The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (also known as Amtrak) is the nation’s national passenger railroad company. It provides inter-city rail service throughout 46 of the 48 states in the United States and three Canadian provinces. Amtrak is a combination of the words America (the former being a fantastic spelling of track) and Trak (the latter being a portmanteau).
Refund and Cancellation Policy
There are two options for cancelling your Amtrak reservation, subject to the following conditions:
- Refund in the original payment form
- To apply for future trips, get an E-Voucher.
To initiate the refund process, cancel your booking.
Paid Reservations
The following is the cancellation policy for paid reservations: one-way, roundtrip, or multi-city. Type of fare purchased. Amtrak fares can be grouped into the following categories: Value, Flex, Business, and Saver.
All Fares
If you cancel or change your payment within 24 hours, no matter how long it has been since purchase (within 1 hour for tickets on non-reserved services), we will refund 100% of the original payment.
“No Show” Policy: The ticket will be forfeited if it is not cancelled before the departure date. No points or funds can be used for future travel.
Save on Fares
Classes of Service: Acela Business Class, Coach on Reserved Services
- No Refunds: Not refundable for 24 hours after booking, but you may be eligible to receive a 75% non-refundable voucher.
- Modifications:25% Fee if the order is modified after 24 hours.
- Select Executive members get a waiver of the change fee.
- Upgrade coupons are not permitted.
Get Value Tickets
Class of Service: Coach on Unreserved and Reserved Services, Acela Business Class
- Refunds – Full refund of original payment, with no fees, if cancelled 15 days before departure. Cancellations less than 14 days prior to departure will be subject to a 25% fee. Unreserved tickets are subject to a 25% cancellation fee if cancelled within an hour of purchase.
- No change fees.
Flexible fare
Class of Service: Coach on Unreserved and Reserved Services, Acela Business Class
- Refunds – Full refund of original payment, with no fees, if cancelled before departure
- No change fees.
Business fare
Classes of Service: Business Class Non-Acela
- Refunds – Full refund of original payment, with no fees, if cancelled before departure
- No change fees.
First Class Tickets
Acela First Class is the Class of Service
- Refunds – Full refund of original payment, with no fees, if cancelled before departure
- No change fees.
Service Class: Private Rooms
- Refunds Full reimbursement to the original form of payment without any fees if cancelled 121 days before departure. Cancellations made between 120 and 15 days prior to departure will be subject to a 25% cancellation fee. Only refundable to non-refundable voucher within 14 days of departure.
- No change fees.
Cancellations and Modifications to Reward Ticket Tickets
This applies to tickets that are redeemed with Amtrak Guest Rewards points.
One-Way, round-trip, or multi-segment reward travel
- Cancellations: Any refund or deposit to the Member account will be subject to a 10% penalty. Cancelling non-room tickets within 24 hours of departure or private rooms tickets within 14 days of departure will result in a 10% penalty (waived by Select Executive and Select Plus members).
- Modifications Any fare difference will result in a 10% penalty and a points difference (to the new, prevailing fare). A 10% penalty will be applied to any modification to a non-room ticket made within 24 hours of departure or to a private ticket made within 14 days of departure. This is waived for Select Executive and Select Plus members.
Multi-Ride Reward Tickets (Six-Ride and Ten-Ride)
- Cancellations: Points will be refunded less a 10% penalty for points that are not used or expired. If the ticket has expired or is used for the first time, points are not refundable.
- Modifications A full exchange of point value will be made prior to the first ride. There will be no exchange of points value after the first ride, or expiry, whichever comes first.
Monthly Reward Travel
- Cancellations: Points will be refunded less a 10% penalty for cancellations made before the first day of a valid month. Redemptions are non-refundable after the first day of a valid month.
- Modifications No exchange of point value before the month is valid. No exchange of point value after the first day of a valid month.
Tickets for Multi-Ride
All multi-ride refunds are subject to a cancellation fee. If the multi-ride ticket was purchased with a tax-free transit subvention, refunds may be limited.
