"Fixed price" is one of the most abused phrases in airport transfers. Plenty of quotes described that way still grow a parking fee, a waiting charge or a night uplift by the time you pay.
So it is worth being precise about what it means here, which journeys get one, why the price changes from one postcode to the next, and why the identical route can cost different amounts depending on which direction you travel.
Everything below reflects how our pricing works as of October 2026.
A fixed fare is all-in
When a journey qualifies for a fixed fare, you see one exact price for it. Nothing is added to that price for:
- the airport
- travelling at night
- extra passengers
- extra bags
This matters because a mileage-estimated journey does add those. On a fixed fare they are not discounted or hidden. They were never added, because the price list already accounts for the airport, the direction and the vehicle.
Three things can still change the total, and you see each of them before you book:
- Meet and greet in the arrivals hall is an optional £10 extra.
- A child seat is an optional £10 extra.
- Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day carry a holiday rate on any leg that travels on those dates.
The practical test for any operator: if the number you are quoted can move for a reason you didn't choose, it is an estimate wearing a fixed-price label. Our guide to minicab quotes and fare estimates covers how to compare two prices fairly.
Which journeys qualify
Three conditions, all of which have to hold:
- Exactly one end is Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted.
- The other end is in a postcode district on our list. The list covers most of Greater London — central (EC1, WC1, W), north (N, NW), south (SW, SE, CR, SM, BR), east (E, IG, RM) and west (TW, UB, HA) districts — plus much of the surrounding commuter belt: Surrey (KT, GU, RH), Hertfordshire and the north fringe (WD, EN, AL, SG1), Berkshire (SL, RG), High Wycombe and Hemel Hempstead (HP), Luton and Dunstable (LU), Essex (CM, SS) and north-west Kent (DA, TN).
- We hold a listed price for that airport, district and vehicle.
Anything else is priced by distance and shown as an estimated fare. That includes journeys to airports other than the four on the list, districts the list doesn't reach, and any journey with no airport at either end. Find your area on our airport transfer pages to see whether it's on the list and what the price is by vehicle and direction.
Two consequences worth knowing:
Terminals do not change the price. All Heathrow terminals price the same, as do Gatwick North and South. Tell us the terminal so the driver goes to the right door, but it will not move the fare.
Airport-to-airport is not fixed. A Heathrow to Gatwick run has an airport at both ends, so it falls outside the list and is priced by distance.
Why the price changes from one postcode to the next
Two people book a car to Gatwick on the same morning. One lives in Streatham, inside London; the other in Tadworth, further out in Surrey. The Streatham fare (£65 for a saloon) is higher than the Tadworth one (£60), even though Streatham is closer to town. Neither price is wrong. Airport transfers are priced by the road journey, not by distance on a map.
That's why the list is set per postcode district (SW16, KT20, TW3) rather than per address: it is the level at which the road journey is similar for everyone in it. It also means houses a few streets apart, either side of a district boundary, can fall into different prices.
What drives the price is how the road network connects your area to that airport:
- Which motorway junction you join. Tadworth and Banstead sit close to M25 junction 8, so Gatwick is a short, clear run. Somewhere nearer on the map but with no easy motorway access can be the longer drive.
- Whether the route crosses London. Anything that has to cross the centre or the river to reach the airport takes longer.
- Which side of London the airport is on. Heathrow is west, Gatwick south, Luton north and Stansted north-east. A Surrey postcode is close to one of them and a long way from the other three, which is why the same address can show a low Gatwick price and a high Stansted one.
Why an airport pickup costs more than the drop-off
This is the question we get most, and it looks like an error until you see the cause. An airport pickup, from the airport to your postcode, is priced above the same journey the other way, because it is a different job:
- the driver tracks your flight, so the pickup time is whenever the aircraft lands
- they wait while you clear immigration and baggage reclaim, which can take twenty minutes or well over an hour
- the car is parked at the airport while that happens
- a delayed flight can hold the vehicle for hours it can't work elsewhere
A drop-off has none of that. You come out of your front door at an agreed time and the car goes to the terminal. From Streatham, for example, a saloon to Gatwick is £65 and from Gatwick back to Streatham £74. Our waiting time guide explains what happens between landing and the arrivals hall.
It also means a return booking is not simply double a one-way. It is one leg in each direction, priced separately.
Why the vehicle changes the price
Larger vehicles cost more to buy, run and fuel, and they do fewer jobs a day. Size the vehicle by luggage, not just passengers: four adults fit in a saloon, but four adults with four large suitcases don't. Our luggage capacity guide sets out what each class holds, and our guide to how many people fit in a car covers the seat rules.
When your journey isn't on the list
Outside the list you see an estimated fare: one figure worked out from the road distance, confirmed when you request a booking. What moves it:
- distance, which makes up most of it
- an airport at one end, which adds a surcharge
- a pickup between 22:00 and 06:00, which adds a night uplift
- extra passengers and bags, a small fee each beyond the first
- the vehicle: an estate, executive car, MPV or minibus costs more than a saloon
How much a London minicab costs breaks the components down further, and our surge pricing article explains the on-demand app model that both of ours differ from.
Getting the fixed price rather than the estimate
One practical thing makes the difference: pick your address from the suggestions rather than typing it freehand. The fixed-fare lookup works from the postcode district, and the postcode only arrives when you select a suggested address. Without it, the system cannot tell whether you qualify and falls back to a mileage estimate.
So if you are in a covered area and see an estimate where you expected a fixed price, that is almost always the reason.
Most UK airports also charge vehicles to use the drop-off forecourt. Our airport drop-off charges guide explains how it works at each airport.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What does a fixed price airport transfer include? A: The journey, with nothing added for the airport, night travel, extra passengers or extra bags. Optional meet and greet and child seats are added only if you choose them, and Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day carry a holiday rate.
Q: Which airports and postcodes have fixed prices? A: Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. The district list covers most of Greater London and much of the surrounding commuter belt, from Surrey and Berkshire round to Hertfordshire, Essex and north-west Kent. Check your area on our airport transfer pages.
Q: Why is my price different from my neighbour's? A: Fixed prices are set by postcode district, so an address on the other side of a district boundary can have a different price, usually reflecting which road or junction the journey uses.
Q: Why does an airport pickup cost more than a drop-off? A: Because it is a different job. The driver tracks the flight, parks at the airport and waits while you clear immigration and baggage reclaim. A drop-off involves none of that.
Q: Does the terminal change the price? A: No. All Heathrow terminals price the same, as do Gatwick North and South. Still tell us the terminal so the driver meets you in the right place.
Q: Is a return journey exactly double a one-way? A: No. A return is one leg in each direction, priced separately, and the airport-pickup leg costs more than the drop-off leg.
Q: Why am I seeing an estimate instead of a fixed fare? A: Either the journey isn't covered by the list, or the address was typed freehand rather than picked from the suggestions. The fixed-fare lookup needs the postcode that comes with a selected address.
See fixed prices for your area or get a fare estimate. We provide the journey directly with our licensed drivers.