoid otherwise long queues at the stations. 

Conclusion

You are thus provided with all the information you need to book more affordable tickets on Amtrak. Either you purchase the tickets as early as possible and make sure you book at the best airfares. Secondly, always make a booking from Amtrak's deals page to save the maximum. Also, check for the additional discounts if applicable. 

You can also check for off-peak hours tickets which may be even cheaper because of the airline’s Night Owl program. Lastly, sign up for Amtrak awards as a long-term strategy to gain miles everytime you make the booking. 

Thus, you should be now comfortable about booking on Amtrak at affordable rates!