Find out all the information you’ll need to grab a luggage trolley at all major airports across the UK. Never be left without a trolley again.
If you’re flying from a UK airport, you’ll need to factor in the cost of hiring a luggage trolley. The cost of hiring a luggage trolley at UK airports varies from £1 to £2. Some airports do not charge for luggage trolleys. Deposits are required for all luggage trolleys, and are usually refundable when the trolley is returned. Credit cards are not always accepted for hiring luggage trolleys, so it is advisable to have a coin with you. Trolleys should be returned to designated trolley bays when you are finished with them. Use the table below, view the inforgraphic or scroll down the page for in-depth information at all major UK airports.
How much to hire an airport luggage trolley at UK airports
Find out what coins you’ll need – if any – and whether you can pay by card to hire an airport luggage trolley at all major UK airports.
| Airport | Coin needed | Card payments | Refunded on return |
| Birmingham Airport | £1 or €2 | Yes, with 40p admin | No |
| Bournemouth Airport | £1 | No | Yes |
| Bristol Airport | £2 or €2 | Yes | No |
| Cardiff Airport | £1 or €1 | No | Yes |
| Doncaster Airport | £1 or €1 | No | Yes |
| Durham Tees Airport | £1 coin | No | Yes |
| East Midlands Airport | £1 | No | Yes |
| Edinburgh Airport | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Exeter Airport | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Gatwick Airport: South Terminal | £1, €1 or 25¢ | No | Yes |
| Gatwick Airport: North Terminal | £1, €1 or 25¢ | No | Yes |
| Glasgow Airport all terminals | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Heathrow Airport all terminals | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | £1 | No | No |
| Liverpool Airport | £1 or €1 | No | Yes |
| Luton Airport | £2 or €2 | Yes | No |
| Manchester Airport: All terminals | £1 or €2 | No | No |
| Newcastle Airport | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Prestwick Airport | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Southampton Airport | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Southend Airport | £1 or €1 | N/A | Yes |
| Stansted Airport | £1, €1 or $0.25 | No | Yes |
The APH baggage trolley price details…
Simply use the dropdown menu below to find full details of luggage trolley costs at your departure airport.
Please choose your airport
Aberdeen Airport
Birmingham Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bristol Airport
Cardiff Airport
Doncaster Airport
Durham Tees Airport
East Midlands Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Exeter Airport
Gatwick Airport: South Terminal
Gatwick Airport: North Terminal
Glasgow Airport all terminals
Heathrow Airport all terminals
Leeds Bradford Airport
Liverpool Airport
Luton Airport
Manchester Airport: All terminals
Newcastle Airport
Prestwick Airport
Southampton Airport
Southend Airport
Stansted Airport
Stay on the case and don’t leave home without the correct change for a luggage trolley
Heading through the airport as you start your holiday can be a stressful experience – and being forced to drag multiple cases behind you is a sure-fire way to make it all the more miserable. Sadly, this could be the fate that awaits at many UK airports.
Forget to stock up with change before heading to the terminal and you could be met by a collection of locked luggage trolleys refusing to surrender themselves to your bags until you feed them gold…
Bristol and Luton take the title of most expensive airports for luggage trolleys with a non-refundable charge of £2, but you will be able to save yourself around 43p by using an old €2 coin instead.
If you do turn up at the airport without any shrapnel, just hope you’re departing from Birmingham or Luton, where travellers are given option of paying by card – even if the former does add a 40p admin fee to your £1 outlay.
It’s not all a big money-grab, though. While many airports charge for the trolley, you will get the money back – supermarket style – when you return it. Even better, though, others – including Heathrow – still provide trolleys for free without even the need for a deposit.
Here’s our essential – albeit less-than-glamorous – guide to costs, deposits and payment methods for grabbing a baggage trolley at UK airports
Aberdeen Airport
Details: All baggage trolleys are fitted with a coin lock mechanism to ensure they are returned to designated collection bays.
