Amtrak And Via Rail Riders Want One Loyalty Program For Cross Border Travel

Monday, July 28, 2025

A cross-border train travel betwixt nan United States and Canada represents an appealing travel for galore travelers. There are 3 Amtrak and VIA Rail routes that recreation betwixt ample cities located connected some sides of nan border, allowing for beautiful recreation viewing of North America’s countryside. While nan competing routes person been enjoying success, 1 awesome disapproval has been getting louder from galore regulars travelling those routes — your mileage isn’t each that connected betwixt nan 2 companies. Travelers person longed for nan time erstwhile passengers could gain and redeem points connected Amtrak Guest Rewards and VIA Préférence programs.

The routes that presently beryllium — Adirondack, Amtrak Cascades, and Maple Leaf — are one-of-a-kind recreation experiences, connecting cities specified arsenic New York, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Seattle. But while passengers often return nan aforesaid way and train, they are compelled to participate successful 2 chopped rewards programs astatine erstwhile — a disconnect that has irked galore of nan railroad’s astir predominant customers.

The Increasing Appetite for a Unified Rewards Programme

Both Amtrak and VIA Rail person their chopped loyalty programs, but location has agelong been room for a associated system. Those who are perpetually connected nan Maple Leaf way betwixt Toronto and New York, successful particular, person been clamoring for this. Riders of nan train routinely recreation connected some Amtrak and VIA Rail trains during a azygous trip, but they cannot transportation their points betwixt nan 2 companies, which has been a root of frustration.

Amtrak rewards its predominant riders pinch points connected nan Guest Rewards program, earning doubly arsenic galore points per dollar spent connected Amtrak travel. VIA Rail runs its very ain program, called VIA Préférence, and allows members to gain points by purchasing tickets and moreover immoderate extras, specified arsenic luggage fees and entree to nan lounge. But location is simply a chasm betwixt nan 2 systems, because passengers can’t usage their points successful 1 company’s strategy to rate successful for services connected nan other, moreover though nan companies jointly run and service nan aforesaid routing.

The cries for practice betwixt nan 2 programs person go progressively vocal, and predominant travelers are asking why these 2 awesome obstruction operators can’t get their loyalty systems to activity together. The integration of some services could make recreation easier and much appealing for galore who mightiness recreation by train from nan U.S. to Canada, peculiarly for group who already thrust connected both.

The Most Popular U.S.-Canada Routes: Adirondack, Cascades, and Maple Leaf

There are 3 superior cross-border Amtrak routes betwixt nan U.S. and Canada, and each person their ain beauty and recreation experience.

Adirondack Route: Journey betwixt New York City and Montreal pinch views of some nan Hudson River Valley and nan Adirondack Mountains. The travel takes 10 hours pinch bully stops connected nan route. It’s 1 of nan prettiest and surely easiest connected nan pocketbook paths for travelers looking to get from nan U.S. and Canada.

Amtrak Cascades Route Amtrak’s Cascades way travels betwixt Seattle and Vancouver, hopping on nan Pacific seashore and cruising done nan leafy forests of nan Pacific Northwest for much than 10 hours. This is nan way preferred by quality lovers who for illustration to screen each bases, ie, coastal and upland landscapes.

Maple Leaf Route: The longest of nan three, nan Maple Leaf travels from New York City to Toronto, stopping successful beautiful locations for illustration Albany, Syracuse, and nan breathtaking Niagara Falls. The travel takes astir 12 hours aliases so, and it’s besides wonderfully scenic, combining nan unspoiled landscapes pinch nan bustling hubs you thrust through.

Notwithstanding these fantabulous jaunts, nan deficiency of a azygous frequent-traveler programme to screen some Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada services continues to disappoint those travelers who usage these services regularly, if not frequently. The Maple Leaf route, which is jointly tally by some Amtrak and VIA Rail, is besides peculiarly analyzable because a rider must bargain 2 tickets and group destinations: 1 for nan U.S. and 1 for Canada.

A CARNIVAL RIDE An Aside: Two Tickets for nan Same Route

Because of nan load-on-the-fly facet of nan Maple Leaf route, passengers are issued 2 tickets, 1 for each limb of nan trip. So, if personification is getting connected successful Toronto, they first show their VIA Rail ticket. Once they scope nan United States, they alteration to an Amtrak ticket, and nan riders and unit connected committee alteration again. That tin beryllium disorienting for passengers, particularly erstwhile they person to clear customs and separator power astatine Niagara Falls, leaving and going done information to reboard nan very aforesaid train.

Complicating matters further is that they are siloed from each other. For passengers who gain points connected some VIA Rail and Amtrak, it’s a losing proposition to effort to redeem nan accumulated points connected 1 seamless ride, whose booking turns into a headache pinch 2 systems, and an underuse of imaginable rewards.

Why Travelers Want One Rewards System

The problem pinch continuing to person abstracted loyalty programs is that it adds different obstacle for passengers who are already enduring agelong and costly flights crossed some countries. An integrated programme would thief prevention time, while passengers could some gain and usage points connected some Amtrak and VIA Rail services. It mightiness besides consequence successful happier customers and, therefore, perchance further riders, benefiting nan 2 companies done a boost successful ridership demand.

A unified loyalty programme would besides astir apt beryllium amended for customers, providing them pinch moreover much perks — for illustration nan expertise to upgrade to business people aliases person discounts connected lodging and picnic packages, astatine destinations connected some sides of nan U.S.-Canadian border. This could fresh successful pinch nan broader inclination I americium progressively seeing pinch travelers wanting ever much elastic and convenient loyalty programs.

What’s Ahead: Will nan Amtrak/VIA Rail Partnership Grow?

For nan clip being, nan dream of a unified rewards strategy is dead. But arsenic trains betwixt nan U.S. and Canada go much popular, it’s conceivable that Amtrak and VIA Rail mightiness recognize that there’s a request for a azygous loyalty program. Until then, passengers will person to trudge along, wrestling 2 programs and hoping that, eventually, a much cohesive strategy will look to easiness their travels.