Cheap Airport Parking

Airports often make more money from parking and shopping than planes. Leave your car at the airport while you go on holiday and it can cost a fortune. Yet by doing a quick comparison, and booking the right way, even on the day of travel you can nearly halve the cost in just a few minutes.

• Alternatives to taking your car
• The Golden Rule
• Step 1: Use screenscrapers
• Step 2: Find hidden local deals
• Add your suggestions/read others
• Step 3: Choose the right car park
• Ask a question/discuss

Parklife...

Do you need it?

Even if you do it the right way, airport parking is expensive. The longer you're away the worse it gets, so quickly weigh up the alternatives. Aside from bribing a relative into dropping you off with promises of duty-free bounty, it's usually cheaper to:

• Use non-specialist train services.

  Whilst dedicated 'Airport Express' train services are costly, the same lines are often also used by normal rail companies, and you can travel the same route much more cheaply, though it's likely there will be a couple of extra stops on the way. Check out the Cheap Train Tickets for more info.

• Consider a pre-booked taxi.

  Many people with heavy luggage want to go to the airport in a car in which case using a local taxi service can be a cheap option.

  Don't rely on picking up taxis at the airport for the return leg though. Most airports give a monopoly on taxi services to one firm, which bumps prices up as there's no competition. Yet you can 'arrange' to be collected in advance, so use your local firm and it's usually MUCH cheaper. Do tell it your flight number though, so it can check and vary the pick-up time accordingly.

• Get a coach.

  Dedicated airport coach services are often the cheapest means of getting to the airport, but there's a trade-off, since they usually take the longest too. Nonetheless, book in advance and the savings can be huge. Check out National Express* & Megabus (it services Edinburgh Airport).

Leaving your car at home can be costly

While alternative transport methods are cheaper, watch out if you usually park on the street using a 'residents only parking permit' or equivalent. Outrageously, if the parking bay your car is in is suspended, councils don't usually accept the excuse that you were on holiday and didn't check. So here's a few quick tips...

• Check your council's website.

  Many councils have a part of their website that lists up and coming roadworks and suspensions so it's always worth doing a quick check, and moving the car to somewhere unaffected if necessary.

• Allow a trusted neighbour who has their own car to move it for you.

  An obvious alternative is to give a trusted neighbour a key so they can keep an eye out and move the car for you. It's worth considering the insurance position of this though. It's likely it'll be covered by your insurance's 'third party emergency' driver's cover, though it's debatable whether avoiding a parking fine is an emergency.

  If not and they have fully comprehensive insurance then often, although not always, it includes what’s called driving other cars cover. This provides them with Third Party cover in case there's an accident.

• Park in a council's special car park.

  Some councils operate special car parks where for around £5 a day you can leave your car when you're on holiday to guarantee no fine. This is an ill-disguised money making scheme, that boosts council funds due to the fear of parking penalties, but it may be a necessary evil for some.

Cheap Airport Parking

For some, airport parking will work out as an economical and hassle free route, yet without a little bit of prior thought you can end up paying substantially over the odds. There's a simple golden rule to start...

The earlier you book your airport parking, the more you'll save

Book well in advance and you could cut the cost by up to 50%, though the exact saving depends on the time of the year. However even if you've forgotten do to this...

Don't just turn up at the airport, booking first, even on the day of your flight, will save you money

The most expensive prices are almost always for those people who just drive in, park and pay. If you get on the web and pre-book first, even if it's just before you head out (or your partner does it from a smartphone in the car) you should save.

Step 1: Use screenscrapers

The easiest way to find cheap parking is by using one of the special screenscrapers that search the web to find you the best deals. There are a number of these but most of them tend to turn up the same results. However, due to commercial relationships some share with certain parking operators, it's possible to shave a few percent of the cost here and there.

To use them, simply enter in the dates and times you're away, plus the airport details. Here are the top four, plus a couple of standalone operators that can offer cheaper rates if you go direct.

• Airport-Parking. Offers an extra 5% off to MoneySavers
  
  Since most comparison sites find the same prices, any discount code is more than welcome, so it's great Airport-Parking's offered a 5% off code to MoneySavers. To get it, simply enter MSEWEB in the promo code box on the quote page, but note that it won't work for BAA operated car parks. Of course, the 5% discount doesn't guarantee you'll get the best overall price, so ensure you try the other comparisons too before buying.
  
  
• Holidayextras. Biggest comparison and includes a price guarantee
  
  The biggest of the sites, Holiday Extras* also offers a best price guarantee, to refund the full cost of parking. It sells the whole range of major car parking options at each airport, plus it's been running since 1983 and has solid feedback.
  
  
• FHR. Includes some smaller operators, and no card fees
  
  FHR* features as a provider on some of the other comparison sites, but go direct through it and you'll get a better deal, plus there's no charge for paying by credit card. It also promises to send registered users special offers by email.
  
