Welcome to Select Plus Status

[DowneasterPassenger]

I made it!

A 50% point bonus on every trip you take, excludingbonus points

Nice.

Select Plus membership card and free luggage tags

Cute.

Unlimited access to all ClubAcela®, Metropolitan Lounge® and First class lounges in the Amtrak® system when you present your membership card and photo ID

Nice but useless in California. I'll take advantage of this on my next trip back east. What is the westernmost 1st class lounge? Chicago?

Four 48-hour, advance booking, one-class upgrades

Again useless in California. I joked around with a conductor on the San Joaquin, showing him the upgrade coupon I got before, and asking for an upgrade to business class. He said I could ride with engineer. He was kidding of course, but that would be some upgrade!

Two complimentary companion Coach vouchers

Anyone know the rules and limitations?

Exclusive Select Plus offers and deals from Amtrak and Amtrak Guest Rewards Partners

Anything good here?

Toll-free calling for reservations and priority Amtrak Guest Rewards service at 1-888-XXX-XXXX

Does that really work? I called the number and got the usual IVR from AGR, only with a slightly different announcement at the beginning.

 

[Upstate]

Unlimited access to all ClubAcela®, Metropolitan Lounge® and First class lounges in the Amtrak® system when you present your membership card and photo ID

Nice but useless in California. I'll take advantage of this on my next trip back east. What is the westernmost 1st class lounge? Chicago?

Don't forget it gets you in Continentals Presidents Club. Top tier CO elites still have to pay $325 a year to get in.

 

[Ispolkom]

Unlimited access to all ClubAcela®, Metropolitan Lounge® and First class lounges in the Amtrak® system when you present your membership card and photo ID

Nice but useless in California. I'll take advantage of this on my next trip back east. What is the westernmost 1st class lounge? Chicago?

Don't forget it gets you in Continentals Presidents Club. Top tier CO elites still have to pay $325 a year to get in.

There are Metropolitan Lounges in Portland and St. Paul. More useful, perhaps, to someone with the moniker SanJoaquinRider, I seem to remember Chuljin describing a Continental Presidents Club at SFO located outside of the security zone. Still, you're right that the benefits, like most aspects of AGR, are focused on NEC patrons.

 

[jmbgeg]

I made it!

A 50% point bonus on every trip you take, excludingbonus points

Nice.

Select Plus membership card and free luggage tags

Cute.

Unlimited access to all ClubAcela®, Metropolitan Lounge® and First class lounges in the Amtrak® system when you present your membership card and photo ID

Nice but useless in California. I'll take advantage of this on my next trip back east. What is the westernmost 1st class lounge? Chicago?

Four 48-hour, advance booking, one-class upgrades

Again useless in California. I joked around with a conductor on the San Joaquin, showing him the upgrade coupon I got before, and asking for an upgrade to business class. He said I could ride with engineer. He was kidding of course, but that would be some upgrade!

Two complimentary companion Coach vouchers

Anyone know the rules and limitations?

Exclusive Select Plus offers and deals from Amtrak and Amtrak Guest Rewards Partners

Anything good here?

Toll-free calling for reservations and priority Amtrak Guest Rewards service at 1-888-XXX-XXXX

Does that really work? I called the number and got the usual IVR from AGR, only with a slightly different announcement at the beginning.

1. The Select Plus reservation line service is materially better than the regular line in my opinion. Shorter waits plus better service.

2. The luggage tags are nothing special.

 

[AlanB]

Four 48-hour, advance booking, one-class upgrades

Again useless in California. I joked around with a conductor on the San Joaquin, showing him the upgrade coupon I got before, and asking for an upgrade to business class. He said I could ride with engineer. He was kidding of course, but that would be some upgrade!

I wouldn't say that they are useless, just not as valuable as they are on the NEC. You can use them to upgrade from coach to Business class for free. But, you cannot use any discounts when buying the coach ticket and you must deal with handing over the coupon and getting the BC ticket in a station. The conductor cannot accept the coupon.

Two complimentary companion Coach vouchers

Anyone know the rules and limitations?

Each coupon is good for either a one way trip or a round trip. You have to call to make the reservation or visit a station, the res cannot be made via the online system. A visit to the station before departure is required, so as to hand over the coupon and get your tickets. That visit can occur right before departure if you like, it just cannot be done onboard or via a Quik-Trak.

