Parking rules · clearly explained

Parking apps and paying by phone

Which apps each council accepts, why you display nothing, the location code and the registration, a dead phone, the 10-minute rule, service charges, fake QR codes and how to challenge a ticket you had paid for.

UK-specific guidanceSources shown on every guideReviewed 20 October 2026

On a British street the app is often the only way left to pay, and it is never your choice which one. The council that runs the bay decides which apps it takes. Pay through one it does not take, or for the wrong location, and the bay is simply unpaid.

This page lists the apps each city we cover accepts, what the councils say an app payment proves, where the service charges come from, and how to challenge a ticket when you had paid by phone. It does not recommend any app: in most places there is only one that works.

Which app works in which city

Most councils contract with a single provider. A few take several, and the Department for Transport’s National Parking Platform exists to make that the norm. The table is built from our city pages, and each app is named as the council names it.

CityApps the council acceptsService charge stated by the councilCouncil source
Bath MiPermit Not checked On the city page
Belfast JustPark 10p — booking fee on each session nidirect: Off-street and on-street parking
Birmingham Parkmobile No figure given Birmingham City Council: Pay for parking using your phone
Bradford RingGo Not checked Bradford Council: Pay by phone parking
Brighton and Hove PayByPhone 10p — service charge on each payment Brighton & Hove City Council: Paid parking zones
Bristol RingGo Not checked Bristol City Council: Car parking and park and ride
Cambridge MiPermit
Named by the county for resident permits. We have not confirmed which app visitors use to pay on the street. 		Not checked Cambridgeshire County Council — Cambridge resident parking permits
Cardiff MiPermit Not checked Cardiff Council: On-street parking
Edinburgh RingGo Not checked On the city page
Glasgow RingGo Not checked Glasgow City Council: On road parking
Leeds PayByPhone Not checked Leeds City Council: Parking prices
Leicester PayByPhone Not checked Leicester City Council — Car parks
Liverpool RingGo, PayByPhone, JustPark, AppyParking, APCOA Connect No figure given Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking
London Not listed: on-street parking in London is run borough by borough. Use the app named on the sign in the bay. Not checked On the city page
Manchester PayByPhone No figure given Manchester City Council: Pay to park with PayByPhone
Newcastle upon Tyne PayByPhone Not checked On the city page
Nottingham RingGo Not checked On the city page
Oxford RingGo, JustPark, PayByPhone, APCOA Not checked Oxfordshire County Council: On-street parking
Portsmouth RingGo Not checked Portsmouth City Council: On-street pay and display parking for cars
Sheffield PayByPhone Not checked Sheffield City Council: City centre car parking
Southampton PayByPhone Not checked Southampton City Council — Parking guidance
Swansea MiPermit Not checked Swansea Council: Parking fees and offers
York PayByPhone 15p — service charge on each payment City of York Council — On-street parking

Only the councils’ own figures are in the charge column. “No figure given” means the council says there may be a charge but does not state it; “not checked” means we have not looked. Either way there may be a charge, and the app shows it before you confirm.

The sign in the bay overrides this table. Councils change provider, and car parks run by someone other than the council can take a different app from the street outside.

The National Parking Platform

The platform is a Department for Transport service that sits between councils and app providers. The government’s own service assessment names the provider as “DfT”, lists “multi-vendor payment options” among the benefits, and is clear that drivers never use it directly: “It is not a public facing service.”

GOV.UK service assessment: DfT National parking platform, alpha assessment of 26 October 2021 (published 6 December 2021)

What it means in practice is that a council on the platform can accept several apps in the same bay. Liverpool describes it like this: “The National Parking Platform (NPP) is a national pilot”, and “The National Parking Platform (NPP) is supported by the Department for Transport.”

Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking

Being on the platform is a decision each council makes. Where it has not, only its contracted app will work.

What an app payment proves

You do not display anything

With pay-by-phone the payment is the record. Enforcement officers check the registration against the council’s system on their handheld device, so there is no ticket for the windscreen.

“You do not need to display a ticket as our officers get the details of your payment straight to their handheld devices.”

Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking · Parking in Liverpool →

“There is no need to show a pay and display ticket on your vehicle, as traffic attendants can check if parking has been paid using cashless parking.”

nidirect: Off-street and on-street parking · Parking in Belfast →

That cuts both ways. The officer sees what the system holds for that registration in that location — nothing else. A confirmation on your screen for a different location, or for another car, does not show up.

