Bid for First Class upgrades with Seatfrog
Last-minute luxury is just a bid away
Avanti West Coast have partnered with Seatfrog bring you a new way to upgrade to First Class, straight from your phone. Use the Seatfrog app to bid for last-minute upgrades across our network (excluding Holyhead) and you could be enjoying all the benefits of our First Class service for as little as a tenner.
Whether you’re after a little more space on a business trip, or a touch of luxury on your next day out, it’s a smart and savvy way to give yourself the VIP treatment on your next train journey.
Find out how to upgrade with Seatfrog >
Download the app
Search your journey
Enter your booking reference or use the app’s ‘Train Search’ feature to see what upgrades are available for your trip. Auctions generally start 24 hours before your journey and end 30 minutes before your train leaves the first station on its route. Be sure to turn on notifications and the app will let you know once an upgrade is available, and when an auction has begun.
Place your bids
Select the number of upgrades you want to bid for, and set your maximum price for each upgrade. You can up your bid as many times as you like, and only pay if and when you win.
We have a winner
If your bid wins, Seatfrog will automatically allocate you the best available seat. You’ll get your upgrade sent straight to your phone – just show it on-board alongside your original ticket.
Top tip
You don’t have to bid! You can simply select the “Upgrade Now” price in Seatfrog at any point, and pay for the upgrade.
Good to know
Once on-board the train, your new mobile ticket in the Seatfrog app will be checked, along with your current Standard Class ticket.
You can bid for more than one ticket, and as many times as you’d like in one auction. Just choose the amount of upgrades you’d like and start bidding.
You can’t take a peek at other people’s bids, and they can’t see yours either.
Terms & Conditions for Seatfrog
This Seatfrog upgrade auction offer can only be used by customers and accompanying travellers on the same booking reference, with a valid Standard Class ticket, travelling on eligible Avanti West Coast services.
Seatfrog upgrade auctions are available on selected Avanti West Coast services only, with at least 2 seats available on eligible services in operation.
Each First Class upgrade is valid for a single person travelling on the booking reference number entered into the Seatfrog App, and is for the stipulated one-way journey only. Upgrades can only be used in conjunction with a valid Avanti West Coast Standard Class ticket.
Customers that purchase a Seatfrog upgrade with a valid Standard Class ticket can only travel in First Class on the train for which the upgrade was purchased. Upgrades are not transferable even if your original ticket permits you to travel in Standard Class on another Avanti West Coast service.
Due to the last-minute nature of Seatfrog upgrade auctions we cannot guarantee every member of the group will be sat together if an upgrade bid is successful.
Customers travelling in a group on the same booking reference may participate in a Seatfrog upgrade auction to upgrade together. Any member of the group can register with Seatfrog and bid on a number of seats which they specify. Should the member win an upgrade, the specified number of upgrades will be issued to their device.
Upon payment of the upgrade fee, customers are issued with First Class upgrade barcodes for the specified number of upgrades within the Seatfrog app. Each upgrade barcode issued to your mobile phone must be presented along with an original valid Standard Class ticket to the Train Manager when travelling on board the train. Please also retain your original tickets to pass through the station ticket barriers. Without both the First Class upgrade barcode and a valid Standard Class ticket, the upgrade is not valid.
Seatfrog upgrades are verified by the Train Manager on board the train. If the customer is unable to produce a valid barcode on their mobile device, they will be charged the difference in fare between the appropriate First Class fare and their current ticket fare. It is the customers’ responsibility to ensure their mobile device is fully charged as verification can take place at any point during the train journey.
First Class upgrades purchased via the Seatfrog app also include access to the Avanti West Coast lounges located along the west coast route at Glasgow Central, Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Runcorn, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Coventry and London Euston.
The upgrades are also eligible for Delay Repay. For Automatic Delay Repay, customers will be reimbursed their Standard Advance tickets automatically, and need to submit their Seatfrog receipt manually. If customers do not qualify for Automatic Delay Repay, they will need to submit a standard delay repay form online and include the Seatfrog receipt in their submission.
If the Avanti West Coast service on which the customer has purchased an upgrade is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes, and the customer is able to be accommodated in First Class on the next available Avanti West Coast service, the customer will not be eligible for a refund on the fee paid for the upgrade.
First Class complimentary service varies according to date, time of day and the journey being made.
