New Credit Card: Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard
If you know me, then you know I have a passion for all things related to trains. I am a railfan and a model railroader. My current town of San Jose, CA is one terminus of the Amtrak California "Capitol Corridor" route. As luck would have it, my hometown of Vacaville is right along the same route, as is my sister's home base of Sacramento, CA.
As such, I find myself taking Amtrak quite a bit. Amtrak costs only slightly more than gasoline for the same trip, and it is much more pleasant. On a recent visit to Amtrak.com (to buy Amtrak tickets to Sacramento) I noticed that Amtrak offers a rewards card through Chase.
Although I have been making a concerted effort to pay off credit card debt, I decided to apply for the Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard anyways (not an affiliate link). Now that my finances are getting to be more stable, I should be in a position to use a credit card for day-to-day purchases knowing that I will have the ability to pay off the balance each month in full.
The price of a one-way Amtrak ticket to my destinations of choice is usually in the neighborhood of $25–35. Using the rewards points to pay for these tickets could save me quite a bit of money (that I would spend anyways) in the long run. In addition, I can accumulate points toward the cost of a vacation or rail excursion to avoid looming travel expenses.
Credit cards can be used wisely, especially if the card offers a rewards program that adds a genuine benefit to your life in some way. I love trains. I like to take trains whenever possible. I will pay for train tickets anyway. The Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard will save me money if I use it responsibly (always the big "if"). Therefore, applying for the Amtrak rewards card is the right thing for me to do.
To sum up, I am not anti-credit but pro-responsible-credit. Learning to use credit wisely is part of financial maturity. Hopefully there will be even more rail trips in my future as a result!
