Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard

The Preferred version is for regular Amtrak riders, and its yearly perks are what justify the $99 annual fee: a round-trip companion coupon, a one-class upgrade coupon, and a single-day station lounge pass, all issued when you open the account and again on each anniversary. It earns 3 points per dollar on Amtrak, 2 points on dining, travel, and other transit including rideshare, and 1 point on everything else, with 20% back on onboard food and drink and 5% of points returned when you redeem for Amtrak travel. The welcome offer recently fell from 30,000 to 25,000 points after $1,500 in spending in the first three billing cycles, plus 5,000 for adding an authorized user. Frequent riders chasing status also get 1,000 Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 in purchases. The catch is that nearly all of the value depends on using the companion coupon and riding Amtrak often, so if a train trip is rare for you, the no-fee version or a general travel card is the better fit.