What’s the Heathrow drop off fee?

Launched in November 2021, the Heathrow drop off charge is a £5 charge that applies to all drivers entering drop-off zones at all Heathrow terminals. There are some exemptions in place for some drivers, you can find a full list of exemptions here.

Forgot to pay the Heathrow drop off charge? Find out how to pay the Heathrow drop off PCN as well as the fastest way to make future terminal drop off charge payments.

How does the terminal drop off charge work?

Heathrow drop off charges apply 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There will be signs on the roads in and around the airport to let drivers know when they are entering chargeable zones. There are no toll barriers at Heathrow. Instead, Heathrow uses automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to record vehicle movements. As soon as you enter the drop off zone, you will incur a charge and will be liable to pay.

Remember, the Heathrow drop off charge applies every time you enter the zone. So, if you exit the drop off area and enter a second time, you will need to pay the charge again.

Read more about the Heathrow drop-off charge here.

How to make Heathrow drop off PCN payments

If you forgot to pay the Heathrow drop off charge, you will be liable for a £80 Parking Charge Notice (PCN). This will be sent to the address your vehicle is registered to.

Once you’ve received the PCN, follow these steps:

Step 1: Head to the official Heathrow PCN payment website [1].

Step 2: Enter the PCN number and your vehicle registration number and pay the fee.

We recommend paying the Heathrow drop off PCN within 14 days to reduce the cost of the fine to £40.

If you think you’ve been fined unfairly, you can appeal the charge. Options on how to contest a Heathrow drop off PCN include:

• Challenging the PCN or requesting a refund via email at refunds.heathrowdropoff@apcoa.com
• Calling the Heathrow drop off customer service at 0333 200 7459
• Challenge the PCN by writing to DRPL, PO Box 230, Manchester, M34 0DW

How to pay for future Heathrow drop off charges

The fastest way to pay the Heathrow drop off charge is by using the Caura app. Available on the Google Play Store or App Store, download Caura here.

Once you’ve downloaded Caura, enter your vehicle registration number, select ‘Roads & Tolls’ and tap the Heathrow drop-off charge. Select the date you drove into the zone and choose whether you want to pay for 1 or 2 visits. You’ll then have the option to pay by Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit or debit card.

If you’re entering a London charging zone on your journey to Heathrow, you can also pay the London Congestion Charge, London ULEZ charge or London LEZ charge in Caura, too. Find out more about London City Charges here.

All receipts for payments made in Caura are stored in-app. You can find any receipt in the ‘History’ tab of your app. From there, you can also export a copy any receipt to your email.

Find out more about the Heathrow drop-off fee here.

[1] https://heathrowdropoffpcnpayments.apcoa.com/pcnonline/index.php

‍

*Image credit Flickr user Timo Newton-Syms

‍