Where: Trolleys are available in areas such as the drop-off zone, baggage reclaim and car parks.
How much: £1 or €1 coin or trolley token.
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No
Is fee refunded: Yes. Your coin will be refunded when trolley is plugged in at the bay
Need change: Download a map to find the nearest shop or ATM in the terminal here
Birmingham Airport
Details: Birmingham Airport offers ‘high-quality modern trolleys’ at various points around the airport. Here are the details you’ll need.
Where: Luggage trolleys can be found at the following locations…
Drop & Go car park – there are two vending points
Car Park 1 – one vending point
Car Park 3 – one vending point
Car Park 5 adjacent to courtesy bus stop – one vending point
At public transport bus stops – one vending point
Arrivals baggage halls – multiple vending points
How much: £1 or €2 coin.
Are credit/debit cards accepted: Yes, but there will be a 40p admin charge.
Is fee refunded: No.
Need change: Download a map to find the nearest shop or ATM in the terminal here
Bournemouth Airport
Details: Find out what coinage is required for your flight from this airport on the sunny south coast.
Where: Both departures and arrivals.
How much: £1 coin
Card payment: No
Is fee refunded: Yes
Need change: Find out where the facilities are by clicking here.
Bristol Airport
Details: Passengers at Bristol Airport can benefit from ‘high-quality modern trolleys’ in the airport terminal. Here’s the information you need.
Where: Luggage trolleys can be found at the following locations in the airport:
Two vending machines at drop off & pick up car park,
Five vending machines at International arrivals hall,
One vending machine at Domestic arrivals hall,
One vending machine by Departure doors,
One vending machine near to the Car hire building.
How much: £2 or €2 coin. Use an old €2 coin to save around 50p
Are credit/debit cards accepted: Yes. No admin charges applied.
Is fee refunded: No.
Need change: Download a map to find the nearest shop or ATM in the terminal here
Cardiff Airport
Details: All baggage trolleys are free to use – but do require a deposit to be paid. Here are the details you’ll need to keep your bags rolling.
Where: Trolleys are available at salient locations throughout Cardiff Airport.
How much: £1 or €1 coin.
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: Yes. Your coin will be recovered when trolley is returned
Need change: Find the nearest shop or ATM in the terminal here
Doncaster Airport
Details: Trolleys are available throughout the airport. You will need to carry change, though. Here are the details for departure day.
Where: Trolleys are to be found situated around the car park and within the terminal in designated bays.
How much: £1, €1 or trolley token.
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: Yes.
Need change: Find information on shops and ATMs here
Durham Tees Airport
Details: Luggage trolleys are available to passengers using this airport.
Where: Trolleys can be found at the terminal front and in arrivals hall.
How much: £1 or trolley token
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: Yes – when trolley is returned.
Need change: Find information on shops and ATMs here
East Midlands Airport
Details: Luggage trolleys are available to passengers using this airport.
Where: Trolleys can be found in both arrivals and departures.
How much: £1 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: Yes.
Need change: Find information on shops and ATMs here
Edinburgh Airport
Details: Luggage trolleys are available to passengers using Edinburgh airport.
Where: Free luggage trolleys are available throughout the airport for both arriving and departing passengers. Find them in the reclaim hall and other key areas around the airport
How much: £Free
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A.
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: N/A
Exeter Airport
Details: Luggage trolleys are available to passengers using Exeter Airport. Here are the details you’ll need.
Where: Free luggage trolleys are available throughout the airport for both arriving and departing passengers. Find them in the drop-off area, reclaim hall and other key areas around the airport
How much: £Free
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A.
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: Not a problem at Exeter Airport. Well done!
Gatwick Airport: South Terminal
Details: Grab your trolley but you’ll need to carry a coin!
Where: Luggage trolleys can be picked up from drop-off, baggage reclaim and all other relevant areas of your journey through the South Terminal.
