CrossCountry help please: short notice reservations and/or SeatFrog, without an app?

[Emmmmo]

My mum (in her late 70s) comes to visit us up north on the train and frequently has a slightly miserable (often seatless) time on Cross Country. She buys her paper tickets in person and prefers not to use an app. She usually buys an open off peak return (for flexibility, and because there are frequently no advance fares left).

I have a couple of queries as I try to make the process less grim for her.

(1) Is there an easy way to reserve seats after the ticket has been purchased (ideally with me doing this for her), now that the text service has been removed?
(2) Can I buy her an upgrade on SeatFrog and send/transfer it to her somehow?
(3) Is there any way of knowing in advance which services are run with doubled-up rolling stock (i.e. more chance of space)?

Thank you!

 

[nitten_travell]

1 - you can do via the GWR site or at a ticket office, or maybe by phone call to CC Customer Service?
2 - yes I do this for other family members but really unless she has a smartphone the only way is to buy a buy it now upgrade, print and post it to her
3 - this I can't help with

 

[island]

(1) Your mum can request seat reservations when she buys the ticket. It's also possible to get them later from a staffed station, or ring CrossCountry.
(2) Yes, but their normal auction upgrades only issue as e-tickets, 30 minutes before the train departs, so it may be difficult if she's not going to use tech. You can pay the "skip the auction" price which will issue the e-ticket right away, and print it off for her.
(3) Not easily, though you could try a dummy booking and see if you get assigned coach G or above.

 

[Emmmmo]

This is really helpful, thank you all. I'll suggest she asks the ticket office to sort a reservation when she buys her ticket.

Re Seatfrog, she does use WhatsApp (she's just a bit resistant to buying things on her phone) so can I just send her a screenshot of the ticket/code when it comes through? I just wanted to check it wouldn't be rejected as not 'in the app'. It would be nice to send her a little 'luxury' surprise

I think I'll see if I can get her up and running on the CC app while she's here - it seems like it might make life a little easier. I'm a fairly regular rail traveller myself but I do everything on my phone nowadays and it's increasingly hard to sort these things the old fashioned way.

 

[island]

Yes, screenshots of e-tickets are OK.

 

[Emmmmo]

Yes, screenshots of e-tickets are OK.

Brill, thank you.