UK parking apps: RingGo, PayByPhone and the National Parking Platform

What you need to do first

In much of the UK, parking on street or in a council car park means paying by app, by phone or at a shop rather than at a machine. Before you set off, check which app the council at your destination uses, install it and register your vehicle and a payment card. When you arrive, find the location code on the sign or machine, start a session that covers the whole time you will be parked and keep notifications on so you can extend remotely.

The UK no longer runs on a single app. Some councils have signed up with RingGo, others with PayByPhone, and a growing number have joined the National Parking Platform (NPP), where any approved app works. The sections below explain who uses what, what it costs and what to do if you have no smartphone.

Which councils use RingGo

RingGo describes itself as the UK’s largest phone parking service. According to RingGo, 19 million motorists are registered, and the service is offered by more than 150 local authorities in more than 500 towns and cities.

Councils that publish RingGo as their payment service include:

• Bromley: RingGo has run throughout the borough since 2010.
• Camden: in paid for parking and shared use bays.
• Merton: in London Borough of Merton parking facilities.
• Wandsworth: in pay and display and shared use bays.
• Hammersmith and Fulham: for pay and display parking.
• Slough: in car parks where machines have been removed as part of its cashless rollout.
• Nuneaton and Bedworth: the council moved to RingGo from another supplier.
• Grantham and Stamford: RingGo has been available in their car parks from 24 April 2023.

RingGo has also listed Birmingham, Rugby, Stratford upon Avon, Warwick and Warwickshire as RingGo councils. Be aware that the information is not consistent here: Birmingham City Council and Warwick District Council now both say they use the National Parking Platform, where RingGo is one of several approved apps rather than the only one. Birmingham’s page was last updated on 3 August 2026, so rely on the council’s own page over older announcements.

Which councils use PayByPhone

PayByPhone says it has more than 2.5 million users in the UK and that paying takes less than 30 seconds: enter the location number, enter the duration and extend whenever you need to.

Councils that publish PayByPhone include:

• Hillingdon: you can pay by app or web browser on a phone or tablet, get notifications before your session runs out and extend it.
• South Hams: PayByPhone covers the council’s car parks.
• Westminster: PayByPhone is one of the authorised apps.

Councils where you can choose

Westminster City Council authorises JustPark, RingGo and PayByPhone, so you can use whichever you already have. Coventry City Council has also expanded its phone parking service to offer multiple solutions across the city.

The bigger change is the National Parking Platform. Councils that have joined include:

• Birmingham: in council car parks and for pay and display parking on the street.
• Warwick District: in its car parks.
• Tower Hamlets: the first London borough to join, in February 2026, accepting RingGo, PayByPhone, JustPark and others across the borough.
• Watford: with a range of approved providers.

What is the National Parking Platform?

The NPP is not another app. Tower Hamlets describes it as a database that works in the background to connect the apps drivers already use to council parking services. RingGo calls it a not for profit, industry led, open platform that connects multiple parking apps to hundreds of locations.

According to the UK government, the platform is run by a consortium of industry leaders including RingGo, JustPark and PayByPhone, led by the British Parking Association, and was delivered at no cost to the taxpayer. The government’s aim is that drivers can pay in all participating car parks with their preferred app, reducing confusion and the chance of fines. Birmingham and Watford both say the NPP is supported by the Department for Transport.

When Watford joined, the NPP was already supporting more than 1,500 parking locations across 24 local authorities, with more councils due to join. Birmingham gives a helpline for advice on using the NPP: 0333 200 80 80.

In practice, the steps are the same as with any app:

• open the parking app you already use;
• enter the location code shown on nearby signs or machines;
• choose your duration and pay.

If you already have the app, you do not need to download it again.

How to buy a parking session

With RingGo, you download the free app, register a few details, tell it where you are parking and tap to pay. Wandsworth says you can register online, in the app or by calling 020 3046 0700, either in advance or when you park. RingGo also works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay: you can find nearby parking from the car’s screen, and with Apple CarPlay you can start and pay for a session with a tap.

The location code is the key detail. Bromley explains that the RingGo code is a 4 or 5 digit number shown on signs, and that each location has its own unique code. The app may suggest nearby locations, but Bromley recommends checking every time that you have selected the correct code.

