Compare Parking Prices is a UK comparison site for airport parking. It runs no car parks of its own and instead sells spaces from independent parking companies at the big UK airports and in Dublin. It pays off for anyone driving to the airport who does not want to pay the price right at the terminal.
What you can book there
You choose the airport, drop-off and pick-up dates, and the site lines up the offers side by side. Airports include Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Southampton and Stansted. There are three types: Meet and Greet, where a driver takes your car at the terminal, Park and Ride with a shuttle to the terminal, and onsite parking within the airport grounds.
What a booking really costs
The price shown is the parking price. Two items deserve separate attention. First, the booking fee, which the FAQ says is not refundable. Second, a possible airport fee for entering or leaving the terminal area. The site says to check the service info or ask customer services whether it is included in the quoted price. Do that before paying.
If you extend your stay, you pay the extra days directly to the car park on your return at its daily rate, which differs by site. If you come back early, there is no refund for unused days. If a flight delay turns into an extra day, the car park may charge for it. In short: build in a buffer, enter your drop-off and collection times rather than your flight times, and allow two to three hours of leeway for traffic and check-in.
Cancellation and payment
Cancelling or changing goes through the site's customer services, not through the car park. A cancellation is possible up to 48 hours before drop-off, except on offers marked as non-flexible. Those can be neither changed nor cancelled. Every cancellation costs a 15 pound administration fee unless you added cancellation cover when booking. The cover costs extra and waives the fee up to 48 hours before drop-off. Vehicle details can be changed for free, flight info and personal details in the My Booking area. For date and time, you have to phone customer services.
How to save
The comparison itself is the biggest lever, because you see the same car park from several parking companies. There are also Mystery or Saver deals where the parking company is named only after purchase, in return for a lower price. The site says it provides all necessary details beforehand. Check whether that is enough for you. The search has a field for a discount code, and our provider page lists current codes. If you enter through daily cashback, you earn cashback on top.
Tips
- With Meet and Greet you always hand the keys to the parking company. For Park and Ride, the service info or confirmation tells you how it works.
- Look for the Park Mark award, which marks vetted, secure car parks. Symbols in the results show security features.
- Do not leave valuables in the car, they stay at your own risk.
- Photograph the car at drop-off, and report any damage to the parking company before leaving the terminal.
- At Heathrow or Manchester the right terminal matters, so check your selection before you click.
Booking with cashback
The cashback runs through daily cashback. Open the daily cashback store page for Compare Parking Prices first, click through to the provider from there and then book as usual on its own site. The credit arrives once the booking is confirmed and the trip is completed.
You can see the current cashback rate on our Compare Parking Prices provider page at TripPrice. Current vouchers and deals are listed on that page as well, along with the cashback conditions.