I finally figured out why my train hop from Chicago to Denver cost me $50 more than my buddy's ticket

Turns out booking 3 weeks out vs 5 weeks out on the same Amtrak route makes a MASSIVE price swing, like almost double, and I only learned that after staring at my confirmation email vs his for 10 minutes - has anyone else found weird date tricks for Amtrak that save serious cash?

4 comments

4 Comments

cora51824d agoProlific Poster

Waited until the last minute for a New York to Montreal trip once and paid triple what my cousin paid two months out. Still stings when I think about it. Learned the hard way that Amtrak basically punishes you for being a spontaneous disaster like me. Tuesdays and Wednesdays seem to be cheaper too, for some reason nobody can explain. Guess the train gods just hate the folks who don't plan ahead.

williams.sage24d ago

Used to think booking early was just for tourists and control freaks. Then I had to take a last-minute trip to Boston from DC and paid nearly $200 for a seat that probably should have cost $60. That experience changed my whole view on it. Tuesdays and Wednesdays definitely seem cheaper too, maybe because everyone wants the weekend slots. Now I set calendar reminders three months out for anything longer than a few hours.

lilyp3724d ago

That paying triple for being spontaneous hits different" - yeah cora518, that's the Amtrak tax for living in the moment I guess. But honestly I've noticed this same pattern everywhere, not just trains. Car rentals, hotels, even concert tickets all do the same thing where planning ahead is basically a discount for being boring and responsible. It's like the whole economy is designed to punish people who don't have their life together three months in advance. Sometimes I wonder if the prices are just made up based on how desperate you look when you book.

paige33124d ago

Notice that same pattern creeping into everyday stuff now too like grocery delivery and even parking apps where if you book a spot right when you need it, it costs way more than reserving days ahead. It feels like everything is turning into airline pricing where they just watch how bad you need something and crank up the numbers accordingly. Makes me wonder if we're all just getting charged based on how much stress we're showing at the moment of purchase lol. Even stuff like oil changes and doctor appointments have that early bird discount vibe now where being organized saves you real cash.