Sometimes it seems like Amtrak shouldn't even bother giving certificates to its Select and Select + members, for all the hassle the company makes them go through. Use of airline certificates can have a hassle quotient too, but it's far less.

An egregious restriction associated with companion certs (H110 through 2/28/10, then H114) is that Amtrak's best customers may not use them to discount sleeper trips a mere 5% to 25%, twice a year - because the certificates aren't good for travel in sleeper. And how many of Amtrak's best customers will tolerate an overnight journey in coach?

Apparently the only possible way around this is to convince the conductor to sell the customer and his companion a sleeping car room on board the train. Which may well be a noisy end-of-car room, or one on the lower level near the stairway or the family room. Uncertainty city.....would you really want to subject your 82-year-old mother to this?

Well I think I'll do it on Train 4 in late February, with many rooms apparently available, but this is hardly ideal. What if the conductor is a grinch? It wouldn't be feasible at all in higher demand situations.

Can anyone share experiences trying to use a companion certificate for sleeper travel?