Do you have to buy a train ticket before boarding?

In most circumstances, you must purchase a ticket before you board a train. Most trains require reservations and you should not board reserved trains without a reservation. Passengers who do so are not guaranteed a seat and may be instructed to get off the train at the next station stop.



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You can purchase tickets in person at any staffed Amtrak station. At most staffed stations, we accept Amtrak gift cards, credit cards, and debit cards with a credit card logo.

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Higher fares usually apply when purchasing tickets onboard the train. To secure the best available fare, passengers should purchase tickets prior to boarding the train.

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Reserve Early The earlier you book your tickets, the more likely you are to get the lowest fare available for the dates you want on the routes along your journey. You may book your travel up to 11 months in advance.

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Getting Your Ticket
  1. You'll receive your eTicket as a PDF attachment to your emailed receipt. You can even retrieve your eTicket in the app.
  2. Open the eTicket PDF on your mobile device. You can even print your eTicket before arriving at the station.
  3. Simply show the eTicket barcode and your ID to the conductor.


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Is it okay if we book 30 days ahead ? In general it is cheaper to book long distance trains ahead of time - 10 to 12 weeks is when cheap (but inflexible) tickets are released for sale. At 30 days on most routes there would be a reasonable selection still on sale if you are not too choosy about times.

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Some trains require them. A reservation is good for a specific seat in a specific car, on a specific train on a specific date between 2 cities. Seat reservations aren't always necessary, if you don't like to plan ahead, but be prepared not to have a seat on a crowded train.

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Show Your eTicket Open the eTicket on your mobile device and show the barcode to the conductor. You can even print your eTicket before you arrive at the station.

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Yes. You can show your E-Ticket directly to the driver on your smartphone or device when boarding. This is the quickest and easiest way.

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Open the eTicket PDF on your mobile device. You can even print your eTicket before arriving at the station. Simply show the eTicket barcode and your ID to the conductor.

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Players start with 1 locomotive card and 7 other random train cards in their hands. Players are also dealt 6 destination tickets of which they must keep at least 1. The destination tickets have 1 to 5 colored dots which match the colors of the train cards.

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There are no restrictions on the time of day you can travel with an Anytime ticket, meaning you can board a train during Peak, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak hours.

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