Ticket Options

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.

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 please call Web Support on 03457 225 333 or get in touch by email. If you could have your booking reference handy when you call, it'll really help us out.

Yes. Train tickets can be used by anyone. The only exception is Self-Print tickets, because these have the name of the traveller printed on them and the traveller has to show some ID on board to validate the ticket. You'll still be able to buy them tickets through Self-Print, all you have to do is book in their name and tell them they'll need to bring some ID. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, on busy trains they will be expected to sit on your lap. You will need to purchase a childs ticket for any additional children (even if they are under 5).

If your children are aged between 5 and 15 we offer discounted fares which are available here on our website.

If you're travelling as a family, the Family Return ticket might also be a great saving for you and it offers a flexible return ticket, find out more here.

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 24 weeks before departure for Edinburgh-London and Newcastle-London routes on weekdays, and about 12 weeks before departure for other routes.

If you want to be the first to find out when cheap tickets become available, sign up for our ticket alerts service here.

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.

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.

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.