How do I reserve a seat on a Cross Country train with an Interrail pass?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Lisa and I are travelling on a Cross Country train next month - long distance and it's likely to be crowded - so I dropped them. note (with journey details) asking for a reservation.

Hello Graham,

I would like to inform you that we do not deal with the Interrail passes due to which we are unable to reserve the seats.

We as CrossCountry Customer can help with the seat reservation only if the Train tickets are purchased from CrossCountry website or application.

The Interrail people say that reservations are dealt with locally by the train operators - reasonable in many ways as common systems are not set up for all 33 countries and all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) within those countries ... but if  TOC can't (or won't) reserve you a seat on their trains, who can?

[ChrisB]

First thought: Buy a Seatfrog upgrade in the week before travel. comes with reservations in 1st.

Second try - their "10minute" text reservation will work from the start of business on the day of travel - no guarantee but better than nothing.

Third: Buy a ticket, reserve seats, refund tickets just before travel. I believe seat reservations don't cancel.

Ask Mark Smith, Man in Seat61 - he'll know & is on Twitter/X

[IndustryInsider]

First thought: Buy a Seatfrog upgrade in the week before travel. comes with reservations in 1st.

Second try - their "10minute" text reservation will work from the start of business on the day of travel - no guarantee but better than nothing.

Third: Buy a ticket, reserve seats, refund tickets just before travel. I believe seat reservations don't cancel.

Ask Mark Smith, Man in Seat61 - he'll know & is on Twitter/X

Or pop in person to a local ticket office?  Chippenham?  Trowbridge?

[grahame]

Or pop in person to a local ticket office?  Chippenham?  Trowbridge?

I was just waiting for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) to suggest to me I pop down and get it done at my local station (which doesn't have a ticket office). Yes - I will probably follow the spirit of your suggestion though at Bath Spa where there's a probability of the ticket office being open at the time I'm there and not rushing for a connection.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes - I will probably follow the spirit of your suggestion though at Bath Spa where there's a probability of the ticket office being open at the time I'm there and not rushing for a connection.

Use them or lose them! 

[ray951]

You can book seats on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/seat-reservations it will ask what ticket you have; but you can select any type and it will reserve a seat at no cost.

[ChrisB]

On CrossCountry, I think not? 

[ray951]

On CrossCountry, I think not? 

You should try it, I booked a seat on the 07:23 Southampton Airport to Oxford Cross-Country service and I also booked a seat on the 08:41 Edinburgh (EDB) to Glasgow Queen Street, so it isn't just GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services and you don't have to buy a ticket at the same time.

The steps to reserve a seat are as follows:
1) Select 'Online Booking' option from https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/seat-reservations
2) Login to your account.
3) Go to Bookings - View Bookings
4) Select Make a seat/bike reservation.
5) Enter the details of the service you wish to book seats on
6) When it asks you for ticket type you can select any type.
7) Confirm booking
You have reserved a seat.
And the service is free.

[grahame]

You should try it ...

The steps to reserve a seat are as follows
[snip]
8) You have reserved a seat.

And the service is free.

Many thanks for that ...

Cross Country Reservations are like London Buses ... your struggle for one and then three come along all at the same time?

1. I wrote to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))'s main customer service department - who's contact details were given in that email "We don't reserve on our own trains unless you also buy your ticket from us - and we don't sell InterRail passes - so tough".  Not sure which pulldown menu I chose - "Complaint" perhaps though I am not typically a complainer.   Standard acknowledgement received ... no other answer

2. I note your 8 step process to get the reservation and it was on my agenda to do - but I still have over a month

3. On a visit to a city quite close to us, I went into the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) station there and asked at the open ticket office.  With proof of the InterRail pass, I spoke to a real human expert on these things and he issued me with the required reservations - actually 2 sets, because the first set was accidentally for later this month rather than later next month which I pointed out when I checked the tickets and he issued a fresh set

1a. Then yesterday evening I got an email following up last weeks' complaint to XC - surprise, surprise, issuing reservation in different seats in the same carriage on the same train as were issues during the day at the GWR station.

I feel slightly guilty at having two reservations for me and two for Lisa on the same train - unsure what to do with the spares. I am delighted to document ray951's third way but would feel even more guilty if I tried it out to give readers a complete rundown of options - but I do appreciate the advice!



P.S. - Looking at the GWR website to book tickets for this train - I was gobsmacked at the price quoted. Almost one of those examples where it's cheaper to buy an Interrail pass valid for 4 days across 33 countries including 2 days in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) than to buy a local (UK) flexible ticket in the same class on the one route.

[plymothian]

Second try - their "10minute" text reservation will work from the start of business on the day of travel - no guarantee but better than nothing.

Crosscountry stopped their Ten Minute Reservation text service several years ago.

[ChrisB]

1a. Then yesterday evening I got an email following up last weeks' complaint to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) - surprise, surprise, issuing reservation in different seats in the same carriage on the same train as were issues during the day at the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) station.

Certainly not claiming any influence here, most likely a coincidence - BUT - on Tuesday, I was in a meeting with Head of Passenger Service at XC, and at some stage in the morning, a Q&A allowed me to rattle of several XC problems that I had been storying up, including this one of reservations above the 60% mark (did YOU know that was a rule with XC? No more reservations allowed to be made once 60% are reserved? No, nor did they - but it is!) along with your interrail problem (general, no names, no pack-drill). And he said he'd investigate. Well, someone obviouslky did & located your query/complaint)

The 60% affair is being investigated urgently too

[grahame]

I know I should not stand in a greenhouse and throw stones - there are issues to be dealt with on the Coffee Shop too ... but most amused in the last few minutes to get feedback from XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) asking in an email about how they did.



Clicked on the image ... and got ...



Not done very well here with soliciting feedback, have they? I would normally just provide the feeback on such things and not be public posting but - really - "please give us feedback" and when you go to do so finding a broken link.  Perhsps someone reads here??

P.S. The email in which I clicked on the link also says

Please do not reply directly to this email

so there goes another way I could have let them know!

[Mark A]

Firstbus pulled this off with a QR^▸ (QR Code - Quick Response code (2D bar code)) code linked feedback form on posters on buses a year or so back. 404 on the linked form.

Mark