Card types can matter. Hammersmith and Fulham says RingGo accepts Visa and MasterCard when you register, while American Express, Diners Club and JCB cards are not accepted.

For business drivers, South Hams notes that you can get a free VAT receipt for every PayByPhone session through the app or website, and RingGo offers free email receipts and a personal web portal.

What the apps charge

Registering and downloading the apps is free, but you may pay a convenience fee on top of the parking tariff. RingGo says this fee varies by location and that you can check it before you start a session. Birmingham adds that on the NPP each provider has its own app, contact number and fees, and that fees are set by each provider and may vary.

Convenience fees published by councils:

• Merton: 20p on top of the parking tariff with RingGo.
• Bromley: a mandatory 20 pence per transaction with RingGo.
• Slough: 20p added to the parking charge for using RingGo.
• Wandsworth: 18p on top of each parking fee with RingGo.
• South Hams: no convenience fee for PayByPhone in council car parks, though PayByPhone may charge a small fee elsewhere.

Wandsworth’s own page is not fully consistent: it says the pay by phone fee is the same as paying at a machine, and then lists an 18p convenience charge on top of each parking fee. Expect the extra charge.

Optional text messages cost extra and vary widely:

• Bromley: 10p for each confirmation or reminder text.
• South Hams: 10p per message with PayByPhone.
• Hammersmith and Fulham: 20p per text plus standard network charges.
• Wandsworth: 25p per reminder message.

Calls to RingGo are charged at the standard geographic rate set by your mobile operator, and Merton notes these calls are often included in bundles of minutes.

On whether these fees are legal, Bromley states that both RingGo and the council consider convenience fees not to be prohibited surcharges under the Surcharge Regulations, referring to guidance issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in June 2018.

Paying without an app

You do not need a smartphone in most places.

• By phone: Birmingham says you can call a provider’s automated payment line from any phone. PayByPhone’s line for South Hams is 0330 400 7275, and Hammersmith and Fulham lists 020 3292 9230 for RingGo. Check that your vehicle and location are read back correctly before ending the call.
• Other channels: Bromley stresses it is a misconception that RingGo only works through the app. RingGo can be paid by phone, text, web or in car device.
• At a PayPoint: in Slough you can pay with cash or card at a PayPoint shop using the car park code and your number plate as the reference. The shops are generally within a 5 minute walk. You can find the nearest one by texting Shop RingGo followed by the 5 digit location code to 81025. No paper ticket is needed.
• At a machine: Hillingdon still accepts cash and card at its pay and display machines, Wandsworth says you can still use a nearby machine, and Birmingham says machines can still be used where available.

Controls and fines

There is nothing to display. Wandsworth explains that Civil Enforcement Officers check electronically by vehicle registration, and RingGo says its app tells the council or operator that your vehicle has an active session. Slough adds that live data lets officers target their patrols.

If you have not paid, you risk a Penalty Charge Notice. Reminder texts and remote extension reduce that risk. If you blame a poor signal, Bromley says it will investigate but decide based on the information available, and notes very few reports of poor signal since 2010.

Camden’s terms are a useful reminder of typical rules: your session must cover the whole time you are parked, you may extend only up to the maximum stay on the sign, and once your session ends you must move the vehicle and not return within 1 hour.

If you were charged wrongly, Merton asks for your registration number and details of the RingGo sessions in question, such as the session receipt, to process a refund.

Exceptions to watch

• Fees and text charges change from council to council, even with the same app.
• South Hams charges no PayByPhone convenience fee in its own car parks, but this does not apply to other PayByPhone locations.
• Some councils keep machines, others such as Slough have removed them.
• On the NPP, each approved provider sets its own fees.

Checklist before the trip

• Check your destination council’s parking page to see whether it uses RingGo, PayByPhone or the National Parking Platform.
• Install the app and register your vehicle and a Visa or MasterCard before you travel.
• Decide whether you want paid text reminders and set your preference in the app.
• Note the provider’s phone number in case you lose data signal.
• On arrival, read the location code on the sign and confirm it in the app.
• Ignore QR codes stuck on signs.
• Check the convenience fee and the maximum stay before you pay.