What happened to Amtrak credit card?

Like many Amtrak® Guest Rewards® cardholders, I got a letter in the mail a few days ago saying that I would get a new card in the mail by October 23, 2022. The reason? Amtrak credit cards will no longer be issued by Bank of America (BofA). Instead, they will be issued by FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha).



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Cards are issued by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO®), pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated.

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Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard: Best for Amtrak loyalists. If you frequently use Amtrak, you're going to want to consider the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard®*.

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The $99-annual-fee Amtrak credit card features a limited-time welcome offer: Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first three billing cycles (as of March 2023).

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Yes, Amtrak is taxpayer-funded. The company receives annual subsidies to keep it operating. Many of these subsidies are allocation amounts from legislation that seeks to improve transportation throughout the nation.

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Points will expire if your account has been inactive for more than 24 months (no points have been earned or redeemed during that time). From traveling on Amtrak® to beautiful destinations across the U.S. to earning points on shopping, check out the many ways to keep your Amtrak Guest Rewards account active.

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As far as travel rewards points go, this is pretty exceptional value for those who enjoy taking Amtrak trains. Depending on how you choose to redeem your points, the 50,000-point welcome bonus would be worth between $1,100 and $1,400 in Amtrak tickets!

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Amtrak credit cards will no longer be issued by Bank of America (BofA). Instead, they will be issued by FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha). This isn't the first time the cards have changed issuers. A few years ago, a similar change happened when Amtrak switched from Chase to BofA.

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It was supposed to become self-supporting after a transition period, but it has never earned a profit and it consumed more than $50 billion in federal subsidies over five decades to 2020. In fiscal year 2021, Amtrak had revenues of $2.1 billion, expenses of $4.1 billion, and a loss of $2.0 billion.

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Amtrak tickets tend to be higher than air fares if you book a roomette or bedroom as the price includes meals and private accommodations. However, Amtrak coach seats are often cheaper than coach seats on a plane, especially if you purchase tickets in advance.

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Many of the lines don't make any money or are operated at a loss. To accommodate the money-losing routes, Amtrak uses profits from its popular lines, such as the Northeast Corridor. Since this is one of the most popular routes, Amtrak can charge higher prices and send those profits to other, less profitable lines.

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Amtrak does, in fact, offer scenic, luxury rail journeys to top locations across the U.S., especially if you are looking for some vacation deals.

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Quick and Green Travel Skip the buses and traffic on the road and instead treat yourself to spacious and comfortable seating, access to the Café Car and Quiet Car and many more thoughtful amenities onboard the train. Rail travel is at the head of the class when it comes to eco-friendly travel.

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Amtrak points are worth more than most other reward currencies, with each point worth about 2.9c toward most train fares (or 2.56 on Acela fares). That means that the 40K offer on the Amtrak Rewards Preferred card will buy you well over $1,000 in train tickets (nearly $1200 on non-Acela service!).

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Amtrak points are worth 1.25 cents each, on average. That means 10,000 Amtrak points have a value of roughly $125. Amtrak points are more valuable than the average travel miles, which are worth almost 1.17 cents each. It's important to remember that the value of Amtrak points depends on how they are redeemed.

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