The location code decides where you have paid

Every bay or machine carries a location number, and the app charges and records the session against that number, not against the street name.

“When you purchase parking time, you must enter the location number for the machine nearest to your vehicle.”

Bradford Council: Pay by phone parking · Parking in Bradford →

“The sticker is specific to the location where you have parked.”

Bradford Council: Pay by phone parking · Parking in Bradford →

The registration has to be the car in the bay

Accounts with more than one car are where this goes wrong: the app opens on the last car you used.

“Please enter the correct registration number.”

Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking · Parking in Liverpool →

“If you register more than one vehicle, please be sure to pay for the correct one each time you visit”

Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking · Parking in Liverpool →

We have not found an official statement, from a council or a tribunal, on what happens when you pay for the wrong location or the wrong registration. Councils tell you to get both right; whether a mistake is cancelled is decided case by case on a challenge.

On a council notice the code for an unpaid bay can carry a letter that shows how payment was expected. The statutory guidance’s list of general parking suffixes includes “u) electronic payment”.

Statutory guidance for local authorities in England on civil enforcement of parking contraventions

When the phone dies or the app will not load

No law treats a flat battery or a missing signal as a payment. If you could not pay, the bay is unpaid, and the question becomes whether there was another way to pay and whether the council will use its discretion.

“Check your signal, move to an alternative spot and try again.”

Brighton & Hove City Council: PayByPhone parking · Parking in Brighton and Hove →

“If the PayByPhone app is down, you may be unable to pay for parking until the problem is resolved.”

Brighton & Hove City Council: PayByPhone parking · Parking in Brighton and Hove →

If there is a machine, use it. If there is none and the app will not work, keep evidence that you tried: a screenshot of the error with the time on it, and a photo of the sign and the location number. That is what a challenge will rest on.

The problem is known in government. Its 2025 consultation on a code for private car parks lists, among the complaints it received, motorists “being unable to pay by mobile because of poor mobile signal in the car park or faulty mobile apps”.

MHCLG: Private parking code of practice, closed consultation (11 July to 26 September 2025)

Starting late, and the 10 minutes after

There is a statutory grace period in England, but it is at the end of the stay, not at the start. The Regulations: “But no penalty charge may be imposed under paragraph (1) in relation to a parking contravention where— the vehicle is stationary in a designated parking place and is left beyond the permitted parking period, and the period for which it is left beyond the permitted parking period does not exceed 10 minutes.”

The permitted parking period is defined as a period “that has been paid for as authorised by or under any order made relating to the designated parking place, or” one for which no charge is payable. In a paid bay, then, the 10 minutes run from the end of the time you have paid for.

The Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/71), regulation 5 (as made)

The statutory guidance spells out the limit: “Any penalty charge during the 10-minute grace period would be illegal unless the vehicle itself is parked unlawfully” — for example where “the motorist has not paid any required parking fee or displayed a parking ticket where required”.

Statutory guidance for local authorities in England on civil enforcement of parking contraventions

On a council street there is no time to find your phone. The grace period does not cover the minutes before the session starts, so start it before you walk away from the car.

In a private car park

Private car parks are a contract, not a council regime, and no statutory code is in force. The government’s 2025 consultation raised exactly this case — “where a motorist takes longer than five minutes to pay but makes a full payment before leaving a carpark which uses ANPR” — but as a proposal.

MHCLG: Private parking code of practice, closed consultation (11 July to 26 September 2025)

Its options assessment records what the trade associations did in the meantime: “Following adverse publicity, the Industry Code was updated in February 2025 to say that parking firms should not issue charges to those who take longer than 5 minutes to pay, provided they pay before leaving.” That is an industry code, not law.

MHCLG: Options assessment, Private Parking Code of Practice (31 March 2025, updated 15 May 2025)

As things stand, no statutory code is in force. Private operators are bound only by the voluntary codes of the two trade associations and by ordinary contract law.

Extending from the app

Adding time from your phone is the main reason people like these apps. It does not change the maximum stay on the sign.

“You'll be able to extend your parking on the app if needed, as long as you do so before it expires and it isn't longer than the maximum stay limit for that location (check on-street signs).”

nidirect: Off-street and on-street parking · Parking in Belfast →

Paying again to stay past the limit is a contravention of its own on some councils’ lists. The codes are in the table below.

