(The Boston Globe published the following story by Keith Reed on its website on September 11.)
BOSTON — Amtrak is offering a free trip to New York or Washington, D.C., on its premier service as an incentive to members of its frequent traveler club.
The passenger rail line said yesterday that members of its Amtrak Guest Rewards club who book two full-price tickets to either New York or Washington, D.C., on its Acela Express trains between now and Dec. 22 will get a voucher for a free ticket. While free ticket offers to frequent riders are nothing new in the travel industry, Amtrak’s latest promotion marks another wrinkle in its strategy to boost ridership.
The first Guest Rewards promotion in 2001 offered double points, but only for Amtrak travel taken on the weekends. Since then, the company has increasingly been using the club as a marketing tool as the airlines do, offering better perks and loosening the rules to make them easier to get.
An Amtrak spokesman said the company has always viewed Guest Rewards as a vital marketing tool. But he conceded that in recent months, the railroad has been getting more aggressive in its use.
“There’s definitely a sweetening of the pot there,” said Dan Stessel, the spokesman. “The offers have gotten a little bit broader; they’ll appeal to a bit more people.”
Guest Rewards works like an airline’s frequent flier program. Instead of miles, passengers earn points which can be redeemed for free tickets, upgrades or discounts and other perks at Amtrak’s retail and hotel partners. The program has 600,000 members.
Under the most recent deal, Guest Rewards members who book two full-price, round trip tickets between either Boston and New York or Washington, D.C., on Acela Express or the cheaper regional coach trains get a free ticket to use on the same service. Qualifying trips must be taken by Dec. 22 and can be purchased through Amtrak’s website or its toll-free reservations number.
Round trip tickets between Boston and New York cost $198 on Acela; to Washington, D.C., the fare is $306.
The deal is the latest evolutionary step for Guest Rewards, a frequent traveler brand that has struggled to find its niche among higher profile airline and hotel loyalty programs.
“It took Amtrak a long time to figure out that `We’re not an airline, but we can do something on our own to add value,’ ” said Ross B. Capon, executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, a Washington, D.C., group that backs Amtrak.
Along with using more lucrative incentive promotions, in January, Amtrak made it easier to earn free trips on some of its lower ridership routes: 7,500 points gets you a free trip on the business class Acela Express, while only 1,500 points scores a business class ride on the Cascades, Pacific Surfliner, Capitols, San Joaquins, Hiawatha, and Downeaster routes. Before January, it took at least 2,500 points to get a free trip on any train.
While happy to hear about the new promotion, Irene C. Ross, the president of Ross Travel Consultants Inc. in Boston, said she always thought Guest Rewards worked just fine. The problem wasn’t in how Amtrak was promoting the club, but the fickle nature of some travelers.