Get that First Class feeling with EMR

Upgrades are now available across the East Midlands Railway Intercity routes.

Download to upgrade

How to upgrade to First Class

Add your trip

Search and select your train service to get started. We’ll show you which upgrades are available.

Start bidding

Choose the number of upgrades you’d like to bid for and set your price. You’ll only pay if you win.

Upgrade in seconds

If you win, we’ll send your First Class upgrade straight to your phone. You’re VIP now.

Get the ultimate EMR experience

We’ve teamed up with East Midlands Railway to give you access to their comfiest intercity seats. Next time you’re planning a trip, upgrade to give yourself the luxury you deserve.

Everything you need to know
Book with EMR

Book your standard class ticket on eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk.

Booked via another site?

Use our handy Train Search feature to add your trip.

First Class at the last-minute

Auctions start 24 hours before departure. Bid up to 30 minutes before your train leaves, or buy an instant upgrade once you’re on the train.

Available every day of the week

On selected peak and off-peak EMR services across the network.

Upgrade with family and friends

Select how many seats you need before you bid for an upgrade, or select ‘buy it now’ to upgrade instantly.

Grab yourself a deal!

You can bid to travel First Class from just £10.

First Class food, leg room and power

Make the most of complementary food, drinks, extra legroom and a personal power socket. Just upgrade and enjoy.

Download to upgrade

Upgrade your next trip

Bid for an upgrade and get exclusive access to last-minute premium seats with Seatfrog.

Download to upgrade
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Any questions?

The Seatfrog app enables customers who have purchased any EMR Standard Class ticket to bid for an upgrade to First Class when they are travelling on an eligible train, with First Class availability. Customers who hold the highest bid when the Seatfrog auction ends will win the First Class upgrade for the journey they are making.

Yes! You can upgrade as part of a group using our group bidding feature. Just specify how many seats you’d like to upgrade from the Seatfrog bidding screen before placing a bid. You can access this page once you have added a trip to the app.

The number of upgrades in each auction are subject to availability, and while we’ll make our best efforts we can’t guarantee everyone in a group will be seated next to each other once upgraded. Find out more information about group bidding here.

As Seatfrog provides last-minute upgrades, we cannot guarantee the availability of accessible areas in First Class coaches. Travellers who require assistance should contact the EMR Passenger Assistance team and check availability for their journey prior to participation in a Seatfrog upgrade auction. Find out more information here.

There are two ways you can purchase an eligible ticket for Seatfrog upgrades:

  1. Book directly through the EMR website or app.
  2. Book through a website authorised to sell EMR tickets.

You will also need to ensure:

  • You must be over 18 years of age
  • Book a service operated by EMR
  • Book a Standard Class ticket

Once you have booked an eligible ticket, you can add your trip to the Seatfrog app by using the Train Search feature on the Seatfrog app.

As Seatfrog is a last-minute upgrades service, availability of upgrades on your service are confirmed closer to your date of departure.

Seatfrog upgrades are available on selected peak and off-peak EMR services across the network, with availability dictated by expected passenger volumes in both First and Standard Class carriages.

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