Do Amtrak points expire? The Points Guy
I rode Amtrak from Portland, Oregon to Chicago, Illinois in a Roomette. Amtrak Guest Reward points were earned on this trip, but I have not traveled with Amtrak again since. Here’s what I found.
Do Amtrak Points Expire?
Amtrak points expire after 24 months of inactivity.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
According to section D of Amtrak’s terms and conditions, “Points earned under the Program will not expire as long as the Program continues and the Member’s Account is active. Here’s what I found.
Do Amtrak points expire?
Amtrak points expire after 24 months of inactivity.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
According to section D of Amtrak’s terms and conditions, “Points earned under the Program will not expire as long as the Program continues and the Member’s Program account is active. “Active” means the Member has earned and/or redeemed Program points within a 24 month period using their Membership Number. “
Account activity is the key to keeping your Amtrak points from expiring. “
So, the key to keeping your Amtrak points from expiring is account activity.
Related: The best credit cards for Amtrak and train travel
How to determine when your Amtrak points expire
If you log into your Amtrak Guest Rewards account and look around, you won’t see an expiration date for your points anywhere. The solution is a slightly convoluted workaround.
After logging into your account, click on your name in the top right-hand corner of the window and select “My Account.” From here, click “My transactions” on the left sidebar to see your recent Amtrak Guest Rewards activity.
AMTRAK
Your recent activity won’t be helpful if you’re worried about your points expiring. Change the “from date” to 24 months prior to the current date, and then click “Search”. “
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
AMTRAK
My most recent account activity was canceling an award booking April 5, 2023. Based on that, if I did nothing, my Amtrak points would expire April 6 after 24 months of inactivity.
Related: The Jet vs. Amtrak: What is the best way to get between New York City and Washington, DC?
How I kept my Amtrak account active
Amtrak’s terms and conditions note that any earning or redemption activity on my account will keep my points from expiring.
I have many options since my points won’t expire for almost two months. As an infrequent Amtrak user, the options that’d make the most sense to consider would be to earn points on Amtrak travel, earn points by taking a Survey Points Club survey, buy Amtrak points, redeem points for Amtrak travel or earn points by shopping with one of Amtrak’s retail partners.
MINISERIES/GETTY IMAGES
Unfortunately, I don’t have any upcoming Amtrak travel needs, so earning or redeeming points for Amtrak travel isn’t a useful way to keep my account active. Amtrak no longer charges award cancellation fees, so it’s unclear whether you’d reset your expiration clock if you booked and canceled an award.
I also don’t need to shop with Amtrak retail partners like 1-800-Flowers.com, Teleflora or Vinesse Wines.
Related: You can now search Amtrak routes on Google Flights
The smallest amount of points I could buy is 500, which would cost me $18.85 at a purchase rate of 3.77 cents per point. Since I may never redeem my Amtrak points, I’m not willing to pay $18.85 for 500 more points to extend the validity of my existing points.
AMTRAK
My best option is to earn a few Amtrak points by taking a Survey Points Club survey. The points you earn from surveys are usually posted instantly, but it can take a few days. I enrolled in the Survey Points Club, answered some demographic questions and started my first survey.
SURVEY POINTS CLUB
After starting the survey, I didn’t get past the first few pages of questions. The survey informed me that I was not a good match after I stated that I had not been prescribed prescription pain medication in the last six months. However, I still got five points for starting the survey.
AMTRAK
Now, my Amtrak points should expire Jan. 12, 2027. However, I’d feel better if Amtrak stated the expiration date in my account.
Related: How to keep your airline, hotel and rental car points and miles from expiring01001010Bottom line01001010It’s annoying that Amtrak points expire if your account is inactive for 24 months. Earning points with Survey Points Club made it relatively easy to keep my Amtrak Account active. The points posted to my account almost immediately, so Survey Points Club may be an option even if your points are set to expire in just a few days.01001010Remember that you must manually track when your Amtrak points expire or rely on an award travel tool that tracks your points and miles expiration dates. Amtrak will not notify you of the expiration of your Amtrak miles or points.