Monthly Ticket Refund Policy
| Refund Request Date | Refund | Exchange Value |
| Valid for one month only | Cancellation fee of less than 25% – Full refund | 75% |
| Day 1 to day 10 of the current month | 50% refund, less 25% cancellation fee | 50% Exchange Value, less 25% Cancellation Fee |
| After or on the 11th day of a valid month | Non-refundable | None |
Refund Policy for Ten-Ride and 6-Ride Tickets
| Number of rides (punches) taken | Refund | Exchange Value |
| None | Cancellation fee of less than 25% – Full refund | 75% |
| One or more | Non-refundable | None |
Multi-ride tickets available for other carriers
The carrier determines the refund policy for multi-ride tickets purchased by Amtrak for another carrier (such as MARC or Shore Line East).
Policies to Waive Illness
Amtrak will waive any refund or fare change policies that would normally apply to a change or cancellation if the passenger presents a doctor’s certificate. This waiver applies to all passengers in the affected passenger’s group.
Reservations made with gift cards
Credit will be issued to you if you pay with a gift certificate and want to cancel, modify, or downgrade your reservation. The type of fare you purchased will determine the type of e-Voucher that you receive. See the following for more information. Gift card Terms and Conditions.
Vehicles and add-on fees
The customer ticket to which the vehicle (automobiles or motorcycles) or add on (golf bags bikes, pets, pets) fee ticket was associated is the one that is subject to a refund policy. Ex: The private room policy applies to reservations that include a bedroom and an automobile on Auto Train.
Boarding late or leaving early, downgrading
If a customer board a train at another station, detrains at another station, or downgrades their accommodations on the train, there is no refund or exchange credit. A fare adjustment can only be obtained if the reservation is changed before the train leaves the original boarding station. If there is a disruption to service, this restriction will not be applied. Customers who have downgraded their accommodations will not be entitled to any refunds or adjustments after the train leaves.
Refund Calculations
Refund rules apply based on the departure time for the first segment of a trip. They are calculated based upon the total fare for each trip. A “trip” refers to a group of continuous travel.
One example: A booking Wilmington-Washington – Chicago – Seattle with same-day connections would be one trip.
If a trip is made up of multiple classes, the refund policy applies to the entire trip. It is determined based on which class of service is used first.
- Private rooms
- Acela First Class, and Non-Acela business class
- Flexible fare
- Get Value Tickets
- Acela Business Class and Coach on Reserved Services
- Save on Fares
- Advance Purchase Fare
- Unreserved Coaching
Example: A trip that includes coach service on a reserved basis and private rooms is subject to the private room policy.
How to get refunds
Amtrak.com and Amtrak Mobile App: Many tickets that were purchased online can be cancelled and refunded online.
Phone Number: You can get a refund by calling 1-800-USA RAIL (1-800-872-7245).
Amtrak Stations Refunds can be processed at Amtrak ticket offices.
Mail: Cash refund requests must be made via mail Send your original tickets by certified mail, with a return receipt, to:
Amtrak RefundsBox70
William H Gray III 30th St. Station
2955 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2898
For any refund, paper tickets of value must be returned if printed (except for eTickets). Except in cases of service disruption, paper value tickets purchased through a travel agency should be returned.
Additional Information
- Cancellation fees are charged at a minimum of $5.00, and a maximum amount of $250.00 per transaction. A maximum of $250.00 is not applicable to multi-ride or monthly tickets.
- Amtrak tickets are non-refundable and not valid for carriage. They also have no exchange value after one year. This applies to any period that was endorsed on the ticket. A e-Voucher, or any other exchange credit, is valid for one-year from the date of issue.
- The remaining value of the ticket is calculated by subtraction of the fare paid for any travel not taken. The refund policy is in effect from the moment payment is received, regardless of whether any tickets are printed. It applies to all fare paid, including rail fare, as well as any accommodation charges. Amtrak’s cancellation and refund policy are subject to change at any time.
- Tickets purchased via prepaid programs and eTickets are considered “paid” and are subject to any refund or cancellation policies for any component rail fare, customer discount and/or promotional discount.
How do I cancel my reservation?
Cancellation of Reservations Online If you have booked your reservation at Amtrak.com, you can cancel it online.
Logging into Amtrak.com and clicking the “My Account” link at the top will allow you to make your reservation. You can view or edit your reservation by clicking the “View/Edit” button. Then, follow the steps to cancel.
You could cancel your online reservation if you bought your tickets as a guest online. Click ‘My Trip” at the top of any page. Click ‘Find Trip’ to enter your reservation number, email address, or telephone number. Next, click on the “Cancel Trip” button and follow the steps to cancel your reservation.
You may not be allowed to cancel your online booking if you make any changes to your travel arrangements after you book it.
