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Flying from Heathrow Terminal 3, or collecting someone from T3 arrivals? This guide explains the £7 drop-off charge and how to pay it, where you can and can't pick up, Terminal Parking prices, the free Park & Ride option, the Blue Badge discount and the quickest ways to get to Terminal 3.
Heathrow Terminal 3: the quick answer
- Drop-off charge: £7 every time a vehicle enters the Terminal 3 drop-off area. Pay by midnight the next day.
- Penalty: an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.
- No pick-ups at the kerb: waiting and collecting passengers aren't allowed in the drop-off area or on the forecourt.
- Where to pick up: Terminal 3 Parking (from £8 for up to 29 minutes) or Park & Ride, free for the first 29 minutes.
- Blue Badge: holders can get a 100% discount on the drop-off charge with an approved Blue Badge Account.
Heathrow Terminal 3 Drop-Off Charge
Heathrow charges £7 every time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area, and Terminal 3 is no exception. The charge is per entry, not per hour: if you drive in, leave and come back, you pay again.
- It's for dropping off only. Waiting and picking up passengers aren't permitted in the drop-off area.
- Stay with your car. Vehicles must not be left unattended.
- Electric cars pay too. There's no exemption or discount for EVs.
- Some vehicles are exempt. Emergency service and military vehicles are exempt, and motorbikes, recovery vehicles, buses and coaches, and cars booked for Heathrow Valet Parking get a 100% discount automatically.
How to Pay the Heathrow Drop-Off Charge
You can't pay at the airport: there are no payment machines in the drop-off zones, and cash and cheques aren't accepted. Pay by card in one of these ways:
Three ways to pay the £7 charge
- Online: on the Heathrow website, by midnight the day after your visit.
- By automated phone line: same deadline, midnight the next day.
- AutoPay: set up a personal account and each visit is charged automatically, so there's no deadline to remember.
If you don't pay in time, an £80 Parking Charge is issued, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. If a friend or relative drops you off in their car, remind them to pay before midnight the next day.
Heathrow Terminal 3 Pick-Up: Options and Prices
Picking up on the Terminal 3 forecourt isn't allowed, and unattended cars there are removed by police. Heathrow's two pick-up options are Terminal Parking and Park & Ride:
| Option | Where | Pick-up price |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 3 Parking | Next to the terminal, with a covered walkway to arrivals | From £8 for up to 29 minutes (see prices below) |
| Park & Ride | Designated pick-up spaces; shuttle buses every 15 minutes from the terminal doors | Free for the first 29 minutes, then £9.40 for 30 minutes to 1 hour 59 minutes |
Terminal 3 Parking Prices
Terminal 3 Parking used to be called Short Stay Parking, and some road signs still use the old name; Heathrow says those signs are still correct to follow. For a pick-up, drive in, take a ticket and pay at a machine before you leave. These on-the-day prices have applied since 6 January 2026:
| Time parked | Price |
|---|---|
| Up to 29 minutes | £8.00 |
| 30 to 44 minutes | £12.50 |
| 45 to 59 minutes | £15.50 |
| 1 to 2 hours | £20.00 |
| 2 to 3 hours | £24.00 |
Good to know: vehicles up to 2.70 metres high can use the ground floor, and there's no EV charging in this car park, so make sure you have enough charge to leave the airport.
Heathrow Terminal 3 Arrivals: What to Expect
After landing, passengers go through passport control, collect their bags and pass through customs before reaching the arrivals hall, where friends, family and pre-booked drivers wait. The covered walkway from Terminal 3 Parking leads straight into this area. The Aerotel transit hotel is also in Terminal 3 arrivals, if you need a rest before or after a long-haul flight.
- Check the landing time before you set off, so you don't pay for parking while the plane is still in the air.
- Allow time after landing for passport control and baggage reclaim.
- Agree a meeting point in the arrivals hall, and ask your passenger to message you once they have their bags.
Flying out instead? Heathrow advises arriving at least 2 hours before UK and European flights, and 3 hours before long-haul flights.
Blue Badge Discount at Heathrow Terminal 3
Valid UK or EEA Blue Badge holders can get a 100% discount on the drop-off charge, even if they aren't the driver. You need a Blue Badge Account, which can take up to five days to approve, so apply at least seven days before you travel. If you're arriving by taxi, apply using the taxi's registration number. For pick-ups, Blue Badge holders get two hours free at Park & Ride: press the intercom at the exit and show your badge.
Getting to and from Heathrow Terminal 3
Terminal 3 shares its station with Terminal 2, called Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3. Your main options are:
| Option | Journey | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow Express | About 15 minutes to London Paddington, every 15 minutes | The fastest train into central London |
| Elizabeth line | About 27 minutes to Paddington, with direct trains across central London | Reaching the City and Canary Wharf without changing |
| Piccadilly line | London Underground, direct to central London | The lowest-cost rail option |
| Pre-booked transfer | Door to door, from any London address | Heavy luggage, families, groups and early or late flights |
Coming from another airport? Read our Stansted to Heathrow guide, or compare Heathrow and Gatwick.
Skip the Airport Run with a Pre-Booked Transfer
Dropping someone at Terminal 3 means a £7 charge and a payment deadline; collecting them means parking and waiting. With a Heathrow Terminal 3 taxi from Banana Cars, nobody has to do the airport run.
| Friend or family drives | Banana Cars transfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport charges | £7 to drop off; parking to pick up | Your driver deals with the airport |
| Flight delays | Extra parking time | Flight monitoring when you add your flight number, with free waiting time |
| Price | Fuel plus airport charges | Fixed fare, same rate day or night, no extra charge for traffic delays |
| Arrivals | Find each other in the terminal | Optional Meet & Greet in the arrivals hall |
All our drivers are vetted and TfL-licensed, and child seats are available. Choose a vehicle for your luggage in our fleet, or see our full Heathrow airport transfer service. We run transfers between Terminal 3 and the whole of London, including central London, Kensington and Hounslow, and to every other Heathrow terminal: Terminal 2, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.
Wondering about black cabs? See can you get a taxi from Heathrow Airport. Flying from Stansted? Read our Stansted drop-off and pick-up guide, or see all the London airports we serve.
Heathrow Terminal 3 FAQs
£7 every time a vehicle enters the drop-off area. Pay online, by automated phone line or with AutoPay by midnight the day after your visit.
An £80 Parking Charge is issued, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.
From Terminal 3 Parking, next to the terminal with a covered walkway to arrivals (from £8 for up to 29 minutes), or from Park & Ride, free for the first 29 minutes. Pick-ups on the forecourt and in the drop-off area aren't allowed.
Yes. Park & Ride is free for the first 29 minutes, with shuttle buses every 15 minutes from the terminal doors. After that it's £9.40 for 30 minutes to 1 hour 59 minutes.
Yes. Short Stay Parking was renamed Terminal Parking. Some road signs still say Short Stay Parking, and Heathrow says those signs are still correct to follow.
Valid UK or EEA Blue Badge holders can get a 100% discount with an approved Blue Badge Account. Approval can take up to five days, so apply at least seven days before you travel.
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 station, served by the Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth line and the Piccadilly line.
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