Post #10 compliments of Mr. Deals…
Yup, you read it right folks. Mr. Deals acquired a travel status that Mrs. Deals is nowhere near touching. I am officially Select Status on Amtrak. Booyah!
When you finish laughing, let me tell you what this means to this guy. Bragging rights. Nothing else. Being married to Mrs. Deals all I get to hear about is how many hotel points or airline miles she has that I don’t have or how she has status on this or that and that because of her I’m getting free breakfast or some fancy upgraded room. But now, if Mrs. Deals wants an expert on train travel, Mr. Deals has become the man in the house.
Let’s talk for a second about what it’s like to get Select Status on Amtrak. Below you will see a picture of the lovely packet that is sent to the few of us that fall into this elite group.
The packet has a nice feel, it’s thick and you get a fancy card with your rewards number and a couple of luggage tags (can’t wait to put those bad boys on my travel bag).
Within this packet there are also a few sweet perks, let me tell you. They throw you a few ‘One-Class Upgrade Coupons.’ (Don’t all start commenting at once about how much you want these). And if you think having Admirals club access at an airport is sweet, how about a few Single-Day passes to ClubAcela!
In all seriousness, Amtrak travel is pretty solid and the points have helped us out in the past. I tend to do a fair bit of travel between New York City and Boston, and there’s no better way to go than the train. It’s consistently on time, the seats are pretty comfortable, and there’s a bunch of food options (I have a thing for getting a beer and a hot dog every time I’m on the train).
Having Select Status does have its benefits, the biggest being:
- 25% point bonus for every Amtrak trip you take (excluding bonus points)
- The ability to redeem points during blackout periods (this is great for times like Thanksgiving when train travel can get super expensive)
- A number of partner benefits with Hilton, Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, 1-800 Flowers and more.
And just like just about every other travel related company out there, Amtrak has a fair share of promotions. As a Select member, I thought it was only suitable that you hear about Amtrak related deals from me and not Mrs. Deals. Currently, there are a few going on (make sure to register first prior to travel):
- Take Three Get One Free: Take three roundtrips on Acela from January 4 through February 29, and earn a free Acela roundtrip for travel from July 4 through August 30; *Minimum spend of $90 per qualifying one-way trip required and a maximum of two roundtrips may be earned
- Take Two Get One Free: Take two roundtrips on the Northeast Regional between January 4 and February 29, 2012, and earn a free Northeast Regional roundtrip for travel from July 4 through August 30; *Minimum spend of $49 per qualifying one-way trip required and a maximum of two roundtrips may be earned
So, while Mrs. Deals is walking around boasting about her gold for life status on American, I’ll be enjoying my Select Status on Amtrak.  And for those of you that take Amtrak every so often, I recommend registering for their rewards program so you can celebrate like me: www.amtrakguestrewards.com.
Off to pop the champagne!
Previous Mr. Deals posts:
- Post #1: My Wife The Travel Blogger
- Post #2: When Mrs. Deals Forgets About Mr. Deals
- Post #3: Deals I’m Thankful For
- Post #4: The Influence of Mrs. Deals
- Post #5: Does Your Significant Other Hijack Your Work Trips?
- Post #6:Â The Spouse and Upgrades Debate
- Post #7:Â Middle Seats?! Really Mrs. Deals?
- Post #8: A Powerless Mrs. Deals
- Post #9: When Mrs. Deals Splurges
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Actually the Select upgrade coupons are pretty decent. I’ve used them to upgrade to first class on the Acela on trips between Philly and Boston. That’s a pretty good use of the coupon and Acela first class is very nice.
Status and no middle seats: congratulations!
Yea! Right. NE Corridor ONLY. Take an Amtrak trip west of the Mississippi and you’ll be singing a very different tune.
@Jim – I’m going to have to check out first class on the Acela. I’ll post about it after checking things out.
@aadvantagegeek – thanks!
@Cook – I have never taken Amtrak outside of the NE. Would love to learn more should it ever need to happen…
[…] As I listened to them more and more it dawned on me that Mrs. Deals has become a fixture in their social outing conversations. And what was scary was how amplified the discussion became with the presence of Mrs. Deals. I’d be lying if I said I was a bit disappointed no one was asking me for Amtrak travel advice! […]
[…] email telling me that I am now officially Platinum on AA (thanks for the applause). While gaining Select Status on Amtrak was a huge milestone, I do have to say this one takes the top honors now. Let me tell you the […]