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Amtrack Relaunches Guest Rewards Mastercards with FNBO
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Those who prefer to travel by train may be interested in a pair of rewards credit cards that are once again available. Today, Amtrak announced the arrival of two options: the Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard and the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard. Both products are now being issued by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) after previously being offered by Bank of America.
Starting with the no-annual-fee Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard, the card earns 2 points per dollar spent on Amtrak travel purchases (including onboard purchases) as well as 2x on dining purchases. All other purchases earn 1x. As for other benefits, cardholders will receive a 10% rebate on food and beverage purchases. The card also doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees.
Moving onto the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard, the $99 annual fee (which is not waived for the first year) unlocks plenty of additional rewards and perks for cardholders. First, the Preferred card earns 3x on Amtrak purchases plus 2x on dining purchases and 2x on other travel purchases, including transit and rideshare. Once again, all other purchases earn 1 point per dollar spent.
Similar to the regular Guest Rewards card, the Preferred also features an onboard food and beverage rebate, but it is increased to 20%. Additionally, when customers use points to book their Amtrak travel, they’ll earn a 5% point rebate. In terms of other benefits, upon account opening and card anniversary, cardholders will earn a round-trip companion coupon, a one-class upgrade, and a station lounge pass. Finally, cardholders can earn 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 in purchases they make with the card, putting them closer to tier status.
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Notably, points earned can only be redeemed via the Amtrak Guest Rewards program. However, the program not only includes Amtrak travel but also features dining gift card options, hotel stay redemptions, and more. Points earned do not expire as long as the cardholders keep their account open.
With this relaunch, both cards are currently offering a special welcome bonus. Currently, new cardholders who are approved for the Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard can earn 12,000 points when they make $1,000 in purchases on the card within their first three billing cycles. Meanwhile, those who are approved for the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard can earn 30,000 points after making $1,000 in purchases on the card within the first three billing cycles. This enhanced offer is currently set to expire on December 2nd, 2022.
As one might expect, both of these Amtrak Guest Rewards cards are aimed specifically at those who take Amtrak with some frequency — and would likely not be very beneficial to those outside of that group. On that note, if you are a regular Amtrak traveler, the Preferred version of the card seems to be a better bet given the slew of additional benefits it offers for its modest $99 annual fee. To learn more about either of these cards, you can check out Amtrak’s site.
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