  
• gosimply. Includes a useful map of the car parks
  
  The gosimply site has a useful map view, which shows exactly where all the car parks listed are in relation to the terminal, making comparison simple. Again it sells all the major parking options available, not just the BAA-owned car parks.

• BCP. Offers 5% off its own sites via special link
  
  Consistently one of the cheaper operators, BCP now offers 5% off its standard prices. If after searching one of the comparison sites above BCP comes top, it's worth checking the direct cost via the link above to see if it beats the price.
  
  
• BAA. Occasional special offers
  
  The airport operator BAA* which runs many of the UK's airports, has a slick website promise: no-one sells our parking for less. This claim stands up, but nobody sells it for more either, and where other parking options are available it's rarely cheapest. However, occasional special offers make it worth a quick check just in case.

You may be able to beat the price at a hotel

Many airport hotels offer room packages that include parking for the length of your trip; great if you live a long way from the airport, or have a super-early flight. Better still, they often only cost a little more than the parking alone and occasionally are cheaper; so you could view this as parking with a hotel room thrown in.

The HolidayExtras* site lists many of the hotel parking deals, and it's also worth trying Superbreak* where availability is limited. Just check the 'Airport Hotel with Parking' box when you search. Do check how transfers to the terminal are arranged; whilst most hotels offer a 24hr complimentary service, some charge separately for the journey. It's also worth looking at the more general Cheap Hotel Deals guide to see if you can beat the price.

See if you can get cashback on top

Once you've found the lowest price at your chosen airport, it's time to see if you can get cashback on top by booking through a special cashback websites. These take advantage of paid internet affiliate links to different sites and give you a cut of whatever they earn. If you've never used these sites then do read the top cashback sites guide for a full explanation first.

The Cashback-Sites Maximiser's designed to find you the highest paying cashback site for any website. It's a simple tool, just check either the car-park or the website you want to book through and if it's listed go through the payer that gives you the most.

Often it's a toss up whether you'll get a better deal booking direct or on a comparison site via cashback sites, due to the different percentages offered, so it's a good idea to check both ways, and watch out for any card fees that may be levied. It's worth noting the cashback is never 100% guaranteed, so only see it as an added extra, plus it can take up to three months to reach your pocket.

Step 2: Find hidden local deals

Armed with the cheapest price for the big car parks, it's worth trying some smaller ones to see if you can cut the cost further. Often, people that live close to airports offer their own parking services on any spare land they have.

Overheads are low, and thus so are prices, but there's a trade-off here, as they usually lack anything like the level of security offered by the dedicated car parks. There are numerous sites that list parking spaces, and you should be able to find a competitve price in a couple of minutes. Again though, consider how you'll get from the space to the airport, and if it'll involve spending more factor this into the overall cost. For the top sites, and how to find the cheapest spaces, read the full Parking Rental guide.

To help you find the best local car parking we've set up a range of special discussions focused on each airport, please read them and add your suggestions.

Step 3: Choose the right car park

There are lots of different types of car park out there. Once you've found the cheapest price it doesn't necessarily mean it'll be the best for your needs. To help here's a quick guide to unravelling the terms.

• On-site parking. The airport operators' own car parks
  
  This is the name given to car parks operated by the British Airports Authority (BAA). It can be something of a marketing trick, as occasionally 'off-site' car parks can be closer to the terminal building.
  
  
• Off-site parking. Any car park not in the airport complex
  
  Simply any carpark that isn't part of the airport complex itself. In other words this is the name given to the invariably cheaper car parks operated by third-party companies, which lay on regular transport to the terminal building. The best of these are just as quick and convenient as on-site.
  
  
• Meet and greet. Valet parking by another name
  
  You drive to the terminal, and are met by a driver who you give your keys to, (s)he then parks it for you. When you land, the car's waiting at the terminal again. Great service, but usually a hideous price.
  
  
• Local car parks. Private, smaller places to park
  
  Often, people and businesses close to the airport which have a bit of spare land will offer their own parking services, grabbing themselves a slice of the pie by undercutting the competition on price. On the downside, they generally don't offer anything like the same level of security, and availability is more limited.

Things to look out for

Granted, there are more fun ways to spend time than comparing airport car parks, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed, so here's a quick check list.

• Transfers times to the terminal.

  The time taken by, and frequency of shuttle buses from car parks to the terminal's an important factor. If you're travelling at an unsociable hour, check buses remain regular throughout the night.

• How secure is it?

  It can be a worry to leave your car parked anywhere whilst you're away. Thankfully, almost all airport car parks have 24 hr CCTV and guard patrols. Local services may be less secure, so check first, and weigh this up with the price if considering one. Usually though if there is a problem then it's your responsibility not theirs.

• Can you cancel?

  If your trip isn't set in stone, it may be worth adding a 'cancellation waiver' to your parking booking. For an extra quid or so, you can be guaranteed a refund on parking costs should you cancel within 24hrs of your designated arrival time. Otherwise you'll have to pay more to cancel the booking.