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Wanted: your airport saving tips for summer 25

ended 08. July 2025

What tips and tricks do you have to save money while at, or travelling to and from, airports? For example, all retailers, once you’ve gone through customs, have a literally captive audience. Is there anything you can do to avoid paying crazy money at airports on overpriced food and drink? And is exchanging money in airports pure financial insanity? When and where should people change their pounds into Euros or Dollars, etc? Also, as people can spend hours at airports, especially if flights are delayed, are there any other hacks that can save money while you and/or the kids get bored and are tempted to wander off into the shopping outlets? And what about airport lounges that you can pay to access? Are they good value or an absolute rip-off in your experience? Also, car parking at airports can be astronomically expensive, and people can also get hit with drop-off fees, so any tips to avoid those, send them over, too. Essentially, give us all the airport hacks you’ve got for saving money. 

12 responses from the Newspage community

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Prem Raja
Head of Trading Floor at Currencies 4 You
Exchanging currency at the airport is daylight robbery. You’ll get some of the worst rates around. If you need cash, plan ahead and use a specialist provider or order online for delivery or collection. Better still, use a credit card that offers fee-free foreign spending or a charge card that converts at competitive rates; you’ll save a small fortune and have added protection. Skip the overpriced sandwiches and bottled water; bring an empty bottle and fill it after security, and pack your own snacks. Airport lounges can actually be great value if you’ve got a long wait or kids in tow, as food, drinks and Wi-Fi can quickly add up if you’re buying them individually in the terminal. For parking, pre-book early online or look into off-site providers with shuttle buses. And watch out for sneaky drop-off charges. Some airports let you drop off at short-stay for free if you're quick. A little planning goes a long way at the airport.
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Kate Allen
Owner at Finest Stays
To keep the kids happy, accept defeat and the fact that screens are your saviour. Download everything at home including movies, games and audiobooks. Airport WiFi is either pricey or rubbish. Another option is to bring your own art studio. Pound shop colouring packs and sticker books equal hours of quiet entertainment without the need to remortgage at WHSmith.
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Debbie Porter
Managing Director at Destination Digital Marketing
Pack pre-cut lemon and lime slices in Tupperware, and mini bottles of your favourite tipple in your liquids bag. Grab a mixer departures side, and beg for some ice at one of the bars, before grabbing a window seat and relax with an aperitif before boarding!
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Sarah Kenny
Director at Build a Break
If it's a relatively short trip, consider flying hand luggage only. You'll save a fortune. We use backpack-sized vacuum bags to compress bulky clothes and once did four nights in Lapland with four children with just hand luggage. Also, use Boots Click & Collect airside. Order your full-sized toiletries in advance for collection after security. They don’t count towards your liquid allowance or luggage weight and even budget airlines let you carry a Boots duty-free bag alongside your backpack. Also grab a Boots meal deal. For £5.50, you get a wrap, salad or pasta pot, snack and drink – way cheaper than inflight food or airport restaurants. Another tip is to bring a reusable water bottle. Fill it up after security at free water stations. It saves a small fortune, especially with kids. If travelling with kids, bring colouring books, puzzle pads and downloaded netflix shows, which help avoid the temptation of expensive airport shops.
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Rob Peters
Principal at Simple Fast Mortgage
Airports are money traps. £5 coffees, £8 meal deals, £20 to park for 30 mins. Always eat before you leave home. Download movies and books in advance to avoid boredom buys. Never exchange money at the airport unless you enjoy losing 10% instantly. Use local park & ride or taxi services as they're often cheaper than airport parking for a week. Airports profit off your convenience, so plan ahead and keep your cash for your holiday instead.
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Tony Redondo
Founder at Cosmos Currency Exchange
Airports are money traps, designed to drain your wallet, but there are hacks to save cash. Pack snacks and an empty water bottle to refill free post-security. Never, ever use airport currency booths. Consider opening a multi-currency account with your broker or bank, or load your pre-paid travel card beforehand to get better rates of exchange. Use free airport play zones or pack cards and downloaded shows. Window shop through duty-free but don’t buy. Lounges can be worth £20-£40 for long delays with free food but skip them if flights are on time, and book early for discounts. Avoid pricey drop-off fees by using free shuttle zones at long-stay car parks or book off-site parking for 30-60% savings. Save the pounds and pennies for your holiday!
