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. They are also available at various other retailers.
Be aware that several Facebook scams purporting to offer Amtrak gift cards are circulating. The article provides more information about how the scam works and provides 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 onto the card varies by vendor.
- Some physical cards come in sets of a specific number.
- 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 send physical cards through the mail.
- 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 you can do that with a gift card.
Sometimes, they can be a good gift for yourself because you can use them to save up for a trip. That way, you have to spend that money on travel.
Amtrak gift cards have improved significantly in usability since I started using them, as they are now more flexible.
In the past, gift certificates were available 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 they were lost.
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.
Be aware that Amtrak and Amtrak Vacations are separate entities, and transfers between them are not possible. Be careful when purchasing gift cards so recipients receive 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 with a personal message, free of charge, 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 ecard can be a thoughtful gift if your traveler has a specific route in mind.
When you purchase an e-gift card from Amtrak, the recipient will receive a digital copy of the Amtrak-branded gift card via 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 does not run deals on these cards (or at least I have not seen any), but there are a few ways to save.
If you have a Target Circle Card, you receive 5% off when you use it at checkout, including both physical cards bought in-store and digital cards purchased online. Sometimes, stores offer gift card deals, so be sure to keep an eye out for them. If you use your Amtrak Credit Card, you can earn points when purchasing travel for others.
Where can you use Amtrak Gift Cards?
Amtrak gift cards are valid only for Amtrak travel and can be used for ticket purchases online, in person, or by phone. Currently, gift cards cannot be used for onboard purchases, and it is uncertain whether they can be used at Amtrak ticket machines.
Currently, gift cards cannot be used for onboard purchases, and it is unclear whether they can be used 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 is not a good option 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 are already there waiting for you!
If you store them electronically, you may be unable to use them at stations. You can also visit the Amtrak website to check your gift card balance. To do so, visit this page.
Amtrak may restrict the number of Amtrak Gift Cards you can use at once to purchase tickets.
One of my readers recently told me that you can only use 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 were unable to do so, which leads me to believe 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 faux Amtrak page states that this offer is only valid for US residents. Still, when I examined the individuals who claim to have won, it was apparent that they were not US residents, despite having active, verified profiles.
Often, the people “leaving reviews” abandon their Facebook profiles.
If a gift card deal were a legitimate offer, 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 the traveler in your life enjoys riding the rails, these cards will be 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!
Kev
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Kev
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