A few weeks ago I started thinking about summer vacation for myself and my kids. I thought, “Hey, why don’t I ride the train to visit Grandma?” We’ve never taken the train anywhere. With gas nearing $4 a gallon in my area, I thought the train my be a nice, frugal option. Especially since we have a local Amtrak station.
I went to the Amtrak site, filled in the dates we want to travel and was instantly shocked at the price! To my surprise, the prices I found were even higher than flying! So I began researching how I can save money riding the train this summer.
First, I found that certain groups always get discounts, this includes seniors (15% off fares), children are half price and AAA members get 10% off fares. Also, booking early (12 weeks early) or just before your trip can save you a ton of money.
According to USA Today, “Review Amtrak’s special ticket deals on the company website. Amtrak offers a rotating series of weekly discounts. These limited-time specials can save you big money on select routes.” USA Today also encourages people to “Join the Amtrak Guest Rewards program. This program lets travelers earn points toward free trips and travel perks, similar to frequent flying programs from airlines.” It’s really simple. All you have to do is show your member number with every ticket reservation to accumulate the points. The points start raking up.
Most of us know that if you fly earlier in the week you can get a cheaper ticket, so I wondered if this was true with trains as well.
According to MoneySpruce.com, it is cheaper to travel early in the week and on Saturday. Just by changing the dates of my travel I saved $150 with a lower rate!
“Amtrak fares are lowest on these days, and Amtrak advertises weekly specials that are available only on certain days with certain restrictions. If you can fight through some of the fine print, you can get these deals,” the site says.
Also, take a look at the Amtrack advertised specials which change frequently. If the other deals aren’t already enough, Amtrak has another page of advertised specials, Money Spruce explaines “These are often specials pertaining to certain routes or particular itineraries. If you check pack here now and then, you might find something relevant for your trip of choice.”
Right now, sign up for Amtrak emails and get deals delivered to your inbox!
“Learn about Amtrak discounts, promotions and fare sales on various train routes, destinations and special events in your area. Also, check out Amtrak SmartFares — you can save big every week with a 25% discount on one-way Amtrak fares for a variety of routes to many destinations around the country,” according to Amtrak.
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