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Kundan Bhaduri
Entrepreneur at The Kushman Group
Airports are a masterclass in how to extract money from a captive population under the guise of service. £7 croissants, £5 bottles of water, and parking charges that make Kensington look reasonable. Welcome to pre-holiday inflation at its most brazen. Bring your own food. Security will not confiscate a sandwich, and you will save the GDP of a small nation by avoiding airside dining. Take an empty water bottle and fill it post-security. Never, under any circumstances, change your pounds at the airport, as it's financial masochism. Use a fee-free card or pre-order cash online for a halfway decent rate. Travel money kiosks are where sterling goes to die. Lounges are useful if you are travelling for business or need two hours of quiet before being sealed in a metal tube with 180 strangers. But forty pounds for three cocktails and a Scotch egg offers value only if you are massively delayed. All in all, come prepared to the airport for what can be some serious retail combat.
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Pete Mugleston
Mortgage Advisor & Managing Director at onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when travelling is to change your money at the airport. The exchange rates are often much worse than the ones you'll find on the high street. Planning ahead and getting your cash before you reach the airport is a good way to have more money in your pocket. If you can get family and friends to pick you up and drop you off, this can save you a chunk of money, with airport parking becoming increasingly expensive. You'll also save on taxi fees, too. Only use airport lounges if you have a long wait, as they're not worth it if you're only in the airport for a short period before your flight.
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Samuel Mather-Holgate
Independent Financial Adviser at Mather and Murray Financial
Travelling to the airport can be expensive, but some locations allow you to park for free if you come on two wheels. Paying hundreds of pounds for parking can be eliminated if you're lucky enough to have a motorbike. If not, use a price comparison site for airport parking, which could knock off up to 25%. Hire cars at the other end should be scrutinised too. Look at the daily rate but also the cost of insurance. If you are planning on loading up on food and drink at the airport, try looking at how much an airport lounge pass costs. Once you are in, most of the refreshements are complimentary so it could be worth the £20 entry price considering how expensive sandwiches and a beer cost whilst waiting for your flight. Have a look at your bank account and credit card; so many people have packaged accounts and sometimes these include lounge passes or fast track security.
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Philly Ponniah
Chartered Wealth Manager and Financial Coach at Philly Financial
Airports are designed to wear you down so you’ll spend impulsively, especially if you’re tired, stressed or travelling with young children. But with a bit of planning and plenty of snacks, you can avoid the worst of the airport premium. I always pack food like we’re heading on a day trip, along with sticker books, colouring and downloaded shows ready to go. A small and inexpensive surprise toy can be a great distraction just when you need it. Bring an empty water bottle to fill post-security rather than paying £3 for bottled water. Never exchange currency at the airport, as the rates are almost always poor. Use a travel debit card or pre-order currency online for collection if needed. And pre-book parking well in advance. Drive-up prices are rarely good value. A little preparation goes a long way in keeping both costs and stress levels in check.
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Anita Wright
Chartered Financial Planner at Anita Wright
Avoid the Currency BuyBack Guarantee. While it may seem appealing at first glance, a closer look reveals it is largely a marketing gimmick. It plays on the traveller’s fear of overbuying foreign currency and losing money when exchanging it back. However, the cost of this so-called “peace of mind” – typically around £5.99 – often exceeds the actual financial risk for most modest currency exchanges. Airport currency exchange providers usually offer less competitive rates than banks or online platforms. By locking in a buyback at the original (and typically uncompetitive) rate, customers are effectively paying £5.99 to receive sterling at a rate that was already poor value. Furthermore, the spread—the difference between the buy and sell rates—remains embedded in the transaction. This means the provider profits twice: first through the initial margin on the currency sale, and again through the additional BuyBack Guarantee fee.
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Ben Perks
Managing Director at Orchard Financial Advisers
As you tuck into your judgment-free 6am beer, rest assured everyone around you is feeling the same. Airports are extortionate and they get more expensive every year. As a captive audience, there’s little you can do about it. You could take your own food and fill up an empty bottle with tap water, but at the end of the day, you’re on holiday and the good times start as soon as you’re through security. The best advice I can give is to account for it when budgeting and booking the holiday.