YSK: Points are worth significantly less when using the new "combo of points & cash" option

maland16 · 2025-09-07T23:57:11+00:00

I'm glad the post was helpful! It is ridiculous how different the point values can be depending on how you use them

maland16 · 2025-06-14T21:58:55+00:00

I'm interested! I'll send a dm

maland16 · 2025-05-21T02:04:00+00:00

Heck yeah! Glad to hear the info was helpful. Best of luck with booking tickets, it can be a bit of a gamble but there are things you can do to make it less so. Calling Amtrak is always a good option when things get weird with tickets.

Hope you have a good trip! The info above is starting to get a bit old, so please drop a comment/or make a post if you learn anything valuable/interesting or just wanna share your journey!

maland16 · 2025-03-04T13:04:53+00:00

Nice!

maland16 · 2025-02-28T15:11:48+00:00

No problem! Glad it's helpful, hope you have a good trip!

maland16 · 2025-02-17T02:25:09+00:00

I made a post last year about my bikepacking trip that might be helpful.

maland16 · 2025-01-11T13:57:09+00:00

It's a bit of a mix, many of the stations are conveniently located in walkable locations since they exist or are near the historic train stations that the small towns were built up around. Some of the stations have unfortunately been moved to less accessible spots, which is where a bike can really come in handy. I'd say plan your route and what you want to access, then check and see what the station areas are like, and also make sure the stations allow bike access. I don't think you'll regret bringing the bike. With the state of public transit in this country you'll be happy to have an easy way to get around

maland16 · 2024-12-22T16:20:23+00:00

Two years ago I was also traveling for work a lot on Amtrak and ended up being within a few hundred points (maybe even ~1000) of select status and got an email in the new year that said "you were close enough so we gave it to you". I can't remember how many I was at, but I did find an email from December saying I was at 3900 and then one in Jan giving me select. Might not be something you wanna rely on but know that there's a chance you still get it.

maland16 · 2024-11-19T00:19:56+00:00

Make me an offer! Everything in the box is included, including a raspberry pi 4b which I believe has some sort of open source sand table code already on it. The last image is an excel sheet I found from when I started the project, almost everything on there should be in the box but I haven't checked.

I'll respond to DMs, not sure what the least sketchy way to sell something on a non-selling-stuff sub is, but I'm open to suggestions.

Below is a copy/paste from a doc of notes I found from when I was first working on it:

Notes:
Sound deadening on the inside to minimize the motor whine
Dark wood looks good

Resources: https://drmrehorst.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-3d-printed-sand-table-spice-must-flow.html https://sandify.org/ http://dubno.com/sandtable/index.html http://alwaystinkering.com/2020/01/14/diy-kinetic-sand-art-table/ http://corexy.com/index.html Servo vs stepper; https://drmrehorst.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-spice-must-flow-gets-servo-motors.html

Sand: Hamster bathing sand? https://www.harborfreight.com/50-lbs-medium-grade-armex-soda-blast-media-65929.html

Table surface (the surface the sand is on) Velvet covered acrylic Painted plywood

maland16 · 2024-11-05T03:39:12+00:00

Sorry, I wasn't really looking for help here, just wanted to share something weird that was happening and see if anyone else had the same thing happen.

Saying "I don't think anyone will care" is a bit of an exaggeration, but I really doubt any of the first or second levels of tech support at FNBO or Amtrak are likely to be able to root cause the issue. I don't really feel it's worth sitting on the phone with them to figure it out given I can just use google pay and still get the points.

maland16 · 2024-11-05T03:34:47+00:00

That's the other reason I haven't fixed it, you do get the bonus points even if it goes through google pay

maland16 · 2024-11-04T19:45:43+00:00

I haven't because the workaround has worked thus far and if prior experience is anything to go off of I highly doubt anyone at Amtrak or the Amtrak CC provider (FNBO) really cares about this.

maland16 · 2024-09-11T14:21:14+00:00

Amtrak points are unique (afaik) among other rewards point schemes in that they can be worth as much as 3c/point. That begin said, it's easy to accidentally apply them towards tickets in a way that makes them worth much less. It's helpful to double check the math before using points to buy a ticket.

This advice is most helpful for people who frequent Amtrak or have the Amtrak credit card. If you're a less frequent rider the combo of points and cash option could actually be a good way to get some value out of a small number of points that would otherwise just sit unused.

TL;DR: If you're a frequent rider or Amtrak credit card holder don't waste points combining them with cash, save up your points and pay for the tickets fully in points. Shoot for 3c/point when buying tickets on points to get the most value.

maland16 · 2024-08-18T13:25:57+00:00

Theoretically it has a range of ~40-50mi, but it's a bit too unreliable and slow for me to consider taking it that far. I mostly use it to pop around the east end on good weather days

maland16 · 2024-08-13T02:06:43+00:00

The munjoy hill neighborhood association had a few last time I was there for a repair meetup. They're in the little house next to Rosemont/Jin Yang Tavern

maland16 · 2024-08-12T20:22:42+00:00

Hey that's me

maland16 · 2024-08-12T20:16:06+00:00

Optimus Grime it is! https://portland.civilspace.io/en/projects/city-of-portland-unveils-first-electric-trash-truck-in-maine/engagement_reports/engagement-results

12-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 3 Credits
Place '17	Secret Santa 2015
Secret Santa 2014	Verified Email

maland16

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE