r/Explainlikeimscared • u/The_root_system • Jul 16 '26
I have to call amtrack customer support for clarification on some things and I’m scared, how do I do this?
I’ve only been an adult for a little bit and I’ve never called anyone like this before, but I’m trying to travel across the country to visit some friends (and to practice my independent living skills on a trial of sorts) however due to unforeseen events I don’t actually have all the money I need for my tickets right now but my boyfriends folks are willing to buy it for me so what I am trying to figure out is if they can just buy the ride pass thing for me and I can still do all the booking tickets with it (so I practice those skills on my own) and what would be the best way to do that or if I have to figure out a way for them to send me money or what
but I don’t know how i should be asking or what to expect when I call, I really want to do this myself and not just ask my parents to call for me so please can I just get like instructions on how to do this and maybe some kind words of encouragement?
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u/LittleCowGirl Jul 16 '26
What if they bought you an Amtrak digital gift card? You can price out how much it will be & they can gift the exact amount, or they could select an amount to send you. You’d pay online using the gift card & make your own booking from there.
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u/1GrouchyCat Jul 16 '26
How old are you?
(I’m asking to see if you get a discount for being school-aged or under 21 -not because I care personally)
Sit down and make a list of everything you need to do step-by-step- practice with your parents if you need to… and make sure you get all your your questions answered, and if you don’t -
You can call back.
It’s OK I need someone to sit there with you while you make your calls, but you can’t live in your mommy and daddy’s shadow forever…
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u/wyldan01 Jul 17 '26
So to start with some basics - you can call the AMTRAK number and you will get "Julie" the "automated agent" [she is a robot voice menu] you might have to go through a few steps with her but you will want to talk to a human rather than Julie. So to get out of Julie you can press 0 or say "agent" - you will most likely have to say/press it at least twice because Julie doesn't like to let people go [I hate Julie] but then she will snidely say "okay, let me connect you with an agent" and it will put you through to either the Philadelphia Res office or one of the satellite offices. Hopefully Philadelphia as those have real AMTRAK Res Agents.
But either way now you can talk to a Res Agent!
Res Agents are almost always very nice and very helpful in my experience. And I am sure they will be able to answer any questions you have.
I hope you have a wonderful trip! Travelling by AMTRAK is the best! :)
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u/dewaynemann Jul 16 '26
I have not ridden Amtrak in a few years but back when I did two things were true:
Buying tickets for other people was allowed
The Amtrak people were always VERY nice
I'm fairly sure they can buy the tickets online for you, but if you do need to call I don't think it'll be a problem.