The short answer
Pay the Gatwick Airport drop-off charge (from £10) by midnight the day after you use the zone: online at postpay.dropoff.gatwickairport.com, by automated phone on 0330 174 4503, or automatically with an autopay account. Nothing is paid at the zones — cameras record your number plate and you pay afterwards. Non-payment brings a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days; queries go to Gatwick's parking partner Times24, at appeals@times24.co.uk.
Charges and deadlines change without notice — reconfirm on the day.
Key facts: paying the Gatwick drop-off charge
- Charge
- £10 for up to 10 minutes
- If you stay longer
- £1 a minute for up to 20 more minutes; 30-minute maximum stay, £30 maximum daily charge
- Pay by
- By midnight the day after you use the zone
- Pay online
- postpay.dropoff.gatwickairport.com
- Pay by phone
- 0330 174 4503
- Pay at the airport
- No — nothing to pay at the zones; ANPR cameras log your plate
- Autopay / account
- Yes — set up an account with your vehicle and a card before your visit, and each visit is charged automatically, so there is no deadline to remember
- If you don't pay
- Non-payment brings a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days; queries go to Gatwick's parking partner Times24, at appeals@times24.co.uk.
- Exemptions
- Blue Badge holders are exempt, but must pre-register the vehicle's number plate on Gatwick's drop-off page before the visit, including when arriving by taxi; the exemption covers a single visit, a 30-minute free drop-off session.
- Verified
- 25 Oct 2026, against www.gatwickairport.com
How to pay the Gatwick drop-off charge, step by step
- Drop off as normal. There is no barrier and no ticket at Gatwick's drop-off zones — ANPR cameras record your registration on entry.
- Pay by midnight the day after you use the zone. Go to postpay.dropoff.gatwickairport.com, or call the automated line on 0330 174 4503. You'll be asked for your vehicle registration so the system can match your visit, then pay.
- Keep the confirmation. Hold on to the payment reference or email until well after the deadline has passed, in case of a query or a notice sent in error.
- Regular user? Set up autopay. Gatwick offers an account that charges each visit automatically, with no deadline to remember — worth it if you make this run more than a couple of times a year.
When is the deadline to pay?
Pay by midnight the day after you use the zone. The deadline runs from the visit, not from when you remember it, and because nothing is paid on site the trip can feel free — that is exactly how people get caught. The habit that works: pay before you leave the airport, or as soon as you get home.
What happens if you don't pay?
Non-payment brings a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days; queries go to Gatwick's parking partner Times24, at appeals@times24.co.uk. If a notice does arrive, pay it inside the 14-day window for the reduced amount; the notice itself sets out how to challenge it if you believe it was issued in error.
Can you pay at the airport?
No. There are no barriers on the forecourts: you pay afterwards, online or by phone, or automatically with AutoPay. There's nothing to pay at the zone itself, so the visit only looks free: pay before you leave the airport, or as soon as you're home.
Is there an autopay or account option?
Yes. Set up an account with your vehicle and a card at dropoff.gatwickairport.com before your visit, and each visit is charged automatically, so the deadline stops mattering — the sensible default for anyone who does the Gatwick run regularly, including taxi and private-hire drivers.
Paying online or by phone, and making sure it's the right car
Pay after you've left the drop-off zone: online, if you don't have an AutoPay account, or by phone on Gatwick's automated payment line, 0330 174 4503. The deadline is midnight the day after your visit. Gatwick's terms make it the driver's job to link the payment to the right registration, so check the plate before you confirm.
Already been through the zone without an account? Pay for that visit online or by phone first, then set up AutoPay for future visits. Gatwick's terms also note that part of the charge is a public transport levy.
Setting up AutoPay
AutoPay lets you register your vehicle and pay automatically after each visit; sign-up is at dropoff.gatwickairport.com. Gatwick says the account has to be set up before you enter the drop-off zone for that visit to be charged to it. Its pages don't say whether AutoPay costs anything.
Forgot to pay? The Parking Charge Notice and appeals
Miss the deadline and Gatwick issues a Parking Charge Notice: £100 if paid within 28 days, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. Times24 administers the drop-off service for Gatwick, and paying or appealing a notice is done through Times24's website. Queries about a drop-off charge or a payment go to appeals@times24.co.uk. We can't see, change or refund your payment.
Taxis, Uber and private hire at Gatwick
Gatwick's own taxi partner is Airport Cars Gatwick, at both terminals; the airport says other taxi and private hire operators are subject to the drop-off charge and will add it to your fare. For collections, ask your driver to meet you in a Short Stay car park.
Uber tells its drivers that drop-offs must be on the terminal forecourt and pick-ups in the designated areas of the Short Stay car parks, and that it won't pay a fine from Gatwick on their behalf.
The Blue Badge exemption
Blue Badge holders don't pay the drop-off charge, but the vehicle's number plate has to be pre-registered on Gatwick's drop-off page before the visit, and that includes arriving by taxi. Gatwick's terms say each registration covers a single visit, which its FAQs describe as a 30-minute free drop-off session, so register again for the next one. Gatwick publishes no lead time, so do it well before you travel. More: our Blue Badge guide.
