New LNER fare structure from 5 February

The press release is somewhat short on details. It talks about the Flex70 fare being avail on certain routes including London to Newcastle, Berwick and Edinburgh, but doesn’t rule in or out other destinations like York.

The Flex70 fare may well be useful for travellers flying in to London and wanting to take a train north straightaway. The ticket will allow you to board a train up to 70 minutes earlier or later than the one booked so gives some flexibility, although obviously not as much as an off-peak ticket would have done.

I was actually on the LNER site when I read this, and was checking it out. It looks like the Flex70 ticket can only be used between London and Newcastle, Berwick or Edinburgh at this time, however.

I am confused about LNER, though. I went there thinking I could order a ticket from Birmingham to Liverpool, and it quoted me a price. Then the next day I went back and it said it does not serve those stations. So I realized I should try the LNWR, which I did, and it quoted me a price. But then just now I was on LNER site again, and it's got those stations back in the mix.

I'd like to use my £5 credit with LNER but very confused about whether I can book a ticket between Birmingham and Liverpool.

Mardee, You can book between any two stations with any train company.
However, and I have just looked it up, you can only use that £5 credit for signing up to LNER Perks on a journey on an LNER train.
For instance Berwick upon Tweed to Newcastle.
And then only on their trains for that journey, not on Cross Country or Trans Pennine who also serve that city pair.
So you can buy the Birmingham to Liverpool £7.25 railcard advanced fare on
the LNER app but won't be able to use your credit to get it down to £2.25.

PS- I got caught with that £5 credit as well. I signed up for the perks scheme but can't use it, as bookings have to be through the app, and I don't have the technology to do apps. Their loss, not mine. Usually I just use Grand Central or Hull Trains for South end route journeys, or Trans pennine for North end journeys. They usually offer me better fares and better quality trains. And if I do use LNER then I book through Northern.

On say London to Newcastle currently the maximum turn up and go off peak fare is £83- fully flexible and as many breaks of journey as you want, at say York and or Durham.
Or there is virtually always an advance fare which starts at £29 if booked well ahead, and is capped out on the day at about £1 less than the £83 off peak single.
With the off peak single gone the cap on both advance and Flex 70 tickets is just under the anytime single at a shade under £200, and no breaks of journey allowed.
Flex70 is also dynamically priced.
Nor can you suddenly decide on the day to get off short of booked destination.
So if you just turn up on the day now you have no certainty over what you will pay, and no flexibility, If the advance and Flex 70 quotas are sold out you pay just under £200.
So yes gamble on the flight being no more than 70 minutes late. If it is, then it was an expensive gamble as potentially it is a new £200 ticket.
In those circumstances I would use Avanti instead to Edinburgh.

Currently Flex70 is a pilot scheme. If deemed a success it will spread to more of LNER, and maybe across the network.

You will be able to increase your chances with a Flex70 ticket by being pessimistic about the time you book. If you were to book 4/5 hours after the plane landing there is every chance that you could be there an hour before your booked time and be able to get straight on the next train. Obviously you wouldn't have booked seats on that train. Clearly still a gamble and worse than before but if the Flex70 ticket is a decent price it might be worth the gamble.

Mardee, You can book between any two stations with any train company.
However, and I have just looked it up, you can only use that £5 credit for signing up to LNER Perks on a journey on an LNER train.

Thanks, Stuart - that makes sense/