The short answer
Pay the Heathrow Airport drop-off charge (£7) by midnight the day after you use the zone: online at heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com, by automated phone on 0330 008 5600, or automatically with an autopay account. Nothing is paid at the zones — cameras record your number plate and you pay afterwards. Non-payment brings an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.
Charges and deadlines change without notice — reconfirm on the day.
Key facts: paying the Heathrow drop-off charge
- Charge
- £7 every time you enter a terminal drop-off zone: no free period, no waiting, and a 10-minute maximum stay
- Pay by
- By midnight the day after you use the zone
- Pay online
- heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com
- Pay by phone
- 0330 008 5600
- 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 an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.
- Exemptions
- Blue Badge holders (UK or EEA badges) can get a 100% discount in whatever vehicle drops them off, taxis included: apply online at least 7 days before your next visit, or by phone on 0333 200 7459 at least 14 days ahead; taxi passengers can apply up to 3 months in advance. Registered Blue Badge trips are exempt from the 10-minute limit. Emergency, military and Heathrow operational vehicles don't pay; motorbikes, buses and coaches, and roadside-recovery vehicles get an automatic 100% discount. Electric vehicles get no discount.
- Verified
- 25 Oct 2026, against www.heathrow.com
How to pay the Heathrow drop-off charge, step by step
- Drop off as normal. There is no barrier and no ticket at Heathrow's drop-off zones — ANPR cameras record your registration on entry.
- Pay by midnight the day after you use the zone. Go to heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com, or call the automated line on 0330 008 5600. 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. Heathrow 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 an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. 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 or pay machines at the zones, and you can't pay in the drop-off area: pay before your visit, on the day, or by midnight the next day. 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 before your visit, and each visit is charged automatically, so the deadline stops mattering — the sensible default for anyone who does the Heathrow run regularly, including taxi and private-hire drivers.
Paying in advance, on the day or afterwards
At Heathrow you can pay for a single drop-off or prepay several, online or by phone, before your visit, on the day or by midnight the next day. Prepayments last 12 months and are tied to one vehicle (if you change the registered vehicle, APCOA can transfer unused trips on request), and you can buy up to 20 at a time. You can't pay at a machine or in the drop-off area.
Payment is by card only. Check the registration as you enter it: APCOA warns that the letters I and O are easily mistaken for the numbers 1 and 0. When you pay, your card may show a temporary £1 hold, which Heathrow says is not a charge.
AutoPay: personal and business accounts
A personal account links one vehicle; a business account can link many, and Heathrow says business accounts are free and come with AutoPay. Either way, AutoPay has to be set up before you visit the drop-off zone for that visit to be charged automatically. Taxi and private hire drivers are encouraged to register a free business account.
Forgot to pay? Late payment, the Parking Charge and appeals
Miss the deadline and an £80 Parking Charge is issued, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. If you realise within 7 days of your visit, APCOA says to email LatePayment.heathrowdropoff@apcoa.com: it will monitor the Parking Charge and email you instructions to pay the drop-off charge instead. After 7 days, you pay the Parking Charge at the discounted rate or appeal.
Appeals go to APCOA within 28 days of the charge being issued, online at heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com/appeal or by post to APCOA Parking, PO Box 5767, Dingwall IV15 0AX; APCOA says it replies within 28 days. Unused prepayments can be refunded case by case via refunds.heathrowdropoff@apcoa.com. Customer services: 0333 200 7459. We can't see, change or refund your payment.
Taxis, Uber and private hire at Heathrow
Every black cab and private hire car pays the £7 each time it enters a drop-off zone, so expect to see it in the fare. TfL's 2026 fares review says black cab drivers can currently add up to £6 to the meter for a Heathrow drop-off, and proposes raising that to £6.80. If you hold a Blue Badge and the taxi is registered for your concession, nothing should be added to the meter.
Uber tells its drivers that drop-offs must be at your terminal's forecourt, pick-ups in the designated areas of the car parks, and that waiting anywhere else on airport property is prohibited. Private hire drivers waiting for a passenger use Heathrow's Authorised Vehicle Area rather than the forecourts.
The Blue Badge discount, step by step
- Apply online through the Blue Badge section of heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com, uploading photos of the front and back of the badge (UK or EEA). APCOA says confirmation can take up to five working days.
- Leave time. Online applications must be made at least 7 days before your next visit; by phone, on 0333 200 7459, at least 14 days ahead. Arriving by taxi, you can apply up to 3 months in advance.
- It covers whichever vehicle drops you off, a taxi or a friend's car included, and registered Blue Badge trips are exempt from the 10-minute limit.
- Picking up? There's no Blue Badge discount at the Terminal 4 Priority Pick-Up. Heathrow says Blue Badge holders get the first 2 hours free in the Park & Ride car parks.
How Heathrow's rules compare with other airports: our Blue Badge guide.
Who doesn't have to pay?
