Are you searching for the perfect gift for the traveler in your life? Or perhaps you want to save up for a trip and need a way to do so? Consider giving Amtrak Gift Cards! Available in both physical and digital formats, these gift cards make great presents for friends and family, or a treat for yourself. You can also buy them at other retailers.
Be aware that several Facebook scams offering Amtrak gift cards are circulating. The article explains how the scam works and covers the basics of Amtrak gift cards.
Amtrak Gift Card Basics
Here are the gift card basics:
- You can choose an amount up to $500.
- The minimum amount you can load varies by vendor.
- Some physical cards come in specific sets.
- There are no fees to get a gift card (outside of shipping)
- Cards never expire.
- You can receive an electronic card via email or have it emailed to someone else.
- You can mail physical cards.
- Redeem online, in the app, on the phone, or at a station.
Give the gift of Amtrak Gift Cards.
A great way to help travelers is to help them travel more, and a gift card is one way to do that.
Sometimes, they’re a good gift for yourself because you can use them to save up for a trip. That way, you spend the money on travel.
Amtrak gift cards have become much more useful since I started using them because they’re more flexible.
In the past, you could buy gift certificates only at Amtrak stations or by phone. You needed to either call or visit a staffed station to redeem them. Additionally, these certificates had cash value, which meant you would lose your money if you lost them.
Today, you can store gift cards in your Amtrak account and then use those credits, even if you no longer have the card.
Where Can You Buy Amtrak Gift Cards
You can purchase these cards in physical or digital format, whichever works best for you or the recipient.
Amtrak and Amtrak Vacations are distinct entities, and you can’t transfer gift cards between them. Choose the right gift card so recipients get what they need.
Physical Cards
Physical gift cards make great presents. You can include them with a greeting card or letter, or hand them to someone in person.
You can purchase physical gift cards from Amtrak or other vendors online. Amtrak can send your gift card, free of charge, with a personal message to you or your traveler. For an additional fee, Amtrak will expedite the shipping.
For those who prefer the traditional shopping experience, Amtrak gift cards are also available in select physical stores.
Places To Shop For Amtrak Gift Cards
A few places that sell Amtrak Gift Cards (these can change at any time)
Digital Gift Cards
Amtrak offers fun digital gift cards in different designs, including route-specific cards. An e-card can be a thoughtful gift if your traveler has a specific route in mind.
When you purchase an Amtrak e-gift card, the recipient will receive a digital copy of the Amtrak-branded gift card by email. While Target and other retailers can also send digital cards, the messages may vary based on each retailer’s policies and availability.
If you wish to send one my way, I don’t have any particular preferences.
How to get a discount on Amtrak Gift Cards
Who doesn’t like a good deal? Amtrak doesn’t run deals on these cards (or at least I haven’t seen any), but you can still save in a few ways.
If you have a Target Circle Card, you get 5% off at checkout, whether you buy physical cards in-store or digital cards online. Sometimes, stores offer gift card deals, so keep an eye out. With your Amtrak Credit Card, you can earn points when you purchase travel for others.
Where can you use Amtrak Gift Cards?
Amtrak gift cards are valid only for Amtrak travel and can be used to purchase tickets online, in person, or by phone. Currently, you can’t use gift cards for onboard purchases, and it is unclear whether you can use them at Amtrak ticket machines.
Gift cards cannot currently be used for onboard purchases, and it is unclear whether you can use them at Amtrak ticket machines.
What to do when you receive a gift card
If you purchase or receive a gift card, you can either save it in a “safe place” (which isn’t ideal for me) or store it in your Amtrak account.
To store them in your Amtrak account, log in and store them in the payment section. Then, when you are ready to book your next trip, they’ll be waiting for you.
If you store them electronically, you may be unable to use them at stations. You can also check your gift card balance on the Amtrak website. To do so, visit this page.
Amtrak may restrict how many Amtrak Gift Cards you can use at once to purchase tickets.
One of my readers recently told me you can use only a certain number of Amtrak gift cards per transaction. They tried to use eight at once but couldn’t, which makes me think you can use up to six per transaction. If you have more than six cards, you may need to book two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip ticket; round-trip tickets often aren’t a good deal.
They tried using eight at a time but couldn’t, which suggests you can use up to six per transaction.
If you have more than six cards, you may need to book two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip ticket; often, round-trip tickets aren’t a good deal.
Amtrak Gift Card social media scams
Buying Amtrak gift cards from Amtrak or an authorized retailer is a safe option.
However, some people take advantage of our desire for a good deal. Occasionally, I see ads on Facebook and other social media platforms that claim to offer Amtrak gift cards for $1 or less. Beware: these are scams!
These groups often aim to steal your personal information, credit card details, or scam you in some other way. So, it’s better to be cautious and avoid them. Amtrak does not sell gift cards for $1 or at any other reduced price.
What To Look For
You can check in a few ways. If they are running a contest, you will find it on the Amtrak website.
These sites will try to spoof Amtrak.com. One way to check whether the page is legit is to click the logo in the upper-left corner. This logo should take you to the Amtrak home page; if it doesn’t, you are not on Amtrak’s site.
Also, the train photos are often not of Amtrak trains, but stock photoshopped with Amtrak logos.
Doing a little digging can also raise red flags. For example, the fake Amtrak page says the offer is only valid for US residents. Still, when I looked at the people who claimed to have won, it was clear they weren’t US residents, even though they had active, verified profiles.
Often, the people “leaving reviews” abandon their Facebook profiles.
If a gift card deal were legitimate, I would share it with you on my email list. You can sign up for it at the bottom of this post.
Kev’s thoughts about Amtrak Gift Cards
I received a few Amtrak gift cards from friends, which were easy to use and give. Not long ago, Amtrak had a somewhat archaic paper gift certificate system, and you could only redeem them at staffed stations.
These new cards are more convenient and valuable for travelers.
If someone in your life enjoys riding the rails, these cards make a welcome gift! They are also excellent gifts for your favorite travel blogger (that’s me, right?)!
If you receive an Amtrak gift card and aren’t sure how to travel on Amtrak, fear not; I’ve got you covered!
Check out the Riding Amtrak Page as a starting point for your next Amtrak adventure. If you like what you see, you can follow my work in other ways. To stay informed about new stories, sign up for my email list below.
Safe Travels & Happy Planning!
Kev
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Kev
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