Deal alert: Book a private room on Amtrak from $193 for you and a friend
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
A couple of years back, I rode on Amtrak's Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago, Illinois. I was able to do so for a great price thanks to a buy one, get one sale on roomette sleeper-car accommodation. Luckily, you can take advantage of the same deal during Amtrak's current sale. To book these low fares, book your roomette by April 16, 2021 and travel between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2021.
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Sale details
During this limited-time sale, you can book a private Amtrak roomette and bring a companion for free. When you book a roomette, you get a private space with seats to enjoy the views during the day. At night, the seats turn into a bed and a second bed folds down to create a private, secure sleeping space. Plus, roomette travelers also get the following:
- Fresh towels and linens
- Access to a shared restroom and shower
- An attendant who will provide turndown service, assistance with meals and help with luggage
- Complimentary lounge access at major stations
- Priority boarding
- Complimentary meals onboard
During this promotion, two can travel together in a roomette for as low as $193 between Chicago and St. Paul-Minneapolis. The only blackout date is July 5, 2021.
Many other itineraries are possible. Private rooms are available on the following Amtrak routes:
- Auto Train
- California Zephyr
- Capitol Limited
- Cardinal
- City of New Orleans
- Coast Starlight
- Crescent
- Empire Builder
- Lake Shore Limited
- Northeast Regional
- Silver Star
- Silver Meteor
- Southwest Chief
- Sunset Limited
- Texas Eagle
Related: 11 mistakes people make when taking a cross-country Amtrak
Booking the deal
To book at discounted rates during this sale, go to amtrak.com/privateroomsale or enter code C645 when booking a trip on the Amtrak app. The paying adult and free companion must travel in the same room and reserve in the same reservation. This offer is only valid for roomettes and isn't combinable with any other discount offer.
Unfortunately, there's no easy way to search for the best price if you have flexible dates or routes. Instead, you'll need to try a lot of searches. However, if you are flexible with your travel dates, I've typically found the best pricing in September. For example, here's a day-time itinerary on September 29 that would cost $193 for two passengers in a roomette from St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN to Chicago, IL.
But, I believe you need to spend at least one night on the train to get the complete experience. So, here's an example from Lorton to Sanford on the Auto Train:
Or, if you wanted to do the Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon to Chicago, Illinois like I did, here's an example itinerary that would cost just $529 for two passengers in a roomette.
I'd certainly pay $529 to travel with a friend in a roomette along this route. After all, the 45-hour journey gives you enough time to settle into train life, but not enough time for you to tire of it.
Be sure to book your train fare with one of the best cards for train travel. I'd use the Chase Sapphire Reserve since it offers excellent travel protections on top of 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases. If you don't have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I recommend using one of the other best cards for travel purchases.
Related: Earn rewards on your train trip with Amtrak Guest Rewards
Bottom line
The Amtrak roomette my husband and I traveled in on the Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago was tight. But, we loved having our own space and a door we could lock while sleeping. And I enjoyed looking out the window at the passing scenery and towns. It's certainly an experience I'm glad I jumped on. So, as long as whoever sleeps in the upper bunk is agile enough to get into the bunk and isn't nervous about tight spaces, I highly recommend booking a private room during this sale.