Welsh MPs claimed nearly £20,000 expenses from the tax payer in first class rail travel last year.
Simon Hart , Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, claimed the most at £7,571.
The total first class rail fare bill from MPs in Wales, revealed in new analysis of MPs’ expenses, came from just seven of the nation's 40 MPs.
Two of those, Mr Hart and Independent Guto Bebb, are among 23 nationwide who claimed more than £5,000 each for first class rail travel while their staff travelled standard class.
In contrast, the majority of Welsh MPs claimed no expenses for first class travel, choosing to go standard class along with their staff.
That includes those with constituencies far from Westminster such as Ian Lucas, Labour MP for Wrexham and Mark Tami, Labour MP for Alyn and Deeside.
Mr Hart and Mr Bebb, former Conservative and now independent MP for Aberconwy, claimed standard fare rail travel for family members at the same time as claiming first class tickets for themselves.
As well as claiming first class fares for himself Mr Hart also claimed £189 for standard-class.
At the same time, he claimed £508 for rail travel for his staff - and all of that was for standard-class travel.
The data also shows that Mr Bebb, who won’t stand again for selection saying he cannot back the current Tory administration, claimed £5,873 for first class rail fares for himself and none for his staff in 2018-19.
In the same period he also claimed £93 in standard class fares for staff, £40 for himself and £253 in standard class fares for family.
Asked why he travelled first class so often Mr Bebb, an MP since 2010, refused to comment but added: “I have had nine years of pathetic stories. I would have thought you had better things to do with your time.”
Details of the Welsh MPs’ rail travel expenses is based on official Ipsa data showing MPs across the UK claimed a total £1.1 million worth of rail travel for themselves in 2018-19. Some £351,109 of that - roughly one-third - was for first-class tickets.
They claimed a further £55,583 for travel by spouses and children. Some 50% of that was for first-class.
But of the £321,583 they claimed for rail travel by their staff, only 13 per cent was for first-class.
The figures show Welsh MPs claimed £19,832 for first class fares for themselves in 2018-19, a little bit less than the £20,800 claimed for staff to travel standard class.
MPs also claimed £62,000 in standard class fares for themselves and £2,844 in standard class rail travel for their families.
MPs are allowed to claim first-class rail tickets on expenses for themselves, family and staff if the price is cheaper than the standard on-the-day “walk-on” fare.
Since politicians generally book travel in advance, that can usually be achieved. However, the parliamentary watchdog Ipsa does ask MPs to consider value for money when booking tickets.
Of the 23 MPs who claimed more than £5,000 for first-class rail travel for themselves during the 2018-19 financial year nine are Conservatives, 13 are Labour MPs, and one, Guto Bebb, independent.
Across the whole of the UK, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed more than any other MP for travelling first class last year. The Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North claimed £11,210 in rail travel, of which £10,000 was for first class fares.
The data also shows Mr Wallace claimed £340 for rail travel by his family. All of those journeys were in first class. However, the £193 of rail claims made for his staff were all for standard class tickets.
Simon Hart was approached for comment.
