How to save money on your airport transfers, according to experts

The summer holidays are underway, and this means that millions of Brits are heading abroad.

While many big holiday expenses like flights and accommodation are usually paid for before setting off, taxis to and from the airport is something that nearly half (40%) of holidaymakers forget to budget for, and they can be pricey.

According to the transfer experts at hoppa, a taxi to and from the airport sets the average holidaymaker back £160 on average, which is £100 more than people expect.

There are some ways to reduce this cost though, as Matthew Hall, Managing Director at hoppa explains.

Do book in advance

It’s really crucial for travellers to book well in advance with a reputable company to secure the type of vehicle they need, and to avoid the risk of arriving at a foreign airport without knowing how to get to their destination.

This can not only save you money (as you pay more for the convenience of a ‘waiting’ airport taxi), but it also saves a lot of stress.

Avoid weekends, late nights and official ‘holiday’ days if you can

Weekends and peak travel times tend to be more popular and busier, so booking to travel on weekdays and non-peak times can get you a better deal.

Sometimes ride providers will have night supplements too, so if you can, it can be cheaper to travel during the day instead.

We also tend to see fare increases around certain festive periods like Christmas and New Year, as well as national holiday days. Again, try to avoid these if you can.

Know how much a taxi should ‘normally’ cost, so you don’t get ripped off

If you haven’t booked in advance, and just plan to jump in a taxi at the airport, it’s really easy to get ripped out if you’re not careful. Not only are there several scam tactics to avoid – such as taking the long route, not putting the meter on, or avoiding giving you change from your note – but it’s also hard to know what a ‘good’ price looks like.

To help, we’ve dug into the costs of thousands of bookings to 50 top destinations, to see what the ‘average’ one-way price is. If you are quoted a lot more than this, it may be time to negotiate (or try the hoppa app instead!).

· Amsterdam airport to Amsterdam city centre: £90 one way

· Barcelona airport to the city centre: £69 one way

· Budapest airport to the city centre: £55 one way

· Cairo airport to the city centre: £30 one way

· Cape Town airport to the city centre: £37 one way

· Copenhagen airport to the city centre: £162

· Dubai airport to the city centre: £31

· Faro airport to Albufeira (Portugal): £79 one way

· Fuerteventura airport to Corralejo: £62 one way

· Gran Canaria airport to Las Palmas: £46 one way

· Lanzarote airport to Puerto Del Carmen: £41 one way

· Madeira airport to Funchal: £45 one way

· Malaga airport to the city centre: £51 one way

· Marrakesh airport to the city centre: £20 one way

· Miami airport to Miami Beach: £68 one way

· Palma Majorca airport to the city centre: £25 one way

· Paphos Cyrus airport to the city centre: £65 one way

· Paris airport to the city centre: £56 one way

· Rome airport to the city centre: £66 one way

· Tenerife North airport to Puerto De La Cruz: £48 one way

· Tenerife South airport to Costa Adeja: £73 one way

· Zagreb Croatia airport to the city centre: £48 one way

Use apps to compare quotes

The hoppa transfers app features lots of different ride providers (including Uber and local taxi companies), so you can put your journey details in, and compare quotes, making it easier to save yourself a bit of cash.

Download the app in advance, and pre-book in advance too if you can. If you forget though, don’t worry, the app does have an ‘on demand’ feature too.