In a step that airlines would likely never take, Amtrak bumped up certain riders who were close to reaching the next status level instead of making them reach it on their own.
In case you are not familiar, Amtrak Guest Rewards offers three tiers of elite status: Select, Select Plus and Select Executive. The status benefits include bonus points, upgrades and even access to United Club locations. Status qualification is based on a rider’s yearly total of Tier Qualifying Points.
Select, the lowest tier in the Amtrak Guest Rewards program, is obtained by earning 5,000 TQPs in a calendar year; Select Plus is middle tier and obtained by earning 10,000 TQPs. The top tier, Select Executive, is earned with 20,000 TQPs.
However, Amtrak has gifted riders who were close to reaching the next status level with that status level for the rest of 2024 despite falling short of the specified TQPs amount. If you qualified for the next status tier, you should’ve received an email from Amtrak notifying you of your status change.
Amtrak did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication clarifying if all members were targeted for this promotion.
Amtrak status rewards
All Amtrak Guest Rewards members earn 2 points per dollar spent, plus a 25% bonus for business-class tickets and a 50 % bonus on Acela first-class tickets. Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® cardmembers can earn up to 4,000 TQPs a year — 1,000 for every $5,000 spent on their card.
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The information for the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
From there, the earnings rates received through travel vary by status level. Select members earn a 25% tier status point bonus on Amtrak travel, two one-class upgrades and two single-visit passes to Club Acela and Metropolitan Lounge.
Select Plus members earn a 50% tier status point bonus on Amtrak travel, four one-class upgrades and the same lounge access; additionally, they receive two companion coupons and United Club access when flying with the airline or another Star Alliance carrier.
Select Executive members earn a 100% tier status point bonus on Amtrak travel, four one-class upgrades (plus one more with every additional 3,000 TQPs earned), two companion coupons and one Auto Train priority vehicle offloading coupon. They also get access to ClubAcela, Metropolitan Lounge and United Club.
Additional perks such as coupons for discounted travel, priority call handling and discounts from partner programs also apply starting at the Select Plus level.
Bottom line
Amtrak is giving travelers who were close to earning status for 2024 the gift of status without making them fully earn it. Be sure to check your email to see if you qualify.
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