Amtrak’s summer sale is here: The rail operator is offering up to 30% off coach and Acela business-class fares through August, with one-way coach fares starting at $14.
You must book by May 16 for travel from June 1 through Aug. 30.
Deal basics
Carrier: Amtrak
Routes: Across the Amtrak network
How to book: Directly through Amtrak
Travel dates: June 1-Aug. 30
Book by: May 16
Sample routes
The following one-way routes were priced as listed at the time of publication. We cannot guarantee the below will be available when you book:
- Boston to Providence, starting at $14 for coach and $46 for business class
- Philadelphia to Baltimore, starting at $21 for coach and $53 for business class
- Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, starting at $25 for coach and $60 for business class
- Washington, D.C., to New York, starting at $39 for coach and $84 for business class
- Los Angeles to Sacramento, starting at $60 for coach
- Chicago to New York, starting at $85 for coach
- Dallas to Los Angeles, starting at $100 for coach
Although this is advertised as a sale on one-way fares, you can stack two one-way fares for a round-trip journey. Based on a test search for this story, one-way sale fares were lower than marketed. For example, you can book an Acela from Washington, D.C., to New York June 10-13 for $126 round-trip; each one-way fare is on sale at $63.
Discounted fares will be noted with a green sale indicator at the top. You cannot make changes to tickets booked with a sale fare, and you’ll be charged a 50% fee for canceling before departure.
Sale fares are available to book with Amtrak Guest Rewards points.
Maximize your purchase
If you book this deal, use a credit card that earns bonus points on travel, such as:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 2 miles per dollar spent on everyday spending
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on all travel purchases
- American Express® Green Card: 3 points per dollar spent on travel
- Amtrak Guest Rewards® Mastercard®: 2 points per dollar spent on Amtrak travel
- Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard®: 3 points per dollar spent on Amtrak travel
The information for the Amex Green, Amtrak and Amtrak Preferred has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
If you want to book a last-minute trip this summer, this deal is valid for train travel for trips across the country. The availability is along the Northeast Corridor.
Related reading:
- The Jet vs. Amtrak: What is the best way to get between New York City and Washington, DC?
- Brief flight, Amtrak delays following NYC-area earthquake
- Amtrak Guest Rewards: How to earn and redeem points with train travel
- Amtrak boosts Northeast Regional service by more than a million seats annually
- The best credit cards for Amtrak and train travel
