Spend a Month Seeing America on a Train for $400
Spring has officially begun, and if that makes you want to get out and explore, you’re not alone. But with gas prices continuing to rise, traveling might not be the most economical way to do it right now.
But from now until Tuesday, March 29, you can get Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass, which gives you 30 days of train travel, for $399. Here’s what you need to know.
How the Amtrak USA Rail Pass works
So what do you get for $399 (other than $100 off the regular price)? The USA Rail Pass is valid for 10 train journeys (officially called “segments”) within 30 days, allowing you to travel between more than 500 Amtrak destinations. But there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Travel segments
First, every time you get on and off a train (or bus or Amtrak shuttle), it counts as a “segment”, including transfers. So, if you want to travel from New York to Springfield, Illinois, for example, you would have to change trains in Chicago, which would make the trip two segments.
Best before date
You must use your USA Rail Pass within 120 days of purchasing it. This means that the last time you can travel by rail is 90 days after you purchase it. The 30-day pass period starts from the day you first travel.
Ticketing
The USA Rail Pass is not a ticket in and of itself. You can’t just hop on a train and present your ticket to the conductor: you must have a ticket and a reservation for every train you board. Not only that, you also need to confirm each leg of your trip (train and date) on the Amtrak website or app or with an agent before you travel. Although friends and family are allowed to travel together, each person must have their own USA Rail Pass and book seats separately.
The railway pass includes only regular seats in carriages. If you want to treat yourself to an upgrade to business class or a sleeping car, you’ll have to pay for it separately. Another hidden part: you are only allowed to book Saver and Value fares with a train pass, even if the segment only offers flexible fares.
Other restrictions
If you plan to travel back and forth between two cities, be aware that this will only work twice: The USA Rail Pass can only be used for two round trips (four one way trips) between the same two stations. – together with all intermediate points of the route.
There are also some route restrictions. The USA Rail Pass is not valid for the following Amtrak services:
- Asela
- road train
- Maple Leaf (Canadian stations only)
- Thruway Buses 7000-7999 Series
You can find the rest of the fine print here .