The
Amtrak Credit Card is a good credit card to apply for if your credit score is
700 or higher and you use Amtrak to commute or you regularly travel by train on vacations or business trips. The card is worth its
$99 annual fee as long as you earn the initial bonus and take advantage of the card’s other perks.
You can get a companion pass, lounge access, and lots of rewards on purchases – just to name a few of the
Amtrak Credit Card’s benefits. What this card does not have is a low APR. You’ll need to pay your statement balance in full each month to prevent interest charges from derailing your savings.
What I Like About the Amtrak Credit Card
20,000-point initial bonus
You get
20,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 billing cycles . Those points are worth an average of
$368 in Amtrak tickets, according to our calculations. So, the number of points isn’t all that impressive, but the value you get for those points is surprisingly high.
1 - 3 points per $1 spent on purchases
The
Amtrak Credit Card gives you
3 points per $1 spent with Amtrak, including onboard purchases, 2 points per $1 spent on eligible travel purchases and on dining, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. If you redeem your points for Amtrak rides, any of these earning rates can get you a lot of value. But the bonus categories are where you’ll really rack up the savings, so use this card for those things as much as possible.
5% to 20% rebates
Cardholders get a 20% rebate on food and drinks purchased onboard Amtrak trains. That can add up to a lot if you have a big family or ride the rails often.
In addition, when you redeem the points you earn with this card for Amtrak travel, you get 5% of those points back. Again, the more you ride with Amtrak, the more this will save you.
Annual perks
When you get approved for the
Amtrak Credit Card, you get a round-trip companion ticket, allowing you to bring someone along with you on a round-trip journey for free. You also get a pass to the train station lounge and a class upgrade on a ticket.
The best part is, you’ll get all of that again after each account anniversary. This helps make the annual fee worth paying year after year.
Good user reviews
The
Amtrak Credit Card has a pretty good user rating on WalletHub, boasting mostly 4-star and 5-star reviews. That’s a good sign, and you can
read the reviews for more details.
What I Don’t Like About the Amtrak Credit Card
$99 annual fee
The
Amtrak Credit Card is about four times more expensive than the average credit card offer, according to
our research. That doesn’t mean it’s four time worse, however. Quite the contrary, actually. The fee just means you need to actually use the card and take advantage of its benefits to avoid losing money. Paying it can unlock some serious savings.
27.24% (V) APR
The
Amtrak Credit Card’s interest rate is much higher than average. So, if you get this card, make sure to pay your bill in full monthly. If you do, interest charges won’t accrue. If you don’t, this card could end up costing you money rather than helping you save it.
700+ credit score needed for high odds of approval
You need
good credit to qualify for this card, so we recommend applying if your score is
700 or higher. If you don’t know what your score is, you can
check it for free right here on WalletHub.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.
