Cost on on board upgrade of accomidations

[blueman271]

Hey guys i was wondering how much amtrak charges for on board upgrades of accomidations. Specifically from a coach seat to a standard sleeper. Thanks.

 

[AlanB]

Blueman,

Sadly there is no easy answer to that question. In theory, for an onboard upgrade the conductor whould charge you a discounted amount for whatever the normal price of the upgrade would have been. Since each train has different charges, plus the charges vary based upon where you are traveling from and to.

To the best of my knowledge, official Amtrak policy is to discount the room by 20% from the normal rate. However several members have lately been reporting discounts of 50% off for an on board upgrade.

So if you know what route you are running, then you can go online and price out the accomodations and have an idea of what you would need to pay.

All of this of course assumes that a room is actually available on that day you are traveling.

 

[jccollins]

I have never upgraded from a coach to sleeper onboard before - I am always kind of afraid I will have bad luck and get a rude conductor who is too lazy to provide the upgrade even if it is available and I'll be stuck. If the conductor does upgrade you, though, I know the rate is supposed to be discounted, but is it ALWAYS lower than the lowest sleeper bucket fare for the line, or just lower than what it is currently selling for for that day at the station? Also, can you pay for the upgrade with a credit card or do you have to carry that much cash on you in case it's available? Thanks!

 

[AlanB]

JC,

As far as I know, the upgrade is supposed to be based upon the lowest bucket fare for that segment of the journey. Not based upon what the fare would have been had you brought the upgrade in the station, prior to departure. Then they take the discount off of that lowest fare and that's what you pay.

Once the train has left the station, Amtrak just wants to fill that sleeper if they can.

With regard to paying, the choice is yours. The conductor can take cash, a credit card, and I think that he can even take travelers checks. I'm not 100% sure about the travelers checks, I know that they used to do that, but I think that I remember reading somewhere that Amtrak stopped that.

Just as an FYI, you can also use your credit card to pay for meals in the dining car.

 

[jccollins]

Thanks Alan. I know you can use credit cards in the diner, but I wasn't sure if the conductor would take them for upgrades.

 

[battalion51]

Alan is right on about the upgrades. The Conductor MUST sell you the space if it is shown open on his manifest, and space control ok's the request. Space control will only deny the request if you are going for a Handicap room and there is only one left, or if the room has already been booked at a station and is not reflected in the Conductor's manifest. Most of the time the lazy Conductors will just have the AC cut the upgrade, although generally whoever is in charge of sleepers does the upgrade.