Originally Posted by
bmorechris
You should be able to, but you will need to pay their railfare.
This is correct, but there is a nuance. Each rail passenger pays the lowest bucket Value fare. The Saver coach fare, if available, is lower than the Value fare, and is not available for the sleeping car passenger's rail fare. (I think those are the fare names. If not, I'm sure someone will provide the correct names.)
It is also possible that the lowest available coach fare at the time of the change is a higher bucket fare, in which case the fare for the new sleeper passenger will be less than the current coach fare.
Originally Posted by
bmorechris
Call an agent to change rooms. If they tell you there will be a fee, tell them not to do anything and hang up and call again. A more experienced agent will be able to do this without any additional charge.
On another web site (Amtrak Unlimited), members emphasize that a caller should use the term "modify" when changing a reservation. In any event,
bmorechris is correct in the advice to hang up and call again if the agent wants to collect more money. The last two times I have changed rooms, the first agent said that Amtrak no longer allows this without an upcharge, but HUCA worked. The last time I did this, even the second agent said it wasn't allowed, but since I'm special (I'm not), THIS ONCE it could happen.
Explore, I'm sure I did this in April of 2016. I'm not sure if I've done it since. Do you know when Amtrak increased the penalties for cancellations?
Note that even after Amtrak increased the penalties for cancellations, travelers could still receive 100% value in a voucher.