An eTicket is a flexible way to collect your tickets and save them to your device. They use a QR code so you don't need to use the LNER Travel Buddy app to access these. You can save them straight to your own device or you can print the eTicket if you'd prefer.
What should I do if I haven't received my tickets by post?
Tickets are usually sent out within 24 hours of a booking. If you're worried about your tickets or you've still not received them the day before you travel get in touch by email. If you could include your booking reference, it'll really help us out.
Which stations have ticket vending machines?
Every station managed by LNER has a ticket machine that you can collect or buy tickets from. View LNER stations here.
What if I need help buying the right ticket from a ticket vending machine?
If you’re using a ticket vending machine at one of our stations to buy your ticket, and need help choosing the right one for your journey, just ask a member of our station team to help you.
If you think you may have ended up buying the wrong ticket for your journey, please talk to our team at the station before you travel who will explain your options. Or, if you’ve already completed your journey, you can contact our Customer Services team.
How do I collect my tickets if I live outside the UK?
We can't post tickets to overseas customers so you have a couple of options.
You can either use eTickets and download your ticket to your device
Collect your tickets from a ticket vending machine at the station
Or you can print out your eTicket before you arrive at the station.
How do I book for a group and are there any discounts?
If you've bought a First Class ticket you have access to our luxurious First Class lounges in these eight stations. Please note that our First Class Lounges have been closed during Covid-19 and will re-open on Monday 6 July.
London King's Cross
Doncaster
Wakefield Westgate
Leeds
Darlington
Newcastle
Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Edinburgh
You can visit the First Class Lounges linked to the destination on your ticket, so if you're travelling from London to Edinburgh you'll be able to visit both (and we recommend that you do).
Do I need to book a ticket for all the children even if they’re under 5?
While the National Rail Conditions of Travel state that children aged under 5 years old travelling with an accompanying fare-paying passenger can travel free of charge, they're not guaranteed their own seat on busy services. In order to guarantee a seat, we recommend under-5s are included as part of the overall number of people travelling with the LNER Family Return, but the decision is entirely at your discretion.
What is considered a family when purchasing a Family Return?
A family is defined as being between a minimum of 1 adult and 1 child (aged 5-15 years old inclusive) up to a maximum of 2 adults and 4 children (aged 5-15 years old inclusive). The group size must be specified when you buy the ticket. All tickets required for travel must be bought at the same time. By the way, you don’t all need to be related!
National Rail Travel Vouchers are valid for 12 months and you can use them with any GB Train Operating Company. You can use them when buying tickets at any manned station, and on-board to buy food and drinks from the Foodbar.
Self-Print Tickets
What ticket delivery options are there to choose from?
We've got five options:
eTickets (download them straight to your device or print them at home)
eTickets are the new Self-Print tickets. We've upgraded our ticket gates and website so that you can choose to print your ticket at home or you can simply download them to your device, no need to have an app you can scan or show the QR code on the ticket.
Alternatively, you can buy a season ticket at our station Travel Centres, view the revised opening times here.
I'm a season ticket holder, when can I claim compensation for delays to LNER trains?
If you travel on a LNER service that's late by 30 minutes or more, we'll give you compensation. For season ticket holders you'll need to do some sums to work out your compensation.
My ticket is damaged and won’t go through the ticket gate?
If your ticket is damaged and won't let you through the gate, ask a member of staff for some help. They'll be able to open the gate for you.
If your Season Ticket gets damaged, head over to the Travel Centre you bought it from and they'll get you a replacement.
Will my Season Ticket work with the ticket gates?
Yes, but it'll have to be out of the wallet so you can pop it in the gate. If your Season Ticket gets damaged, just ask for a replacement at the Travel Centre you bought it from.
Railcards
What Railcards are available and how do I purchase one?
We accept 6 types of Railcard on LNER trains:
Two Together
16-25
16-17 Savers
Family & Friends
Senior
Disabled Persons Railcards.
You can get savings of up to 60%, and most Railcards can be bought in stations or online. Find out if you're eligible and how to buy a Railcard at railcard.co.uk.
Can I claim a refund on the new ticket I have had to purchase because I forgot to carry my Railcard?
One of the terms and conditions of your Railcard is that you need to carry it with you at all times when travelling with a Railcard-discounted ticket. So if you don't have your Railcard with you when your ticket is inspected you will be required to pay for a new non-refundable ticket at the full non-discounted rate.
If you could not produce your Railcard at the time of travel, on the first occasion only, you may receive a full refund on any extra fare charged. To claim a refund in respect of a forgotten Railcard please contact our Customer Services team who will require evidence of the additional fare which was charged and a copy of the Railcard which was valid at the time of travel. On any subsequent occasion where you forget your Railcard, unfortunately you will not be eligible to receive a refund.
