Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation): refund request

Collect

• reservation number
• fare type
• purchase date
• cancellation confirmation
• doctor's note for an illness waiver

Steps

1. Cancel before the train departs. Unused tickets that are not cancelled before departure are forfeit.

2. Request the refund on Amtrak.com or in the Amtrak app for most online purchases, or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

   PhoneReservations and Customer Service (1-800-USA-RAIL) +1-800-872-7245

3. For a cash purchase, mail the original tickets by certified mail, return receipt requested, to Amtrak Refunds.

   MailAmtrak Refunds (required for cash refunds; send original tickets by certified mail, return receipt requested) Amtrak Refunds, Box 70, 2955 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2898

4. If you or someone in your party is ill, ask for the illness waiver and provide a doctor's note.

5. If you bought through a travel agency, ask the agency for the refund (except during a service disruption).

6. If Amtrak does not pay a refund it owes, dispute the charge with your card issuer.

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Deadline

  Reserved fares paid by cash, credit or debit card get a full refund to the original form of payment if cancelled within 24 hours of purchase and before departure; unreserved tickets must be cancelled within 1 hour.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Coach, Acela Business and Acela First fares: Flex gets a full refund with no fee if cancelled before departure; Value forfeits 30% and refunds 70%; Sale forfeits 50% and refunds 50%.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Private rooms: cancelled 121 or more days before departure, full refund; 15-120 days before, 75% refunded and 25% forfeited; within 14 days, 75% is issued as a non-refundable eVoucher and 25% is forfeited.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  With a doctor's note, Amtrak waives the normal change and cancellation policies for the ill passenger's entire party.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  Tickets become non-refundable one year after payment; eVouchers and other exchange credits are valid for one year after the original ticket was issued.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Fares are non-refundable and non-changeable after departure; a no-show forfeits the full value of the segment.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Signing in to or joining Amtrak Guest Rewards means agreeing to the terms and conditions, which include a binding arbitration agreement.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Fee

  Each traveler can check up to 4 bags, 2 free and 2 at $20 per bag.

  Source: amtrak.com, verified 2026-10-12

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   PhoneReservations and Customer Service (1-800-USA-RAIL) +1-800-872-7245

2. Written complaint

   FormE-mail Us contact form (subjects include Travel Experience Feedback, Accessibility Requests/Feedback, Guest Rewards) CAPTCHA

3. Card or bank dispute

   Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)

   Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)

4. State agency

   Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

5. Arbitration

   Amtrak's terms and conditions include a binding arbitration agreement.

Watch out

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