They claim that neither person will earn points, but early reports indicated that the person with the paid ticket was getting points. I haven't seen any recent reports, so I don't know if that's still true or not.

Exclusive Select Plus offers and deals from Amtrak and Amtrak Guest Rewards Partners

Anything good here?

Sometimes, sometimes not. It just seems to depend on the whims of AGR.

Toll-free calling for reservations and priority Amtrak Guest Rewards service at 1-888-XXX-XXXX

Does that really work? I called the number and got the usual IVR from AGR, only with a slightly different announcement at the beginning.

I find it's much better than the normal number and it totally bypasses Julie.

 

[DowneasterPassenger]

Four 48-hour, advance booking, one-class upgrades

Again useless in California. I joked around with a conductor on the San Joaquin, showing him the upgrade coupon I got before, and asking for an upgrade to business class. He said I could ride with engineer. He was kidding of course, but that would be some upgrade!

I wouldn't say that they are useless, just not as valuable as they are on the NEC. You can use them to upgrade from coach to Business class for free. But, you cannot use any discounts when buying the coach ticket and you must deal with handing over the coupon and getting the BC ticket in a station. The conductor cannot accept the coupon.

Two complimentary companion Coach vouchers

Anyone know the rules and limitations?

Each coupon is good for either a one way trip or a round trip. You have to call to make the reservation or visit a station, the res cannot be made via the online system. A visit to the station before departure is required, so as to hand over the coupon and get your tickets. That visit can occur right before departure if you like, it just cannot be done onboard or via a Quik-Trak.

They claim that neither person will earn points, but early reports indicated that the person with the paid ticket was getting points. I haven't seen any recent reports, so I don't know if that's still true or not.

Exclusive Select Plus offers and deals from Amtrak and Amtrak Guest Rewards Partners

Anything good here?

Sometimes, sometimes not. It just seems to depend on the whims of AGR.

Toll-free calling for reservations and priority Amtrak Guest Rewards service at 1-888-XXX-XXXX

Does that really work? I called the number and got the usual IVR from AGR, only with a slightly different announcement at the beginning.

I find it's much better than the normal number and it totally bypasses Julie.

Thanks Alan! I keep forgetting that there is business class in California, on the Surfliner. The upgrades just aren't useful in northern California, as neither the CC nor the SJ has business class.

Is the companion coupon good for a "round trip" from, say, Sacramento to Portland, Maine and back again?

 

[chuljin]

More useful, perhaps, to someone with the moniker SanJoaquinRider, I seem to remember Chuljin describing a Continental Presidents Club at SFO located outside of the security zone.

*nod* I've been there twice, but never flown into/out of SFO.

It's landside in Terminal 1, next to the CO ticket counter. About an hour's BART (switching trains at MacArthur) from RIC, the only SJ/BART connection (plus a few-minute ride on the little SFO train).

I was never asked for anything but my S+ card (be prepared to help the nice lady enter your AGR#, as the tiny black-on-dark-grey numbers on the S+ card are a challenge to her mature eyes ), including not having to prove I was flying anywhere (in fact, both the 'inner' attendants [bartenders?] I met were tickled that I'd come there as part of an all-train trip).

 

[AlanB]

Is the companion coupon good for a "round trip" from, say, Sacramento to Portland, Maine and back again?

If you're doing it entirely in coach, yes. If you want a sleeper, then no.

 

[Shawn]

I will be in the Select Plus club by the end of next month! yay!

 

[DowneasterPassenger]

I apologize if this question has been asked before, but can I use a companion voucher on a rewards redemption trip?

 

[Upstate]

I apologize if this question has been asked before, but can I use a companion voucher on a rewards redemption trip?

No, it has to be full fare, disabled, or senior.

 

[AlanB]

Of course if you're doing a sleeper award, you don't need to pay for a companion. It's included in the award, even if you have to say for example ride a Surfliner to reach LAX and your sleeper award on the Southwest Chief.

You'd only have to worry about paying if you're using an award for something like a Surfliner or Capitol Corridor train and that was all that you were riding.

 

[DowneasterPassenger]

2. The luggage tags are nothing special.

I finally got the Select+ materials in the mail today. That was a little over 30 days.