Traveling has become almost impossible to do if you have a limited budget. Prices of flights have been high for almost a decade now, diesel powered busses are no cheaper and even riding the rails has the disadvantage of needing fuel. Times are tough and people just aren’t willing to pay for these services like they once were and this, in combination with fuel costs, have driven the costs of travel up to a, previously unimaginable, amount. Thankfully, many companies are beginning to see that they aren’t going to make money by simply offering the highest price on the seats they can and have begun to adjust their price point.

Amtrak is no different in their need to get customers on a train. However, because of the nature of the rail system, and the fact that they are virtually free from competition, they have begun to offer limited promotions. The best way to save money on rail car tickets is to be a member of one of the few groups and programs that allow discounts for travel, namely AAA.

With an AAA card you can save at least 10% on any ticket purchased at any time and there are often family rates that Amtrak runs in conjunction with the AAA discount where kids will ride for virtually nothing. If you’re a student (with a valid photo ID) you can also qualify for a 15% discount on travel. However, there are generally restrictions on using discount codes and they aren’t generally able to be used in multiples. Another way to save, especially if you have a lot of traveling to do, is to use one of Amtraks Rail Passes. These passes allow you to travel anywhere in the continental United States for certain amount of time with a certain amount of travel segments.