How to use Amtrak lounge access

Who qualifies for entry

Amtrak states that lounge access is open to those with a same-day ticket and one of the following: Select Plus or Select Executive status in Amtrak Guest Rewards, an Amtrak Guest Rewards Station Lounge Pass, or a First Class or private room ticket. [1] The Acela page describes the First Class benefit as access to Metropolitan Lounges at selected locations, together with priority boarding into the First Class car. [3] Access through First Class covers travel on any Amtrak route or service that offers First Class (Acela or private room) accommodation, and the guest must hold a valid same-day ticket for that class of accommodation. [1]

Two narrower routes sit outside that list. [1] Business Class passengers may use the Metropolitan Lounge in Portland as well as the Private Waiting Rooms in St. Paul/Minneapolis and St. Louis. [1] Private car owners or lessees and their party may enter between the arrival and departure times stated in their reservation, giving their reservation number to the Amtrak representative on entry. [1] Cardholders of the Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard receive one lounge pass when the account is opened and one annually on the card's opening anniversary. [1]

Once inside, Amtrak lists comfortable, quiet seating, complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, free Wi-Fi and attendants who can help with reservations, ticketing and local information, while noting that features and amenities may vary by location. [1]

Guest allowances by entry route

Status-based entry is the most generous. [1] Select Plus and Select Executive members holding a same-day ticket may bring immediate family members — a spouse or domestic partner, and children — or one non-familial guest, and all guests must also be ticketed for same-day Amtrak service. [1] The member must accompany the party during the visit and is responsible for the guests following the lounge rules. [1] A government-issued photo ID such as a driver's licence, passport or military ID may be requested, and it must match both the member's name and the ticket holder's name. [1] Preferred Mastercard holders using their card's lounge passes get the same family-or-one-guest allowance and the same same-day ticketing requirement for everyone in the party. [1]

Ticket-based entry is narrower. [1] With a First Class ticket, including Acela or private room accommodation, one child under 12 may accompany the ticketed adult; any additional traveller booked in another class must hold their own eligible ticket or buy a Single Visit Pass if one is available. [1] A Single Visit Pass admits one child under 12 with the holder and no other guests. [1] Members and cardholders who bring more guests than their allowance are charged the current Single Visit Pass price for the extras. [1]

Timing, age and opening hours

Access is tied to departure. [1] Entry may occur only in the three hours immediately before the scheduled departure time of the guest's train, with three published relaxations: First Class passengers and Select Executive and Select Plus members are not held to that limit between two connecting trains on the same itinerary; those same groups may also use the lounge on arrival at their destination station; and guests on delayed trains may extend their visit past three hours until the actual departure time. [1] Everyone entering a Metropolitan Lounge must be 18 or older unless accompanied by a supervising adult who is 18 or older. [1] Pets are not allowed in any Amtrak station lounge or First Class waiting area. [1]

Opening hours are published per lounge and vary widely: [1]

• Boston, MA – South Station: 5:45 am to 9:30 pm daily. [1]
• Chicago, IL – Union Station: 8:00 am to 9:30 pm daily. [1]
• Los Angeles, CA – Union Station: 5:30 am to 10:00 pm Monday to Friday; 6:00 am to 10:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. [1]
• New York, NY – Moynihan Train Hall: 5:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday to Friday; 7:00 am to 9:00 pm Saturday and Sunday, with a full-service bar open 11:00 am to 7:00 pm daily. [1]
• Philadelphia, PA – William H Gray III 30th Street Station: 6:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. [1]
• Portland, OR – Union Station: 7:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. [1]
• Washington, DC – Union Station: 4:45 am to 8:00 pm Monday to Friday; 5:00 am to 9:30 pm Saturday and Sunday. [1]

Conduct rules apply inside: guests should be fully clothed including shoes, may not take Amtrak-provided food or drinks out of the lounge, may bring third-party food and drink other than alcohol, must use headphones rather than speakers on personal devices, and may not smoke, vape, recline on the floor or furniture, move furniture or solicit. [1] Amtrak also states it is not responsible for personal articles such as luggage that are lost or stolen inside a lounge. [1]

Single Visit Passes

Amtrak customers may buy a Single Visit Pass for Metropolitan Lounges at Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon) and Washington, DC for $35, or for $50 at New York Moynihan Train Hall, and the page directs customers to speak with a uniformed employee at those stations. [1] Amtrak Guest Rewards customers may redeem points for a Single Visit Pass for 1,500 points, and Amtrak's rewards pages list lounge passes among the things points can be redeemed for. [1] [2] A pass is valid only at the lounge location where it was purchased, requires a same-day ticket for Amtrak service, and is subject to availability at Amtrak's sole discretion. [1]

Exceptions and limits

• Private Waiting Rooms are a separate product. They are unstaffed, and are available in New Orleans, St. Louis, St. Paul/Minneapolis and Wilmington; sleeping car passengers and Select Plus and Select Executive members are welcome at all four, and Business Class passengers may also use the rooms in St. Louis and St. Paul/Minneapolis. [1]
• Excluded venue. Due to space restrictions, private car owners and their groups are not permitted in the Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge. [1]
• Prohibited routes to entry. Sharing an eligible travel document, such as a First Class ticket, with a guest not named on the reservation is prohibited, as is buying an eligible ticket to gain access and then cancelling it before travel. [1] Amtrak reserves the right to refuse access or bar future access for those attempts, and to remove any guest for breaching the lounge terms. [1]
• Membership cards. Amtrak Guest Rewards membership is non-transferable, physical or digital member cards may not be loaned to others, and Amtrak representatives will confiscate cards that are expired or presented by anyone other than the member. [1]
• Conference rooms. Complimentary conference rooms are offered at select locations on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to a two-hour period, and are booked in advance by calling the locations directly — Boston South Station on (617) 757-1520, Philadelphia 30th Street Station on (215) 349-3090 and Washington Union Station on (202) 906-3012. [1]
• Changeable terms. Amtrak reserves the right to revise the Metropolitan Lounge terms and conditions at any time, with or without notice, and notes that other terms and conditions may apply. [1]

Related pages

Context: rail travel and rail station lounges. Background on the loyalty scheme behind status entry: Amtrak Guest Rewards guide. Term: lounge guest policy, and the full glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Amtrak Guest Rewards points, tiers and card benefits are covered elsewhere; commuter rail operators, private rail operators and station waiting areas that are not branded Amtrak lounges are not covered here.

1. Amtrak Station Lounges, including Metropolitan Lounge terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
2. Amtrak Guest Rewards overview, checked 18 October 2026
3. Amtrak Acela train and First Class amenities, checked 18 October 2026