Amtrak Discounts – Kids Ride FREE & More!
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Amtrak Discounts – 50% Off Tickets
If you’re wanting a train adventure to slow the pace of your travel down or just for a new adventure & way to see the countryside, Amtrak often runs special offers, with one of the most popular being the free companion fare offer. Amtrak offers a buy one, get one companion fare special – various dates throughout the year, and we will update here when available. That means you get two tickets for the price of one (or half off)!
This may be the most popular offer, but it is not the only great way to save on Amtrak travel. Especially if you are traveling as a family, as there are a couple of deals for kids, including free fares for them!
Kids Ride FREE On Amtrak Cascades Trains, with the Washington Youth Fare Program
The Washington Youth Fare program offers free kids’ tickets to all those who are 18 and younger on the Amtrak Cascades trains. You can find all of the details for this program here (it offers free ferry rides, bus rides, and more, too)!
If you are traveling a different route, or going beyond Washington State, there is also a deal for 50% off kids tickets that you can find here.
College Kids can save 15% off tickets, by purchasing them at least one day in advance (up to 24 years old).
Up to 60% off with Share Fares:
If you are traveling as a family or a group, check out the share fare offers for up to 60% off (up to 8 ppl). Here is how the discount works:
- Passenger 1 – full price (or lowest available fare)
- Groups of 2 – full price (or lowest available fare)
- Groups of 3 – 15% off all tickets
- Groups of 4 – 25% off all tickets
- Groups of 5 – 37% off all tickets
- Groups of 6 – 47% off all tickets
- Groups of 7 – 54% off all tickets
- Groups of 8 – 60% off all tickets
Find details on this program here.
It might be worth it to rally up a couple of families, or group of family/friends to get this discount!
Sample Route Prices for this Sale:
This can be a crazy good deal if you want to travel the Cascades route. I found 8 tickets from Seattle to Portland in June for just $192 total! That works out to just $24 pp!
The Seattle to Wenatchee route is a very popular one, and I found rates for just over $100 pp RT (using adult fares) in June for this round, when booking for 8 people (it was a discount of over $300). just to give you an idea of how this might work.
This sale is as good (maybe better) as the popular BOGO free train tickets and an excellent way to try out train travel to see if it is a good fit for you. Some folks love it, and others don’t so this is the perfect time to find out which camp you fall into – with these discounted rates.
What is it like to ride the train:
If you have ever wondered about train travel overnight, check out Sia’s experience with her family taking the Amtrak train to northwest Montana. It sounds like such a unique way to travel & experience the countryside.
I can’t seem to book tickets for that sale price. We are a family of four and all I can seem to get is $99 for 4 tickets each way (total $198). What am I doing wrong? Help!
I am wondering does this apply to from Portland to seattle?
Sarah, you may need to call Amtrak directly and speak to a rep in order to get the deal – that’s what I had to do when I booked using my BOGO tickets I got from them a couple of months ago.
Jen, in response to your question asking if this was a good way to travel with your family – I have made this trip many, many times with my friends for a girls weekend in Portland (catch at either Seattle or Tukwila – I’m actually going this weekend!) so I can’t vouch with the family but with my friends it has been so much fun! Split the cost of the hotel room(s), free rail transportation in DT Portland and no taxes! We sit in the dining car and play cards the entire trip down and back. Amtrak always seems to have some sort of deal like this in the Spring every year. Definitely worth it!
Someday, we will learn that this is a gimmick to raise ridership numbers up to some magic threshold that will quality Amtrak for even more obscene Government subsidies than it gets now.