How much: £1, €1, 25¢ or trolley token – the new 12-sided £1 coin is accepted in trolleys at Gatwick.
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A.
Is fee refunded: Yes, when trolley is returned.
Need change: There are change machines throughout the terminal – including one by the APH drop off bus stop. Download a map of the South Terminal here
Gatwick Airport: North Terminal
Details: Grab your trolley but you’ll need to carry a coin!
Where: Luggage trolleys can be picked up from drop-off, baggage reclaim and all other relevant areas of your journey through the North Terminal.
How much: £1, €1, 25¢ or trolley token – the new 12-sided £1 coin is accepted in trolleys at Gatwick.
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A.
Is fee refunded: Yes, when trolley is returned.
Need change: There are change machines throughout the terminal. Download a North Terminal map here
Glasgow Airport all terminals
Details: Luggage trolleys are available
Where: Find luggage trolleys available from designated areas of the car park and terminals..
How much: £Free
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A.
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: N/A
Heathrow Airport all terminals
Details: The following information applies to passengers using Terminal 2,3,4 and 5
Where: Baggage trolleys are provided in key areas around the terminal buildings. Arriving passengers will find plenty of trolleys in baggage reclaim, and these can be taken to the car park, bus station or rail station access points.Trolleys are also provided on the departures concourse. Please note that they can’t be taken through security control.
How much: £Free with no coin or token required
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A.
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: N/A
Leeds Bradford Airport
Details: Make sure you grab some change before heading to Leeds Bradford Airport.
Where: Trolleys can be found in designated area accessible to arriving and departing passengers.
How much: £1 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: No
Need change: Download this terminal map to find ATMs and locations to get change.
Liverpool Airport
Details: Make.
Where: Trolleys can
How much: £1 or €1 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: Yes
Need change: Find ATMs and shops to obtain change by downloading this terminal map
Luton Airport
Details: Make sure you bring some change to Luton Airport
Where: These can be found at trolley stations throughout the terminal.
How much: £2 or €2 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: Yes.
Is fee refunded: No
Need change: Find ATMs and shops to obtain change at Luton Airport by downloading this terminal map.
Manchester Airport: All terminals
Details: Manchester Airport acknowledges charging for trolleys isn’t popular, but cites falling air fares and investment costs as the reason behind them.
Where: Trolleys can be found throughout the airport for both arrivals and departures.
How much: £1 coin or €2 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No.
Is fee refunded: No
Need change: Need to find some change? Check out the terminal maps for shops and ATMs.
Terminal 1 map
Terminal 2 map
Terminal 3 map
Newcastle Airport
Details: There’s good news for news for heavily laden travellers flying from Newcastle…
Where: Find trolleys at various locations both inside and outside the terminal building.
How much: £Free
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: N/A
Prestwick Airport
Details: Here are the details you need for luggage trolleys at Prestwick Airport.
Where: Throughout the airport and car parks
How much: £Free
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: N/A
Southampton Airport
Details: Here are the details you need to load your bags
Where: Trolleys are available throughout the car parks, within pick up and drop off areas, and various bays on the terminal forecourt
How much: £Free
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/A
Is fee refunded: N/A
Need change: N/A
Southend Airport
Details: Here are the details you need for luggage trolleys at Southend Airport.
How much: £1 or €1 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: N/o
Is fee refunded: Yes
Need change: Find your way around the Southend Airport terminal here.
Stansted Airport
Details: Stansted Airport will charge for luggage trolleys. Here are the details…
Where: Arrivals and departures
How much: £1, €1 or $0.25 coin
Are credit/debit cards accepted: No
Is fee refunded: Yes on return of trolley.
Need change: Find change machines in the international and domestic baggage reclaim halls, on the terminal forecourt and in the coach station.
I am travelling by taxi to Heathrow terminal 3 for departure with Virgin Atlantic. Are trolley’s available at taxi drop off point before crossing to Virgin Atlantic check in