Charles H. Miller
If you are frequently taking Amtrak trains, you should consider getting the Amtrak Guest Rewards® World MasterCard®. Issued by Bank of America, the card offers a generous sign-up bonus and a single-day ClubAcela® pass for access to ClubAcela, Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge or First class lounges, and even more lucrative annual bonuses. Cardmembers get to earn their way to free rides by earning 3x points on Amtrak purchases, 2x points on qualifying travel purchases, and 1x point on everything else. Annual fee is $79, and APR is variable in the 13.24% – 23.24% range. Here are the details…
Highlights
- Sign-up bonus of 20,000 points, and a single-day ClubAcela® pass for access to ClubAcela, Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge or First class lounges.
- Earn 3x points on Amtrak purchases; 2x points on other qualifying travel purchases; and 1x point on everything else.
- Get a 5% Amtrak Guest Rewards point rebate when you book a Amtrak redemption travel.
- Earn 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward earning status every time your spending with the card reaches $5,000 in a calendar year.
- Complimentary Companion Coupon and One-Class Upgrade every year.
- $79 annual fee.
How It Works?
Earn points: Earn 3 Amtrak Guest Rewards points for every dollar spent with Amtrak®, including travel and onboard purchases; 2 points per dollar spent on other qualifying travel purchases (airlines, car rental agencies, hotels, motels, inns, and resorts, steamship/cruise lines, and travel agencies); and 1 points per dollar spent on everything else. There is no limit to how many points you can earn, and long as you’re a cardholder in good standing – your points will not expire. Also, 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward earning status can be earned each time your eligible spending reaches $5,000 in a calendar year, up to 4,000 TQPs per year.
Redeem points: Once earned, points can be redeemed for (obviously) Amtrak travels with no blackout dates to deal with. Alternatively, you can redeem points for hotel certificates and merchant gift cards. If you are redeeming for an Amtrak travel, you will benefit from an additional 5% rebate. All points earned will be mailed to the cardholder via the U.S. Postal Service.
Sign-up bonus: 20,000 points after making $1,000 in purchases with the card within 90 days of account opening. That’s enough points to redeem for a trip to many of Amtrak’s over 500 destinations. Also after opening of the account, cardmembers get a single-day ClubAcela® pass for access to ClubAcela, Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge or First class lounges.
Annual bonus: Each year, including the first year, cardmembers get a complimentary Companion Coupon and One-Class Upgrade.
APR: Variable in the 13.24% – 23.24% range, based on your creditworthiness.
Annual fee: It’s $79, and we think it’s worth the money for frequent Amtrak travelers.
Costs
- 13.24% – 23.24% Variable APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers
- 3% Balance Transfer Fee (minimum $10)
- 0% Foreign Transaction Fee
- $79 Annual Fee
At Bank of America’s secure website
Pros
- Sign-up bonus alone is worth more than the annual fee – you can use it to buy a ticket to pretty much any Amtrak destination.
- Annual bonus, again, justifies the annual fee – the companion ticket could easily cost more than $100. And you also get a one-class class upgrade every year.
- No foreign transaction fee – makes this card suitable to be used even while travelling to other countries.
Cons
- Limited redemption options – this card should not be the only travel-focused card you own. Nevertheless, it’s useful if you frequently take the Amtrak.
- No introductory APR rate – and since the card doesn’t have a high APR (for a travel-focused card, depending on your creditworthiness), it could be useful to see it there. Just to further sweeten the deal.
Is This The Card For You?
As I said it multiple times, if you frequently take the Amtrak, the answer is obviously – YES. You will save by using this card and earn rides along the way. Let’s not forget the included sign-up and annual bonuses that make for a that much better offer. Also, this card can be freely used in other countries where you won’t have to pay an additional 3% (or so) for every transaction. Check it out.
