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Every so often Amtrak offers a “flash sale,” such as Northeast regional routes from $19 one-way. Amtrak is back with another one of these sales, this time, dubbed the “Amtrak Across America” sale.
Now through August 3, Amtrak is offering up to 30% off the standard coach fare on many of its routes. Although you have to book by Friday, you can score the low fares for travel from August 15, 2018, through February 28, 2019. As the sale’s name suggests, the discount is valid toward travel across the nation, so your best bet would be to head to Amtrak’s site and search for tickets to various destinations you’re interested in visiting. Routes that are part of the sale include the Empire Builder, Downeaster and the Missouri River Runner, among others. Do note that the sale is exclusively for one-way coach fares and that upgrades are not permitted.
Besides sometimes being quicker and cheaper than flying, Amtrak offers ample legroom, no middle seats and Wi-Fi on many of its trains. As a reminder, Amtrak recently implemented some changes (both positive and negative) to its offerings, such as Boar’s Head onboard menu items and less generous cancellation and refund policies.
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Chicago (CHI) to St. Louis (STL) in December for $13 one-way:
Seattle (SEA) to Vancouver (VAC) in October for $32 one-way:
Washington DC (WAS) to Pittsburgh (PGH) in November for $37 one-way:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Oakland (OKJ) in January 2019 for $39 one-way:
Washington DC (WAS) to Atlanta (ATL) in September for $88 one-way:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on train ticket purchases, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on all travel purchases), Citi ThankYou Premier (3x on all travel purchases) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing travel purchases.
Source: thepointsguy.com