Blue Badge holders (UK or EEA badges) can get a 100% discount in whatever vehicle drops them off, taxis included: apply online at least 7 days before your next visit, or by phone on 0333 200 7459 at least 14 days ahead; taxi passengers can apply up to 3 months in advance. Registered Blue Badge trips are exempt from the 10-minute limit. Emergency, military and Heathrow operational vehicles don't pay; motorbikes, buses and coaches, and roadside-recovery vehicles get an automatic 100% discount. Electric vehicles get no discount. 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: Park & Ride car parks (former Long Stay) — Free drop-off, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal every 15 minutes; pick-ups are free for the first 29 minutes (2 hours in Zone A for Terminal 4). Allow extra time for the transfer. Details in the London Heathrow 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 Heathrow 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 Heathrow means nobody pays the £7 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 Heathrow Airport — drop-off charge terms: https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/terminal-drop-off-charge (checked 25 Oct 2026)
- Official payment site: https://heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com
- Our full entry for this airport, with location, pick-up rules and fee history: London Heathrow drop-off charge
- APCOA: how to pay for a visit: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5012570387999-How-do-I-pay-for-my-Terminal-Drop-off-visit
- APCOA: creating an account: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5012694381983-How-do-I-create-an-account-for-Heathrow-Airport-Terminal-Drop-Off
- APCOA: late payment: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5012699818399-I-did-not-make-a-payment-within-the-timeframe-what-should-I-do
- APCOA: appeals: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5012808805407-How-do-I-appeal-a-Parking-Charge
- APCOA: refunds: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5012721455775-How-do-I-request-a-refund-for-my-Terminal-Drop-Off-payment
- APCOA: Blue Badge discount: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5012780937631-How-do-I-register-for-a-Blue-Badge-discount-at-the-Terminal-Drop-Off-zones
- APCOA: 10-minute maximum stay: heathrowterminaldropoff-helpcentre.apcoa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5213485083295-Upcoming-Changes-to-Heathrow-Terminal-Drop-Off-and-Pricing
- Heathrow: by car (Park & Ride Blue Badge): www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/by-car
- TfL taxi fares review 2026: haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/taxi-fares-review-2026/news_feed/arrangements-at-heathrow-and-london-city-airports
- Uber: Heathrow driver information: www.uber.com/global/en/r/airports/lhr/driver-information/
- Heathrow: Authorised Vehicle Area: www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/by-taxi-or-mini-cab/authorised-vehicle-area
Paying at Heathrow: your questions
How do I pay the Heathrow Airport drop-off charge?
Pay the Heathrow Airport drop-off charge (£7) by midnight the day after you use the zone: online at heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com, by automated phone on 0330 008 5600, or automatically with an autopay account. Nothing is paid at the zones — cameras record your number plate and you pay afterwards. Non-payment brings an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.
When do I have to pay the Heathrow 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 Heathrow drop-off charge?
Non-payment brings an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. 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 Heathrow drop-off charge at the airport?
No. There are no barriers or pay machines at the zones, and you can't pay in the drop-off area: pay before your visit, on the day, or by midnight the next day.
Is there a phone number to pay the Heathrow drop-off charge?
Yes — the automated payment line is 0330 008 5600. You can also pay online at heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com.
Can I pay the Heathrow drop-off charge in advance or automatically?
Automatically, yes: set up an autopay account 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 Heathrow drop-off charge?
Blue Badge holders (UK or EEA badges) can get a 100% discount in whatever vehicle drops them off, taxis included: apply online at least 7 days before your next visit, or by phone on 0333 200 7459 at least 14 days ahead; taxi passengers can apply up to 3 months in advance. Registered Blue Badge trips are exempt from the 10-minute limit. Emergency, military and Heathrow operational vehicles don't pay; motorbikes, buses and coaches, and roadside-recovery vehicles get an automatic 100% discount. Electric vehicles get no discount.
How much is the Heathrow drop-off charge?
£7 for each entry, with no free period. Where the zones are, the free alternative and the pick-up rules are in the London Heathrow drop-off guide at https://airportdropoffcharges.co.uk/heathrow/.
Can I pay the Heathrow drop-off charge in advance?
Yes. You can pay for a single drop-off or prepay several, online at heathrowdropoff.apcoa.com or by phone on 0330 008 5600, before your visit, on the day or by midnight the next day. Prepayments last 12 months and are tied to one vehicle.
I missed the Heathrow drop-off payment deadline. What can I do?
If it's within 7 days of your visit, email LatePayment.heathrowdropoff@apcoa.com: APCOA says it will monitor the Parking Charge and email you instructions to pay the drop-off charge instead. After that, an £80 Parking Charge applies, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days, or you can appeal within 28 days.
Do taxis pay the Heathrow drop-off charge?
Yes. Every black cab and private hire car pays the £7 each time it enters a drop-off zone, and black cab drivers can add a drop-off extra to the meter. Blue Badge holders whose taxi is registered for the concession shouldn't be charged it.
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.