Amtrak's Flex Fare: a Fantastic Value
Why you should consider booking a FLEX fare for your next Amtrak journey
4/15/20251 min read
When you book airfare with most airlines these days, you'll be faced with the choice of 'basic economy' or 'regular economy.' Yes, regular economy may let you pick your seat and board the plane in an earlier group, but the biggest value is the flexibility the ticket offers. With basic economy fares, you can't change your plan without losing the money you paid. The catch? To upgrade to a regular economy fare, you'll spend at least $30. Ouch.
Amtrak's FLEX fares are a frugal traveler's dream: you can get a 100% refund when you cancel before departure for a small premium on the ticket price. While this $270 ticket from NYC to Boston on Friday night is no great deal, I'm featuring it to show that Amtrak charges only $14 for the FLEX fare upgrade. For the peace-of-mind that a FLEX fare offers, versus the $67 you'd lose if you have to cancel the Value ticket before departure, I think you'll agree the FLEX fare is a good deal!
Even better? Sometimes you can score a FLEX fare for as little as $1! You won't hear me complain if the airlines decide to follow Amtrak's lead on this pricing strategy! 😊