How quickly after making a booking can I collect my tickets from a ticket vending machine?
If you've chosen to pick up your tickets from a ticket vending machine they'll be ready for collection 2 hours after you make the purchase.
How do I collect my tickets from a ticket vending machine?
All of our stations have ticket vending machines from London King's Cross right through to Edinburgh and beyond. Find a station here.
How to collect at the station
You need two things to collect your tickets from a ticket machine:
The first is the debit or credit card that was used to purchase the tickets.
The second is the 8 character alpha-numeric referencethat can be foun on your confirmation email.
The ticket vending machines are clearly labelled inside the station, so they should be easy to find. Follow these three simple steps:
Insert the debit or credit card you used to purchase the tickets.
Enter the reference if you have one.
The machine will check your details and print your tickets, they'll appear in the tray below.
There may be quite a few tickets and reservation coupons to collect so don't rush off until you're sure everything has been printed and the main screen says that the transaction is complete.
Can someone else collect my tickets from the self-service ticket machine?
Yes, but they'll need to have the credit or debit card that was used to buy the tickets with them. They'll also need the 8 character alpha-numeric reference shown on your email confirmation. We can't issue tickets without both of these.
What should I do if there's a problem collecting my tickets from the ticket vending machines?
If something goes wrong collecting your tickets from the ticket vending machines, (for example there aren't enough tickets or they're poor quality) please speak to the Travel Centre staff at the station and they'll sort it out.
I no longer have the credit/debit used to purchase my ticket as it has been lost or stolen. How do I collect my tickets?
Just get in touch with Web Support by telephone on 03457 225 333 or through the Contact Us pages and we'll find a solution. Unfortunately we can't issue your tickets at the station without the credit or debit card you used to buy the tickets has been lost or stolen.
Ticket Options
What are Advance tickets?
Advance tickets are single (one-way) tickets for a specific train, only available to be bought in advance. If you don't mind being flexible about your travel times, Advance tickets can save you a lot. They are normally our lowest available prices for a given journey. They tend to get snapped up pretty quickly, too, so you're best off booking ahead if you can.
You can buy Advance tickets for Standard or First Class - we'll allocate your seat when you book. This means you can book Standard Class for your outward journey and First Class for your return journey, and vice versa. (We're helpful like that.)
Even if you can only travel off-peak on one leg of your journey, you can still save money. Just buy the lowest price single ticket for every stage of your trip. We put Standard and First Advance tickets on sale around 12 weeks before departure.
Advance tickets are our cheapest ticket offered. Similar to when you buy an airline ticket, they are linked to a specific train time and seat number, so can't be used for any other train time or journey.
They are the best ticket to buy for your journey because they:
Are often cheaper* than other tickets
Always come with a seat reservation
You can combine different types of single tickets to save money
Save an average of 52%* when you book in advance. Saving on all Advance tickets booked on our website vs buying an Anytime ticket.
Why can't I book as far ahead on your website?
We're still finalising our timetable due to the changes from Coronavirus and some planned engineering works.
Because cheap Advance tickets are linked to a specific train and seat we need to know this before you book (so we don't end up selling you a ticket for a train that won't run).
We're still finalising our timetable due to the changes from Coronavirus and some planned engineering works.
Because cheap Advance tickets are linked to a specific train and seat we need to know this before you book (so we don't end up selling you a ticket for a train that won't run).
An Open Return is a flexible ticket that doesn't make you choose a specific time or date to return. They're valid for one calendar month from the date of the outward journey. There are a few types of Open ticket:
Anytime: fully flexible tickets that can be used on peak and off-peak services.
Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak: fairly flexible tickets that can be used on off-peak services on some journeys.
What should I do if I haven't received my tickets by post?
Tickets are usually sent out within 24 hours of a booking. If you're worried about your tickets or you've still not received them the day before you travel get in touch by email. If you could include your booking reference, it'll really help us out.
Can I buy a ticket for someone else?
Yes. Train tickets can be used by anyone. If that person is collecting tickets from a ticket vending machine, they will need the credit or debit card used to make the booking. This might be a little tricky to work around so bear this in mind when booking. If it helps, you can request that tickets are posted to any UK postal address when you book online.
If you buy an eTicket, once you have loaded the ticket into your Apple or Google Wallet, you can share it with someone else. Alternatively, you can request a PDF to be emailed to you that can be printed.
You can also create Gift e-Vouchers for someone to purchase a train ticket on lner.co.uk. You can find out more about Gift e-Vouchers here.
Will I get a receipt for the tickets I buy?
When you've booked tickets, you'll receive a booking confirmation, this is your receipt. For anyone on business, don't forget there are no VAT charges on train tickets.
