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Amtrak — a name formed by combining “America” and “track” — is the national rail service of the United States. From its hub in Washington, D.C., Amtrak serves 46 U.S. states and parts of Canada, offering travelers an alternative to planes and cars for long-distance travel.
Amtrak’s loyalty program, Amtrak Guest Rewards, lets members earn and redeem points for train travel, upgrades, and more. But, like most programs, these points are subject to expiration. If you’ve earned Amtrak points, here’s what you need to know to keep them from expiring.
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Do Amtrak Guest Rewards Points Expire?
Amtrak Guest Rewards Points will expire if you have no qualifying activity on your account for 24 months. Per the Amtrak Guest terms and conditions page, Section D:
“If no Member initiated qualifying activity is recorded or reported within 24 months for a Member, the Member’s points will expire.”
Amtrak Guest Rewards requires you to earn or redeem points to generate activity that resets your points expiration clock, at least once every 24 months.
Track your points and miles expiration for 630+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
Exceptions To The Points Expiration Policy
Holders of the following Amtrak Guest Rewards co-brand credit cards are exempt from the expiration policy, and their points will not expire as long as their card account is open and in good standing.
Keeping Your Amtrak Guest Points From Expiring
Fortunately, there are many different ways to trigger activity on your Amtrak account to reset your points' expiration clock, and most of them don't involve setting foot on a train. All of the following are classed qualifying activities to keep your points alive.
Earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points
- Take a trip on Amtrak.
- Dine out using the Amtrak program.
- Shop through the Amtrak shopping portal.
- Shop with retail partners, such as ordering flowers, going to a Broadway show, or buying new Apple products.
- Choose NRG as your home energy supplier.
- Take a survey.
Hold Amtrak co-branded credit cards
If you hold either of the following Amtrak co-branded credit cards, your points will not expire, regardless of lack of account activity. As long as your account remains open, your points will stay active.
- Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard®: Earn 3X on Amtrak travel, including onboard purchases, plus a 20% rebate on onboard food and beverage purchases (as a statement credit), 2X on dining, travel, transit, and rideshare, and 1X on other purchases.
- Amtrak Guest Rewards® Mastercard®: Earn 2X on Amtrak travel, including onboard purchases, plus a 10% rebate on onboard food and beverage purchases (as a statement credit), 2X on dining, and 1X on other purchases.
Redeem Amtrak Guest Rewards points
You can redeem your Amtrak Guest Points in any of the following ways:
- Amtrak train journeys.
- Amtrak coupons and passes.
- Buy, share, gift, or transfer Amtrak points.
Use AwardWallet to Track Your Amtrak Guest Rewards Points Expiration
While 24 months is a reasonable amount of time, it is long enough for you to lose track of your points balance and have them expire. That is why it pays to use AwardWallet to keep track of your Amtrak Guest Rewards Points. That way, you will receive a timely reminder if you have any points in danger of expiration.
To add your Amtrak Guest Rewards account to your AwardWallet account, log in and then link your Amtrak account to your AwardWallet account. Then, you're set! AwardWallet will email you when your Amtrak points near expiration.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
24 months is not the most generous of points expiration policies we have seen. However, with multiple ways to earn and redeem points, it should be no problem generating the required activity to keep your points active indefinitely.
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