Who doesn't have to pay?
Blue Badge holders are exempt, but must pre-register the vehicle's number plate on Gatwick's drop-off page before the visit, including when arriving by taxi; the exemption covers a single visit, a 30-minute free drop-off session. How each UK airport treats Blue Badge holders varies enormously — the Blue Badge drop-off guide compares all 29.
How to avoid the charge next time
You don't have to use the charged zones at all: Long Stay car parks — 2 hours free, with a shuttle bus every 10 to 12 minutes that takes about 10 to 12 minutes to the terminals. Allow extra time for the transfer. Details in the London Gatwick drop-off guide, and every airport's free option is in the free drop-off guide.
Collecting someone is a different transaction — see the pick-up rules for Gatwick and the UK pick-up charges guide.
If you're the one flying next time
No drop-off charge, no collection car park, no deadline to remember: park.
Pre-booked parking at Gatwick means nobody pays the £10 forecourt charge on the way out, nobody sits in a car park waiting for your bags on the way back, and there's no payment deadline to remember. The car is waiting when you land.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our charges data.
Sources
- London Gatwick Airport — drop-off charge terms: https://www.gatwickairport.com/transport-options/drop-off.html (checked 25 Oct 2026)
- Official payment site: https://postpay.dropoff.gatwickairport.com
- Our full entry for this airport, with location, pick-up rules and fee history: London Gatwick drop-off charge
- Drop-off terms and conditions: www.gatwickairport.com/transport-options/drop-off/drop-off-terms-and-conditions.html
- Drop-off FAQs: www.gatwickairport.com/faqs/drop-off-faqs.html
- Times24: pay a charge: www.times24.co.uk/pay-a-charge
- Gatwick taxis: www.gatwickairport.com/transport-options/taxi.html
- Uber: Gatwick driver information: www.uber.com/global/en/r/airports/lgw/driver-information/
Paying at Gatwick: your questions
How do I pay the Gatwick Airport drop-off charge?
Pay the Gatwick Airport drop-off charge (from £10) by midnight the day after you use the zone: online at postpay.dropoff.gatwickairport.com, by automated phone on 0330 174 4503, or automatically with an autopay account. Nothing is paid at the zones — cameras record your number plate and you pay afterwards. Non-payment brings a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days; queries go to Gatwick's parking partner Times24, at appeals@times24.co.uk.
When do I have to pay the Gatwick drop-off charge by?
Pay by midnight the day after you use the zone. Nothing is paid at the zones — settle it online or by phone afterwards.
What happens if I forget to pay the Gatwick drop-off charge?
Non-payment brings a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days; queries go to Gatwick's parking partner Times24, at appeals@times24.co.uk. If a notice does arrive, pay it inside the 14-day window for the reduced amount; the notice itself sets out how to challenge it if you believe it was issued in error.
Can I pay the Gatwick drop-off charge at the airport?
No. There are no barriers on the forecourts: you pay afterwards, online or by phone, or automatically with AutoPay.
Is there a phone number to pay the Gatwick drop-off charge?
Yes — the automated payment line is 0330 174 4503. You can also pay online at postpay.dropoff.gatwickairport.com.
Can I pay the Gatwick drop-off charge in advance or automatically?
Automatically, yes: set up an autopay account at dropoff.gatwickairport.com before your visit and each visit is charged to it, so there is no deadline to remember. Without one, pay after each visit, by midnight the day after you use the zone.
Do Blue Badge holders pay the Gatwick drop-off charge?
Blue Badge holders are exempt, but must pre-register the vehicle's number plate on Gatwick's drop-off page before the visit, including when arriving by taxi; the exemption covers a single visit, a 30-minute free drop-off session.
How much is the Gatwick drop-off charge?
£10 for up to 10 minutes; £1 a minute for up to 20 more minutes; 30-minute maximum stay, £30 maximum daily charge. Where the zones are, the free alternative and the pick-up rules are in the London Gatwick drop-off guide at https://airportdropoffcharges.co.uk/gatwick/.
Can I pay the Gatwick drop-off charge by phone?
Yes, on Gatwick's automated payment line, 0330 174 4503, after you've left the zone and by midnight the next day. You can also pay online, or set up AutoPay before future visits.
Who do I contact about a Gatwick drop-off charge or Parking Charge Notice?
Times24, which administers the drop-off service for Gatwick: queries go to appeals@times24.co.uk, and notices are paid or appealed through Times24's website. We're an independent guide and can't see or change payments.
Method & corrections
Every charge on this page is checked against the airport's own published charges and stamped with the date we checked it. We re-verify the full dataset quarterly, and after any reported change — see how we check every figure and who maintains the site.
Spotted an error? Email hello@airportdropoffcharges.co.uk — corrections are made visibly and dated. The dataset behind this page is free to reuse with attribution: JSON · CSV (CC BY 4.0) — about the data.