Why can I see two tickets with the same name but different prices?
On some journeys to the same place there could be two different routes. One might go through London and one might not. If this happens you'll see two or more tickets with the same name but different prices. The difference in price can be because of different journey lengths or times. What normally happens is that cheaper tickets will have more restrictions about how they're used.
I wish to travel to London Airports. How do I find tickets on the website?
If you're buying tickets for the Heathrow Express you'll need to enter the following information during the booking process under ‘Buy a ticket’:
‘From’ – London Paddington
‘To ‘ – Heathrow Express
You'll have the option of 4 tickets to choose from.
Trains go to terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4. The approximate journey times are 15 minutes to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and 25 minutes to Terminal 4.
If you are arriving at Heathrow you'll need to switch them around, enter Heathrow in the ‘From’ field and London Paddington in the ‘To’ field.
To travel to Stansted or Gatwick, all you have to do is type those names into the 'from/to' field.
At what age can children travel on your trains unaccompanied by an adult?
Children should not travel on their own on an LNER train until they are mature enough to understand the risks involved with rail travel. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to make this decision.
LNER staff are unable to provide a chaperone service and if we notice a child travelling on their own and we are worried about their safety we will contact the British Transport Police for assistance.
You'll find some helpful guidance for children travelling alone by the British Transport Police here.
At what age do children have to pay to travel?
Up to two children, aged 4 years old and under, can travel free of charge with a fare-paying adult. Please bear in mind that as they do not have a ticket or a seat reservation, so on busy trains they will be expected to sit on your lap. You can purchase a childs ticket or Family Return to reserve a seat.
If you're travelling with more than two children under 5 and one adult, you will need to purchase a childs ticket for the additional children,
If your children are aged between 5 and 15 we offer discounted fares which are available on our website.
If you're travelling as two adults and between two and four children, the Family Return ticket might also be a great saving for you and it offers a flexible return ticket, find out more here.
What types of ticket are there to choose from?
We've got a range of tickets and value–added packages to suit all kinds of journeys. Most tickets fall into one of the following categories:
1. Advance tickets
2. Off-peak tickets
3. Anytime tickets.
Each one offers a different kind of flexibility as well as First or Standard Class options. Get more info about ticket types, including season tickets, here.
How do I book tickets to London Thameslink stations?
If you're coming in from the North or South to one of the London Thameslink stations (St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge and Elephant & Castle) and want to book a ticket, just select "London Thameslink" as your destination when you book. This way you'll see the full range of fares for your journey.
Can I book Caledonian Sleeper services via this website?
Yes, you can book tickets on a Caledonian Sleeper service when booking from a desktop or tablet device. However, we can only offer seat (not berth) reservations.
If you want to book a ticket and reserve a berth, you'll need to contact Caledonian Sleeper directly, or you could visit a station.
Keep in mind that if you buy a flexible or open ticket on our site and want to travel on a Sleeper service, you'll need a reservation. You won't be allowed to board without one.
Promotions
Why am I being asked to enter a promotional code?
This is probably because we've sent you an email containing a promotional code, (we can never keep quiet about our best deals). During promotional discount periods, you can put in the promotional code we've sent when you sign in to My Account from the desktop version of the website.
If not, get in touch with our Web Support Team on 03457 225 333 and see if we can explain what on earth we're up to.
My Account
How do I add a favourite journey or station?
All you need to do is click on the link "Save as a favourite journey." You can find the link under the Order Summary over on the right hand side of the booking screen while booking your journey.
To add a favourite station, just log into My Account and select Favourite Journeys from the menu. You'll then be able to add your favourite station name.
How do I create an account on lner.co.uk?
You can register and create an account with us at anytime, just head over to the Register page. Once you've finished registering all your preferences will be saved in your account, making it quicker and easier to make future bookings or get in touch. And it gives you access to discounted fares too.
If you were registered with virgintrainseastcoast.co.uk, your log-in details will still work.
How do I update my personal details?
Sign In to My Account and click into ‘Update personal details’. You can change anything like your email address, telephone number or password. If you run into any problems updating your information just get in touch with our Web Support Team on 03457 225 333 or email them here.
How do I change my contact details?
Sign in on the desktop version of the website and at the top of the screen, click on My Account. You'll find everything you need to update your details there.
How do I access or correct my personal information?
You have the right to access personal information that we hold about you in many circumstances. This is sometimes called a ‘Subject Access Request’. If we agree we're obliged to provide personal information to you (or someone else on your behalf), we'll provide it to you or them free of charge.
Before providing personal information to you or another person on your behalf, we may ask for proof of identity and sufficient information about your interactions with us that we can locate your personal information.
If any of the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate or out-of-date, you may ask us to correct it.