Standard Class ticket holders on East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains can now bid for an upgrade to First Class from just £10.

EMR has partnered with Seatfrog to allow Standard Class Ticket customers to bid for a last-minute upgrade to First Class through the Seatfrog app; the app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

Upgrades are made through an auction that lasts from 24 hours before departure up to 30 minutes before the train is due to depart. Bids are free and upgraded tickets are sent straight to customers’ phones.

The availability of upgrades will be dictated by expected passenger volumes in First and Standard Class carriages. Customers wishing to upgrade will need to open the app and enter their booking reference or use Seatfrog’s train search feature to find the upgrades available on their journey. They then select the number of upgrades they would like to bid for and set their price for each upgrade.

Bids are free to enter, and customers can bid for as many upgrades in each auction as they wish. If they win, Seatfrog will notify the customers and take payment. The customer will then receive a First Class upgrade barcode straight to their phone.

For a limited time, all Seatfrog users who bid for an upgrade will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three pairs of First Class EMR tickets.

Seatfrog upgrades are available on selected peak and off-peak services on EMR’s Intercity route between London and other Intercity destinations, including Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, and East Midlands Parkway.

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director at East Midlands Railway, said:

“Seatfrog offers our customers the flexibility to upgrade to First Class at short notice and bid for ticket at a price they want to pay.

“It is quick and simple to use and provides the chance for customers to enjoy all the perks of First Class travel at a reduced rate – starting at just £10.”

Iain Griffin, Founder of Seatfrog, said:

“We’re excited to be bringing Seatfrog to millions of East Midlands Railway customers to enable first-class savings from today. By using our app, they will be able to upgrade to first class for as little as £10, and get the best seat on the train.
“There are 570 million unused seats in first-class across Europe every year, which means people are missing out on the best train experience available. So we’re on a mission to fill those seats and put delight back into a billion journeys.”