Weekend First with a standard Britrail Pass?

[airinter]

I am somewhat confused about the option to upgrade a standard Class BritRail pass, in particular weekend first on Virgin trains. A first class pass would not be value for money as we travel mostly on lines where first is not availible or on weekends and bankholidays, however a weekend first upgrade might be interesting for one or two pendolino journeys.
The Fares & Ticketing guide here in the forum says that for "BritRail the FULL difference between the appropriate Standard Class and First Class (Single or Return) fares for the journey being made is charged", but according to nationalrail.co.uk "BritRail Pass - Ticket cannot be upgraded. The appropriate First Class Anytime Single fare should be purchased. "
For weekend first on East coast "Valid Standard tickets include Advance, Super Off-Peak, Off-Peak and Anytime tickets, Rail Rovers, and BritRail tickets." but i could not find any similar information on Virgin's website and their customer service only suggested that i should "contact the station staff for any upgrades if available for your travel."
Does anyone know if Virgin will sell me a weekend first upgrade on board with a BritRail pass?

 

[thedbdiboy]

Normally, Weekend First upgrade is available to anyone with a valid Standard Class ticket of any sort. If in doubt you can check with the conductor, but I'm sure they'll be happy to take your money to let you occupy an otherwise-empty seat.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I am somewhat confused about the option to upgrade a standard Class BritRail pass, in particular weekend first on Virgin trains. A first class pass would not be value for money as we travel mostly on lines where first is not availible or on weekends and bankholidays, however a weekend first upgrade might be interesting for one or two pendolino journeys.
The Fares & Ticketing guide here in the forum says that for "BritRail the FULL difference between the appropriate Standard Class and First Class (Single or Return) fares for the journey being made is charged", but according to nationalrail.co.uk "BritRail Pass - Ticket cannot be upgraded. The appropriate First Class Anytime Single fare should be purchased. "
For weekend first on East coast "Valid Standard tickets include Advance, Super Off-Peak, Off-Peak and Anytime tickets, Rail Rovers, and BritRail tickets." but i could not find any similar information on Virgin's website and their customer service only suggested that i should "contact the station staff for any upgrades if available for your travel."
Does anyone know if Virgin will sell me a weekend first upgrade on board with a BritRail pass?

Weekend First is a completely separate scheme from normal first class upgrades. On Virgin Trains this is a flat £15 regardless of your journey, and available to everybody (assuming you do have a valid ticket)

It appears, with respect to normal first class upgrades, that either our ticketing guide or nationalrail.co.uk is incorrect. If I had to bet, it would be that nationalrail.co.uk is wrong

 

[1E05]

Correction to the above...

Weekend First is a flat fare of £15.00 on all routes with the exception of the West Midlands (brown route A in timetables), where a flat £10.00 upgrade fee is payable.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Thanks

I got my dodgy information from nationalrail.co.uk

 

[bb21]

Yes, Weekend First is available with BritRail, at weekends only of course (with certain exceptions).

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....It appears, with respect to normal first class upgrades, that either our ticketing guide or nationalrail.co.uk is incorrect. If I had to bet, it would be that nationalrail.co.uk is wrong

If you ask me (and I note that you haven't), it's clear as mud.....

....

Excess Fares

Holders of adult or child Standard passes travelling in First Class accommodation should be charged the difference between the appropriate First Class and Standard fares for the journey being made. Customers holding Standard Class passes who wish to upgrade to First Class must purchase a new First Class pass from the 'First option' office at 1 Regent Street, London and claim a refund on the Standard Class pass from the issuing office.

....

 

[Haywain]

I would interpret the quote from Knowledgebase as being what you do for an individual journey in the first sentence, and the second referring to how to upgrade that pass for the whole duration.

 

[bb21]

If you ask me (and I note that you haven't), it's clear as mud.....

While I appreciate that the iKB is supposed to take precedence nowadays, The Manual before it was superseded disagrees with this interpretation. Was there really meant to be changes?

Rovers, Rangers, BritRail – charge the difference between the appropriate Standard Class and the appropriate First Class fare for the journey being made. Holders of Railcards giving discounts on First Class travel are eligible for discounted fares, only if original tickets were discounted.

I reality, I bet the overwhelming majority of guards would be happy to upgrade the passenger upon payment of the appropriate excess fare between the Standard Anytime and the First Anytime/Off-Peak.

 

[airinter]

Thank you all, i will buy the standard pass and see if they sell me a weekend upgrade, and if they do not i will still have saved around £150.00 to buy me tea and biscuits at the station.