First class upgrade

[gazzaa2]

As a fed up rail user on a Saturday i've decided I want to start upgrading to sitting down and therefore travelling first class.

How do you get an upgrade on the weekend (I believe it's about £20?). Can you just sit in first class and ask the guard/inspector to upgrade your ticket, or do you have to do it before you board?

 

[Mag_seven]

What TOC are you travelling with?

 

[gazzaa2]

What TOC are you travelling with?

Either Virgin WCML, Cross Country or Transpennine.

 

[Intermodal]

You can see details of "Weekend First" offers below. They vary by each TOC.

• VTWC Weekend First
• Crosscountry Weekend First
• Transpennine Weekend First

For all of the TOCs it depends on the route you are travelling. Crosscountry do not appear to list prices on their website so I would advise that you ask the Train Manager on board. For VTWC and TPE the prices are listed clearly above. You can just sit in first and pay the upgrade when your ticket is inspected.

 

[Mag_seven]

Either Virgin WCML, Cross Country or Transpennine.

You can upgrade on the train with all those operators - charges will vary depending on TOC and the journey you are making.

 

[Blinkbonny]

At Virgin it has to be done onboard. Don't know about other companies. And it goes up in £5 increments depending on distance travelled.

 

[Merseysider]

At Virgin it has to be done onboard. Don't know about other companies. And it goes up in £5 increments depending on distance travelled.

Virgin upgrades can be done online when purchasing.

 

[gazzaa2]

Cheers

 

[gray1404]

It is possible to look up XC upgrade charges on BRfares so you know what it will be before boarding. Just type the two stations between which you will be travelling on the XC leg(s) and it will appear as something like IXC WEEKEND UPG.

 

[Hadders]

Upgrades on Virgin are free at weekends if you are travelling with an Anytime ticket.

Also, if all you're after is a seat then you can make a reservation free of charge with Virgin, CrossCountry and Transpennine.

 

[extendedpaul]

I paid for a first class advance on TransPennine Express from Sheffield to Lancaster last Saturday. Just about managed to get my reserved seats but both trains were so rammed due to Northern strike action there were dozens of people standing in first class with nowhere else to go. First Class was not declassified as almost all seats were reserved and most claimed but no chance of the complementary refreshments as the trolleys could not get near. Not complaining as still worth the extra cost and both train managers were very informative and apologetic. One explained that it had not been possible to add extra carriages due to the only spare set already being in use following damage caused by a collision with some cows a few days earlier !