Amtrak Users Can Get Up To 60% Off With Group Travel Tickets
It’s hardly an outrageous statement to say that Amtrak is having a great start to 2025 regarding deals. With the price of coast-to-coast train vacations being slashed, the promotion of the Night Owl program across New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, and its roomette companion flash sale, offering a free fare for an additional rider, it’s never been more affordable to experience the US and Canada by rail.
However, for passengers who want to plan a cheap train trip with friends, the ticket prices just get even cheaper. With discounts of up to 60% up for grabs, this is an Amtrak travel hack that shouldn’t be missed. Let’s dive in and find out more!
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Passengers Can Save Up To 60% Using Amtrak Group Travel Tickets
Available for up to eight people, the savings get consistently better
If you and your friends or family are planning a train trip together, then you could save a lot of money on your tickets with Amtrak’s group travel tickets. Available for up to eight people traveling together, the discounts get bigger with the group size. What that looks like in practice is:
- Groups of 3 – 15% off all tickets
- Groups of 4 – 25% off all tickets
- Groups of 5 – 37% off all tickets
- Groups of 6 – 47% off all tickets
- Groups of 7 – 54% off all tickets
- Groups of 8 – 60% off all tickets
As this is a group ticket, it’s not available for just two people traveling together, unfortunately. If more than eight people are in your party, it might be better to split the party and get discounts or buy them in bulk and split the price evenly. You can get these discounts on most Coach fares and Acela Business tickets, but you can’t get the discounts on other Business Classes and Acela First Class.
There are a few other exceptions to the rule, including not being able to get group discounts on tickets for the Amtrak Hartford Line, Capitol Corridor, Hiawatha, Canadian section of the Maple Leaf, Canadian section of the Adirondack, Canadian section of Cascades, Pacific Surfliner, Valley Flyer, and 7000-8999 Thruways.
For example, if you go from New York City to Washington DC, one-way tickets start at $25. This is what those discounts would look like:
|
Number of People |
Total Cost |
Cost Per Person |
|
1 person |
$25 |
$25 |
|
2 people |
$50 |
$25 |
|
3 people |
$63.75 |
$21.25 |
|
4 people |
$75 |
$18.75 |
|
5 people |
$78.75 |
$15.75 |
|
6 people |
$80 |
$13.34 |
|
7 people |
$80 |
$11.43 |
|
8 people |
$80 |
$10 |
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Amtrak’s Auto Train Fares Start As Low As $95
Want to take your car from Virginia to Florida but don’t want to deal with the traffic? Well, the Amtrak Auto Train is cheaper than ever.
What Other Fare Discounts Are There On Amtrak?
There are so many concessionary rates to choose from
If you’re not traveling in a group, don’t worry; there are plenty of discounts you can take advantage of. The main ones that you can use across the Coach Class and Acela Business Class network include:
- Kids between 2-12 ride for 50% off
- Kids under two ride free
- Seniors get 10% off
- Military Personnel and Families get 10%
- Military Veterans get 10% off
- Students aged 17-24 get 15% off
- Passengers with disabilities get discounts on companion tickets
- Rail Passengers Association members get 10% off
- Federal government employees can get 5% on certain routes in the Northeast corridor
As with the group travel tickets, there are some exceptions, including any stops in Canada on the Maple Leaf route. You also can’t stack your discounts; for instance, if you’re a student in a group, you can’t get a double discount. You can access all of these discounts through the Amtrak website by going to the everyday discounts page and selecting the discount page that suits your needs. From there, you book your trains as normal.
For some discounts, including the Group Travel discount, you need to book either online or over the phone at least two days in advance. There are different terms for each discount group, so check online before you travel to see if you can just show an ID at the ticket office in person.
Can Passengers Still Get Amtrak Guest Rewards With Discount Tickets?
Earn those points no matter what!
One of the best things is the Amtrak Guest Reward program, which helps passengers save by building points for future trips, hotel stays, and even concerts. It’s completely free to sign up, so it’s well worth it if you book any train trips. Even if you purchase trips using group travel discounts, you’ll still be able to earn your guest rewards, making it a really convenient way of boosting your points balance.
If you’re booking the tickets, consider getting the co-branded reward credit card to earn up to 20,000 Amtrak bonus points by spending just $1,000 within the first three months. It’s worth mentioning that the group discounts don’t work on Amtrak Vacations, just the Amtrak rail website. So, if you’re looking at a coast-to-coast holiday, it won’t work, but if you’re boarding the two-day version of the California Zephyr, you’ll save a lot of money and earn many points.
In turn, you can use these points for trips or vacations of your own, including staying at a wide range of hotels worldwide. If you ride the rails, having one of these accounts is a complete no-brainer!
If you’re part of a group of 15 or more, you may be able to get more discounts on this page or by ringing 1-800-USA-1GRP.
So, whether planning a weekend away with friends or just a day trip with family members, you can save big with Amtrak’s group travel discounts. Just book at least two days in advance to secure those savings!
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