Airports make a fortune from parking charges but you can usually save money if you book early. With most travellers opting to drive to the airport, those who ‘pay on the day’ are needlessly eating into their holiday spending money. In this article, we share some tips on how to get cheap airport parking.
How to cut the cost of airport parking
1. Pre-book
Pre-booking online is simple and can help you save money, the earlier you book the cheaper it should be.
2. Shop around
You don’t have to park at the official airport car park as there are lots of independent off-site car parks offering good deals. Fortunately, there are a number of websites which will search for the best airport parking deals for you (both on-site and off-site). It’s best to try a couple of these as there may be the odd exclusive deal. Two to try are travelsupermarket.com and holidayextras.co.uk. (Holiday Extras also offers travel insurance if you are yet to sort out insurance for your trip). But when booking be mindful of the bus transfer time to the terminal as well as the security level of your car park. Sometimes the official onsite car parks are only a few pounds more expensive than the off-site car parks but are much more convenient.
3. Consider staying in a hotel with free parking
Your holiday can start a day earlier by staying overnight at a hotel the day before your flight. As strange as it may seem, staying overnight before your flight in a hotel on-site or nearby, can work out cheaper as some include parking for the length of your holiday. I often do this. You can search for these deals on the same travelsupermarket.com link above. But also check directly with the onsite hotels to see if there are any special deals.
4. Park on someone’s drive
JustPark.com can help you find people who have a space on their drive for you to park while you are away. This is the ultimate way to save money (as some homeowners only charge small amounts), and some even include airport transfers.
5. Make sure you are happy with the cancellation policy before booking
While saving money may be a priority make sure you are happy with the cancellation policy of the car park in question. Often it will cost you to cancel your booking at short notice but some car parks may offer a ‘cancellation waiver’ for a small fee, added on to the original cost, which will give you the right to cancel at short notice.
(You can browse all of our other travel money tips by clicking here).
