Getting Your Ticket

You can make new reservations for many destinations, make some changes, purchase your tickets and pick them up — all at an Amtrak kiosk. Amtrak kiosks are available at most larger Amtrak stations.

Amtrak will mail tickets to US and Canadian addresses for no additional fee only if you have booked a reservation for which you have not received an eTicket.

For tickets sent by mail to most addresses within the continental US, you must purchase your tickets at least 9 days before your date of departure. For tickets sent by mail to addresses in Alaska, Hawaii and most addresses within Canada, you must purchase your tickets at least 15 days before travel.

The Ticket by Mail service is not available to locations outside of the US and Canada, including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, or any other US territory or possession, as well as APO/AFO addresses.

You may request that your tickets be delivered by express delivery in certain circumstances for an additional fee. To be eligible for express delivery, you must make your reservations at least four days before travel for U.S. delivery and at least six days before travel for Canadian delivery. This option is available for continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Canadian addresses only. Delivery to PO boxes is not available. Deliveries are made Monday through Friday only and someone must sign for the delivery.

Special considerations for short-notice travel from unstaffed stations:

• If you are departing from an unstaffed station and you are purchasing your tickets within 10 days of your departure date, you must select the express delivery option. An express delivery fee applies.
• If you are departing from an unstaffed station and you are purchasing your tickets within four days of your departure date, please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) and speak with a reservations sales agent to determine what alternative ticketing option may be available to you.
  
  

Purchasing Tickets Onboard

In most circumstances, you must purchase a ticket before you board a train. Most trains require reservations and you should not board reserved trains without a reservation. Passengers who do so are not guaranteed a seat and may be instructed to get off the train at the next station stop.

In those limited circumstances when you are permitted to purchase your tickets onboard, you may pay with cash. Customers boarding at unstaffed stations who want to buy tickets with their credit card can do so on Amtrak.com or on their mobile phone prior to boarding.

Only passengers traveling on Capitol Corridor trains may pay with a credit card; no surcharge will be added to the fare. You must have an email address and billing address and will need to provide the conductor with personal and payment information to be entered into the Amtrak mobile app. In addition, conductors will no longer provide change for cash payments onboard Capitol Corridor trains.

On most Amtrak trains, only the full, undiscounted, unrestricted fare will be available for purchase onboard the train. This is regardless of reservations made or fares previously quoted by ticket agents, Amtrak.com or elsewhere. Higher fares usually apply when purchasing onboard the train.

To avoid any onboard ticketing problems, please call us at 1-800-USA-RAIL before you travel if you're planning to purchase your tickets onboard.

Picking Up Paid Tickets Onboard

You can only pick up your tickets from a conductor in limited circumstances. For example, when you pay for your tickets in advance of travel and your departure station is closed at the time of departure and no other delivery option exists.

Based on your itinerary, our online booking system will determine your eligibility for onboard pick-up. If you are eligible, you will be presented with the option to pick up your tickets onboard during the booking process. When making reservations by phone, your reservation agent will tell you whether you are eligible for this service.