Buying train tickets

Yesterday I bought tickets for my trip to New York City in September. I'm flying down, but taking the train back.

This is the first time I've purchased Amtrak tickets online. There are a few quirks in the process.

First, on the page where you enter your credit card information, there is a little notice that informs you that prices aren't guaranteed until your credit card is charged. I figured Amtrak is large enough I could trust them, but really! Requiring me to enter in my credit card information with no guarantee that the price displayed on the screen is the price I would end up paying?

Second, the page that displays at the end of the process has big bold letters across it: THIS IS NOT A TICKET. Which is true. You have to either pick up your ticket at the station or pay to have it mailed to you. The problem is that if you read the smaller print you realize that the NOT A TICKET page has a bar code that you need in order to retrieve your ticket. And I can verify that the bar code doesn't come through correctly in Google Mail. So although it might not be a ticket, it's a really good idea to print the page.* If you don't, you'll be standing in line at the ticket window instead of being able to get your ticket from a kiosk.

I can't decide if Amtrak thinks its patrons are gullible or sophisticated.

* Don't worry, Mom. I printed it.