Travel Deal: Buy One, Get One Free Amtrak Tickets

The Valentine’s Day travel deals keep coming — and they’re making it cheaper for you to take a lover or a buddy on your next trip. Amtrak is joining the deals train with a BOGO promotion that isn’t bogged down in fine print.

When you buy one train fare between Feb. 13 and Feb. 17, 2020, you’ll get a second fare for free. Here’s what we love about this Valentine’s Day offer.

Flexible travel dates

Unlike Alaska Airlines’ now-expired BOGO Leap Day deal for only two upcoming travel dates, this Amtrak offer is good on a wide variety of dates. You can get a free ticket on trips between March 9 and Aug. 30, 2020. That’s nearly six months of availability, and it covers some popular travel periods like spring break and summer.

» Learn more: How to book a spring break trip with miles and points

Experience Acela business class if you want

Maximizing this deal means getting more expensive tickets for free. When there’s availability, you could use this promotion to get more premium fares, like business class on the Acela line.

The experience varies depending on train and route, but passengers will usually get more legroom and complimentary drinks (the nonalcoholic kind; this isn’t like flying first class).

If you’re a member of the company’s loyalty program, Amtrak Guest Rewards, you’ll also earn a 25% points bonus for traveling business class.

When we checked, you could get two business class tickets on the high-speed Acela train between Washington, D.C., and New York City for $183 (or $315 for the more flexible fare).

That’s $91.50 per person, which is less than the normal price for one reserved coach class ticket at the same time and day on the Northeast Regional train, which travels the same route. The round-trip travel time on a Northeast Regional train takes about an hour and a half longer than the Acela, too.

» Learn more: How to use travel rewards to afford first class

Great destinations

If you thought Amtrak traveled only up and down the East Coast, think again. There are tons of incredible deals on routes throughout Amtrak’s vast network.

Taking the train between St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, could be as low as $36 for two. You could go up or down almost the entire length of the West Coast between Los Angeles and Seattle for less than $70 per person.

San Francisco to Denver, or vice versa, starts at $149 for two. You can even avoid I-85 and take the train between Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, for $54. Or get out of Boston and see the beauty of Maine for less than $15 each.

As you can see, this deal isn’t super limited destination-wise. You just can’t use it on the Auto Train, or unreserved service like on the Pacific Surfliner.

The bottom line

Traveling by plane or car can be stressful. With this deal, you can show your Valentine an easy, more relaxed way to go for half the price. The wide availability on routes and dates makes this deal certainly worth looking into for spring and summer travel.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2020, including those best for:

• Airline miles and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• No annual fee: Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card

• Flat-rate rewards with no annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

• Premium travel rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

• Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

• Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card