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Amtrak operates more than 300 commuter and passenger trains every day in 46 U.S. states. If you drive a lot, whether on a daily business trip or a long-distance adventure, the Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® can help keep your fares down and keep you on track.

Despite the $79 annual fee, the Bank of America®-issued card offers Amtrak regulars great rewards and a host of great perks (including a matching coupon) that easily offset the fee.

However, if you don’t join often, it may take a while to earn a lot of points – in which case a general rewards credit card might make more sense.

Here are five things you should know about the Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard®.

1. Amtrak and other payouts deserve rewards

The Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® is not a cash back card. Instead, it earns Amtrak Guest Rewards points at the following rates:

Earn 3 points per dollar spent on Amtrak travel, including in-car purchases.

Earn 2 points per dollar on eligible non-Amtrak travel purchases, including but not limited to airlines, hotels, car rentals, and commuter and passenger trains.

1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

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If you’re an Amtrak frequent flyer, the 3X category alone can help you accrue rewards with ease. The 2X category means that even most of your non-Amtrak-related travel expenses will be reimbursed at a higher rate.

But non-travel expenses will only set you back 1x. Many other travel credit cards have bonus rewards in everyday spending categories like groceries, meals, or gas, which can help you earn points faster.

2. Provide a wealth of exclusive benefits and benefits

Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® offers rewards over the $79 annual fee, including the following:

unique benefits

A single Amtrak lounge pass worth up to $25. This allows access to ClubAcela, Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge or Amtrak First Class Lounge. It applies to the owner and one guest or the owner’s spouse/common-law partner and children under the age of 21.

continuing allowance

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20% off Amtrak Food & Beverage Credit.

5% points discount when redeeming Amtrak travel points. (Exchange 100 points for an Amtrak ticket and expect to return 5 points.)

Annually updated allowance

Companion Coupon when opening an account and renewing your card annually – worth up to $300 when redeemed for Amtrak travel. That alone offsets the card’s $79 annual fee. Note that this is similar to a buy-one-get-one-free deal, which means you have to buy a full-price train ticket first. (Benefit includes two one-way coupons; you and your companion must book and travel together.) Blackout dates apply.

Free one level upgrade upon account opening and annual account renewal. Up to $150 in value when redeemed for Amtrak travel. Blocking dates apply here as well.

Earn 1,000 Tier Qualification Points, or TQPs, when you spend $5,000 up to four times per year in a calendar year. If you have a certain amount of TQP, you can get elite status, which can give you 25% to 100% bonus points.

Annually updated allowance

Companion Coupon at Account Opening and Annual Card Renewal – Redeem up to $300 value on Amtrak travel. That alone offsets the card’s $79 annual fee. Note that this is similar to a buy-one-get-one-free deal, which means you have to buy a full-price train ticket first. (Benefit includes two one-way coupons; you and your companion must book and travel together.) Blackout dates apply.

Free one level upgrade upon account opening and annual account renewal. Up to $150 in value when redeemed for Amtrak travel. Blocking dates apply here as well.

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Earn 1,000 Tier Qualification Points, or TQPs, when you spend $5,000 up to four times per year in a calendar year. If you have a certain amount of TQP, you can get elite status, which can give you 25% to 100% bonus points.

But on the Acela train, things are a little different. A business class seat on the same route on the same day also costs $183, but you’ll need 10,843 points to pay that price. This gives a redemption value of about 1.68 cents per point.

That’s still pretty good, and still some decent savings. But it all depends on the type of train you take, the fare, departure and arrival times, etc. Since there is no benchmark rating, you’ll need to do some math to know what kind of deal you’re getting.

Points will also be graded differently when redeemed for other options. For example, a $100 Disney gift card will cost you 12,000 points – each point is worth about 0.83 cents. Meanwhile, redeeming your points for car rentals may give you a value of 1 cent per point.

4. There are sign-up bonuses

Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® offers a great sign-up bonus: earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of account opening.

That’s certainly good, and probably covers some Amtrak itineraries. It’s worth noting, however, that many travel credit cards with similar or slightly higher annual fees tend to offer higher sign-up benefits.

There are even travel credit cards with no annual fee for similar value.

5. Amtrak offers a separate rewards card with no annual fee

Amtrak offers another co-branded credit card, the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Platinum Mastercard®, with a $0 annual fee. It is also issued by Bank of America® and is rewarded in the form of Amtrak Guest Rewards points, but at a lower price:

Earn 2 points per dollar spent on Amtrak travel, including in-car purchases.

1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

10% off Amtrak Dining Offers.

This card does not offer as many privileges and benefits as the Amtrak Guest Rewards® World Mastercard® and offers a smaller sign-up bonus of 12,000 points after you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of account opening.

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