It’s been quite a long time since a bank program opened up transfers to Amtrak points but now we have options with Bilt Rewards.

Bilt Points now transfer to Amtrak Guest Rewards

There seems to be a recent surge in programs looking around for new partners to add. For a few years, there wasn’t much activity with bank programs pairing up with new partners. But now, there’s a flurry of additions, perhaps inspired by upstart Rove Miles. The latest addition is Bilt Rewards transferring to Amtrak Guest Rewards.

Bilt Points now transfer 2:1 into Amtrak points as the default rate. Anything less than 1:1 could be seen as disappointing, but Amtrak points are worth 2.67 cents each. That valuation means you’ll get 1.335 cents per Bilt Point you transfer in to Amtrak–not world-beating but still adequately good enough to raise an eyebrow.

At the margins, that’s slightly more value than using the Bilt travel portal directly, where points are worth 1.25 cents each.

Amtrak points expire with no activity after 24 months.

Amtrak Guest Rewards used to have transfer partners

You need to go back more than a decade–to 2015–to find a bank program that transferred points over to Amtrak. That was back when Chase Ultimate Rewards had a few more unique transfer programs (hello, Korean Air SKYPASS). Transfers from Chase to Amtrak used to be possible at a 1:1 ratio. Those were the good old days…

That wasn’t the only possible way into Amtrak points. Another popular option was converting Choice Privileges points (valued at 1.1 cents each) at a 2:1 ratio. Given the fixed value of Amtrak points, it was a stable option for anyone considering keeping things easy. That option sadly went away in mid-2021.

And for those who really remember the old days, you could do some alchemy to move your Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints over to Amtrak via Audience Rewards. Obviously, Starpoints don’t exist anymore since Starwood folded into Marriott and Marriott Rewards didn’t keep the relationship. Thus, the avenue died in 2018. That said, Audience Rewards still exists, but you’re only going to be able to earn by attending Broadway shows.

It’s nice to see options finally come back for earning Amtrak points.

Amtrak has a credit card but Bilt has a better earn rate even with the 2:1 transfer ratio

First National Bank of Omaha issues the Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card (not sponsored). That card offers the following earn rates:

• 3X or 2X on Amtrak train travel (depending on which version of the card you get)
• 2X on dining
• 2X on travel, transit, or rideshare (on the $99 annual fee card only)
• 1X everywhere else

Having 1X everywhere doesn’t sound like that magical of an earn rate but when the points are worth 2.67 cents each, you pay more attention.

That said, Bilt Rewards–under the right circumstances–can give you as many as 3X points everywhere (on the Palladium). If you devote your entire Bilt stash to Amtrak, that’s the equivalent of earning 1.5X Amtrak points everywhere else. Or, if you have the Bilt Obsidian card, you could earn as much as 4X from dining and groceries. That matches the 2X dining from Amtrak. However, recall that Bilt isn’t thrilled if you spend your money on gift cards.

Why collect Amtrak points?

The obvious answer to this is that Amtrak train travel is very prominent in the Northeastern part of the United States. Traveling between Philadelphia and New York? It’s much more convenient to take a train than it is to fly. Living on the west coast, it can be easy to forget exactly how close in proximity the major cities are. Giving someone the option of using Amtrak points to offset costs, even if not aspirational, is a help.

We’ve always been tempted by the periodic 2-for-1 promotion in roomettes, such as the old advertisement below. Sure, your points don’t suddenly double in value because the discount also works when paying in cash. But the premise is that your points can stretch farther, enabling you to use fewer points. If you’re looking at aspirational train travel, this might be as close as you get with Amtrak.

Perhaps now that transfers are possible via Bilt, we could top off our accounts and finally travel on an Amtrak train.

October 2026 Rent Day promotion makes the transfer rate particularly great

Every first of the month, Bilt Rewards offers its ‘Rent Day’ promotion, typically offering increased rewards with select transfer partners. When Bilt adds a new transfer partner, the rule of thumb is an increased transfer offer the next Rent Day. That’s the case here too.

For one day only, on October 1, 2026, Bilt will offer the following bonuses for Amtrak:

• Blue status – 25% bonus (2,000 Bilt Points = 1,250 Amtrak points)
• Silver status – 50% bonus (2,000 Bilt Points = 1,500 Amtrak points)
• Gold status – 75% bonus (2,000 Bilt Points = 1,750 Amtrak points)
• Platinum status – 100% bonus (2,000 Bilt Points = 2,000 Amtrak points)
• Redeem $400 Bilt Cash to add an extra 25% bonus (Platinum status + $400 Bilt Cash gives 125% bonus)

Perhaps as a sign that people might not be as motivated to transfer to Amtrak, there’s also a Rent Day bonus for Hilton Honors as follows:

• Blue status – 75% bonus + instant Hilton Silver status
• Silver status – 100% bonus + instant Hilton Silver status
• Gold status – 150% bonus + instant Hilton Gold status
• Platinum status – 175% bonus + instant Hilton Diamond status
• Redeem $200 Bilt Cash to add an extra 25% bonus (Platinum status + $200 Bilt Cash gives 200% bonus)

The normal transfer rate for Bilt to Hilton is 1:1. We value Hilton points at 0.4 cents each.

The Amtrak transfer bonus is excellent if you have any desire to travel on Amtrak. The Hilton offer is weak even at the top end. A 200% bonus to Hilton means you’re only getting 1.2 cents per Bilt Point, which is worse than the 2:1 standard transfer rate for Amtrak.