Amtrak Guide: How to Buy an Amtrak Ticket Plus My Insider Tips

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Whether you want to book one of several cross-country trips on Amtrak trains or simply a short train ride from Orlando, Florida, to Charleston, North Carolina, buying an Amtrak train ticket is easy.

There are generally three different ways to purchase a ticket. This article covers all three ticketing options and includes some insider tips I’ve learned over the years.

How to Buy an Amtrak Ticket

There are three ways to reserve and buy an Amtrak ticket. It all depends on your comfort level and patience. I do a combination of the first two ways. Then, I’m fairly knowledgeable and know what I should ask and confirm with the Amtrak reservation agent by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.

Buy an Amtrak Ticket Online

The easiest way is to buy your Amtrak ticket online, especially if you know precisely where your intended train stations are.

First, go to Amtrak.com. Then type in the two cities you want to travel from and to and the date of travel, and then press Find Trains.

What appears next is a list of several train schedules (routes) that will get you to your destination as quickly as possible. From here, you can select the type of coach seat and ticket fare you’d like or choose a sleeping accommodation.

INSIDER TIP:  Before you click Find Trains, click on the arrow below Traveler – Adult. Here, you’ll find several discounted fares offered: Senior, Passenger with Disability, Companion (to assist), Rail Passengers Association, Military (Active), and Military (Veteran). Be sure to get any discount to which you are entitled.

There is also a space in the lower left corner of the booking box to enter a discount or promo code.

After you buy your Amtrak ticket online, you will receive an email with your e-ticket. The email will have a bar code on it. Save the email.

When you check-in, the person at the train station will scan the bar code. Once you board the train, the conductor will also ask to see the email with your e-ticket.

You can print the ticket or save it on your phone, and the conductor will scan it from the email.

Buy an Amtrak Ticket Over the Phone

I prefer to buy Amtrak tickets over the phone. I usually have a couple of questions to ask the agent, and I want to choose my specific sleeping compartment.

To book your train over the phone, call 1-800-USA-RAIL or 1-800-872-7245. Here’s where it gets fun…at least for me.

When the automated voice of “Julie” answers, you should reply, “Agent.” That’s it.  Nothing else.  The voice will ask two more questions. Only reply “Agent” to each question. Nothing more.

While your hold time may vary, it’s usually only a few minutes before you have a real, live person to help you plan your trip.

And if you happen to get what I like to call an “old timer” (that’s what long-time reservation agents call themselves) this person will know all the ins and outs of booking an Amtrak trip.
Phone lines are open 24 hours, seven days a week, and on holidays.

Buy Your Ticket with Amtrak Guest Reward Points

First, you have to join the Amtrak Guest Rewards points program.  You can either “earn” points from Amtrak trips through Amtrak’s Guest Rewards shopping links or buy points when a good bonus points reward program is in progress.

Looking at earlier photo above, you’ll see the option to select Book With Points.  It’s right next to Find Trains.

Enter all the usual travel parameters, and instead of clicking the button for Dollars, tick the Points button.  The next screen will tell you how many points you need for that route. You can add sleeping accommodations, too.

Then, you can compare and decide which to use: points or dollars.  You can also purchase additional points online and apply them to your new reservation.

Just added is the ability to combine points with cash!

Call the Amtrak Guest Rewards desk (or ask to be transferred if you call general reservations).  Someone there can walk you through your purchase and new train reservation.

What you can’t do is buy an Amtrak ticket online using points if it’s more than one route.  For example, Orlando to Washington to Chicago is two routes.

You’d have to buy each segment separately to use Amtrak Guest Reward Points.
If this is too daunting, call Amtrak Guest Rewards at 1-800-307-5000 and speak with someone who can combine two routes to buy with points.

Book with Amtrak Vacations

Amtrak Vacations is the third option. I haven’t tried them, but I know the company. This independent travel agency has a contract with the government to sell Amtrak.

Unlike a “regular” travel agency, they only sell Amtrak and are experts in putting together package train deals.

If you have a complicated reservation with many stops along the way, it might help to contact them or at least get their price.

BONUS! Tips and Tricks to Book an Amtrak Ticket

I’ve been riding Amtrak since before it was Amtrak (1971).  I’ve gotten a little smarter along the way and hope these train booking tips are helpful.

• You decide to phone Amtrak to make your reservation.  If, for some reason, you don’t feel confident in the person who answers, you can either ask for a supervisor or politely hang up and call back.  It’s worth it.
• If you’re taking the train on particularly scenic routes and you have a sleeping compartment, ask the train reservation person to tell you your accommodation location.  For example, on the California Zephyr going west from Chicago, I prefer my sleeping compartment on the side of the Colorado River, so be on the left side going westbound, to follow the river. Some people prefer to be on the right side of the westbound Zephyr for a better view of Ruby Canyon.
• If you are in coach and, for example, traveling north or south on the Coast Starlight or Amtrak Cascades from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR, ask the station agent to reserve your seat on the water side.
• On the Superliner (double-decker) train, Deluxe Bedroom E is smaller than the others and getting into the bathroom is a little tricky.  See the diagram below.  Bedroom E is the one at the end of the car.  Also, you can sometimes hear the door to the next car open and close.
• You may want something other than roomette 1 or 2 on the upstairs on a Superliner.  Though convenient to the coffee maker station and stairs, those two rooms are right next to or across from the upstairs bathroom.  It might be possible to hear people during the night using the bathroom.

Buying an Amtrak ticket doesn’t have to be complicated.  While there are several options to buy the ticket, it’s a short learning curve until you’re a pro.  Enjoy the journey!