I qualified for Select Plus over a month ago but still have not received my membership kit. Is there a way to print out a temporary card from the website? Alternatively, is there some other documentation I can provide to receive access to the Acela Clubs?

When you first qualify for Select Plus, you should get an e-mail with a link to go to to print out your temporary select plus card. I got this e-mail the very same day that I hit the 10,000 point threshold. The temporary card is valid for two months and will allow you to access the lounge. If you never got the e-mail, I'd call Amtrak Guest Rewards right away to see if they could send it again.

It took over 6 weeks for me to get the new Select Plus tier kit, on a $0.27 bulk-mail stamp. No wonder!

The NY club will accept a screen print out that shows you are S+

So will the Continental President's Club, as I did in LAX.

The only thing that matters to me in the kit is the four 48-hour-in-advance upgrade coupons.

WAS also accepted a print-out last time i was there, although i was told she wasn't supposed to.

And that is correct, they aren't supposed to accept a screen printout. They are only supposed to take the temp card or the real card. But some attendants will be nice, just don't count on it.

In NY I have seen them direct people who say they dont have their cards over to the terminals with the isntruction to print out the home page with their status. You would think they would give the staff the ability to check a pax status.

Giving Club agent�s access to AGR gives them access to abuse the system and give out free tickets, Amtrak doesn't want that. Regular ticket agents as a general rule are not allowed access to AGR, and aren't even permitted to modify or otherwise work with AGR reservations in ARROW.

So the only way that a Club agent could check a pax's status, would be for you to give them your number and password. Most people would probably be uncomfortable doing that.

Finally, I'm again surprised that the agents would even direct someone to the computers, both because they are in effect already granting access to the lounge without proof, but also because a screen print out is not considered acceptable proof. Only an actual plastic Select Plus card or the emailed Temp cards are considered acceptable proof.

The problem is that it is two systems. Any ticket agent should be able to insert my AGR number into the reservations system, and it should pull up my status and other information. In fact my status should automatically print on my tickets when my AGR number is in the reservation. Gee - if the airlines can do it....

As for the nonsense that only the AGR folks can issue awards, etc., I dont see how the system would be abused. The person issuing the ticket is responsible for collecting payment, whether by cash, credit card, or points. If they don't collect one of them, I don't see how the facts that it is points is different than if it was cash.