Bilt Adds Amtrak Guest Rewards Transfer Partner at 2:1

Bilt has added another transfer partner, and I definitely didn’t see it coming: Amtrak Guest Rewards.

Bilt Points can now be transferred directly to Amtrak Guest Rewards at a 2:1 ratio.

That means:

• 1,000 Bilt Points = 500 Amtrak Guest Rewards points
• 10,000 Bilt Points = 5,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards points

Why 2:1? Same reason as why Accor is never 1:1.

Amtrak points are worth around 2.5 cents each toward Amtrak travel, so you’re getting roughly 1.25 cents of Amtrak value per Bilt Point at the average redemption value. But you can do much, much better depending on how you redeem.

More importantly, Bilt is now the only transferable points program that transfers directly to Amtrak Guest Rewards.

You can see Amtrak alongside Bilt’s other transfer partners in the YBCC Transfer Partner Matrix.

Bilt to Amtrak Transfers at 2:1

Amtrak doesn’t use a traditional award chart. The number of points required for a train ticket generally follows the cash price pretty closely, with Amtrak points typically worth around 2.5 to 2.7 cents each.

So this isn’t the kind of program where you’re generally going to get outsized value.

That said, there are some very good uses for Amtrak Guest Rewards points.

Best Uses of Amtrak Guest Rewards Points

Acela on the Northeast Corridor: Routes like New York to Washington, New York to Boston and Washington to Boston can get expensive, especially when you’re booking closer to departure. Amtrak points generally maintain their value as the cash fare rises, so having points available can save you from laying out a lot of cash for an expensive Acela ticket. At the same time, those tend to be lower value redemptions – so always check the math and make sure you are getting at least 2.5 cpp or more (unless maybe Bilt runs a transfer bonus at some point??)

Acela Business Class to First Class upgrades: This can be a definite sweet spot. Amtrak sells a one-class upgrade coupon for 2,500 Amtrak points. On Acela, that means you can book Business Class and upgrade to First Class, subject to availability, within 12 hours of departure. First Class gets you a better seat, meal and drink service, among other benefits. Depending on the cash difference between Business and First, this can be a very good use of 2,500 points. They say redeeming the award isn’t instant but it has been for me. The 12 hour window can make it tough to get a good seat, though. 

Of course you can also upgrade any non-Acela train to Business Class.

In both cases, these can be worth more than 5 cents per in value and are probably my top sweet spot.

At the 2:1 Bilt transfer ratio, you’d need 5,000 Bilt Points for one of those upgrade certificates.

Long-distance sleeper trains: Think the California Zephyr from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area, the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle or Portland, or the Coast Starlight between Los Angeles and Seattle. Roomettes and bedrooms can cost a lot of money, and meals are included with sleeper accommodations. The points price generally follows the cash price, but this can still be a great place to use a large Amtrak balance rather than spending four figures on the trip.

Auto Train: Amtrak’s Auto Train between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida is another potentially useful redemption. You can use points toward both your own travel and transporting your vehicle, which can make this a particularly handy option if you’d otherwise be paying a large cash fare.

Amtrak Metropolitan Lounges: A single-visit lounge pass costs just 1,500 Amtrak points. Amtrak currently charges $35 for a single visit at most Metropolitan Lounges and $50 at the excellent lounge inside New York’s Moynihan Train Hall.

The latter is obviously the way to get value – and it’s actually really nice!

Using 1,500 points instead of paying $50 in New York works out to more than 3.3 cents per Amtrak point. That’s actually better than the normal value you’d get redeeming for a train ticket thanks to the revenue based pricing.

Reward travel itself starts at just 400 points, so this new Bilt partnership also gives you a way to top off an account when you’re just a little short for a ticket. To me that’s probably the second best thing about this partnership…. 

And the best?

An Easy Way to Keep Amtrak Points From Expiring

This may be one of the most useful parts of Amtrak becoming a transfer partner.

Amtrak Guest Rewards points expire after 24 months of inactivity.

Your account stays active as long as you’re earning or redeeming Amtrak points during that period.

Until now, if you had an Amtrak balance sitting around, there wasn’t a transferable credit card currency you could simply move points from when you needed to top it up. And while they used to have easy paths to extend like eShopping, they aer all gone as of a few years ago. I think that the one time survey thing is all that is left and it’s one time only.

Now there is an easy way to extend.

So even if you don’t think transferring Bilt Points to Amtrak at 2:1 is something you’d normally do, having the option to move a small amount into Amtrak can be extremely useful when you have an existing balance approaching expiration.

That’s a much better outcome than watching your Amtrak points expire.

Current Bilt Transfer Partners

A truly impressive list.

Bottom Line

I’m happy to see Bilt add Amtrak Guest Rewards.

I wouldn’t move a large Bilt balance to Amtrak speculatively at a 2:1 ratio. Bilt has too many valuable 1:1 airline and hotel transfer partners for that.

But Amtrak points themselves are valuable, there are some great uses like Acela First Class upgrades and lounge passes, and Bilt is now the only transferable points currency with a path into Amtrak Guest Rewards.

And if you’ve got Amtrak points approaching their 24-month expiration date, this could be especially useful.

Links to Apply

We have all three cards on Your Best Credit Cards:

• Bilt Palladium (Rates and Fees)
• Bilt Obsidian (Rates and Fees) 
• Bilt Blue (Rates and Fees)

The Bilt Palladium has an offer to earn 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 3 months + $300 of Bilt Cash. Subject to approval.

Thoughts?

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