Americans are catching on to the benefits of traveling by rail instead of by air, and AmTrak's perks are quickly seeming to outweigh all the hassle and cost of traveling with an airline.
The popular railway is beloved for many reasons, but those who know about AmTrak's BidUp tool are loyalists to the train. First launched in 2021, the online marketplace for seat upgrades is available on nearly every route, and offers travelers a lower-cost way to obtain premium seats closer to their travel time.
Here's how it works: Four days before your scheduled departure (enable push notifications on your AmTrak app to be notified when bidding opens), check your eligibility to see if any premium seats, including business-class seats, Acela first-class seats, roomettes and bedrooms, are available. If so, you can bid on your desired seat based on a range that AmTrak sets, which is typically less than the upgrade initially cost since they are trying to fill the seats. If multiple upgrades are offered on your route, you can also make multiple bids. And if you change your mind, you can cancel the upgrade.
Winning bids are awarded 1 to 2 hours before scheduled departure for upgrades to Business Class or Acela First Class and upgrades to roomettes or bedrooms will be awarded approximately 36 hours before scheduled departure.
Though you can't use Amtrak Guest Rewards to bid (or use BidUp on reservations booked with rewards points, for now), members will still earn a 25-percent point bonus when upgrading to Business Class and a 50-percent point bonus for Acela First Class.