Service charges, text messages and who sets them

The tariff is the council’s. The service charge on top depends on the council or car park operator as well as on the app, so the same app can cost a few pence in one town and nothing in the next. The councils that publish their figure:

“a 15p service charge applies to all pay by phone payments”

City of York Council — On-street parking · Parking in York →

“There's a 10p service charge for each transaction.”

Brighton & Hove City Council: PayByPhone parking · Parking in Brighton and Hove →

“There is a 10p booking fee for each JustPark parking session, along with the normal parking tariffs.”

nidirect: Off-street and on-street parking · Parking in Belfast →

Optional text messages are charged on top, where the council says so:

“optional text messages to alert you when your parking is running out are charged at 20p per message”

City of York Council — On-street parking · Parking in York →

“There are other optional charges for additional message alerts and receipts, both cost 10p for each message.”

Brighton & Hove City Council: PayByPhone parking · Parking in Brighton and Hove →

Others point you to the provider:

“Fees are set by each payment provider and may vary.”

Birmingham City Council: Pay for parking using your phone · Parking in Birmingham →

“Please check terms and conditions, service charges and fees.”

Manchester City Council: Pay to park with PayByPhone · Parking in Manchester →

“Users of the apps may be charged a small admin fee by suppliers.”

Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking · Parking in Liverpool →

What the providers say on their own pages

  • RingGo: “Any applicable fees are always shown clearly in the app before you confirm your parking.” RingGo Help Centre: What is the Convenience Fee Charge? (updated 15 May 2026)
  • PayByPhone: “Parking rates and service fees are set by the parking operator and may vary by location.” PayByPhone Help Centre: Is PayByPhone free?
  • PayByPhone: “Each SMS you receive incurs a fee ranging between £0.10 and £0.25, depending on the parking operator.” PayByPhone UK: Optional text charges
  • MiPermit: “A convenience fee may be added to the cost of your parking depending on the car park operator.” MiPermit Help: Costs of Pay & Stay parking with MiPermit
  • JustPark: “Drive-up fees (replacing 'pay at the machine') range from 5p–20p depending on the local authority.” JustPark Help Centre (UK): Transaction fee

None of them publishes a single national figure for the service charge, and we do not give one.

Fake QR codes

Stickers with a QR code that leads to a payment page have been found on pay and display machines and signs. Councils that take app payments name their apps; they do not ask you to scan a code to a website.

“These fake codes are not part of the official signs and are normally stuck on separately.”

Liverpool City Council: Paying for parking · Parking in Liverpool →

Download the app from the app store or the provider’s own site, and if you have paid through a code on a sticker, contact your bank: as far as the council is concerned, the bay is unpaid.

Challenging a ticket when the app was running

Start with the payment record, not with the story. In the app’s history, find the session and check three things against the notice: the registration, the location number and the times.

  • All three match and the notice was issued inside the paid time. The bay was paid. On a council notice that is the first statutory ground: “The alleged contravention did not occur.” Send the receipt or a screenshot showing all three.
  • The location or the registration is wrong. There is no statutory ground for a keying error. You are asking the council to use its discretion, and you should say so plainly, with proof that you paid for the right time.
  • You could not pay at all. Evidence of the failed attempt and of the absence of another way to pay is what a discretionary challenge rests on.

An authority has a discretionary power to cancel a penalty charge notice at any point in the process, and the statutory guidance says it can do so even where a contravention undoubtedly occurred. That is the route for the cases with no statutory ground — the hospital admission, the funeral, the breakdown. Say plainly that you are asking the authority to exercise its discretion, rather than dressing the story up as a ground it does not fit.

Do it inside the discount period. The statutory guidance asks councils to consider re-offering the discount if they reject a challenge made then.

Challenging a council penalty charge, stage by stage →

Appealing a private parking charge →

Not sure which kind of notice you have? →

The codes on a ticket for an unpaid bay

The contravention code tells you what the officer says went wrong. The wording below is the councils’ own, as listed on our city pages.

CodeWordingLevelUsed in
05 Parked after the expiry of paid for time at a pay and display bay Lower Bath, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swansea
05 Parked after the expiry of paid time at a pay and display bay Not stated Belfast
06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket or voucher Lower Bath, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Cardiff, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swansea
06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket (non-goods vehicles) or having a valid cashless parking event Not stated Belfast
06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket Lower Manchester
07 Parked with payment made to extend the stay beyond initial time (meter feeding) Lower Manchester
12 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone without a valid permit, or without payment of the parking charge Higher Birmingham
12 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone without a valid virtual permit or clearly displaying a valid physical permit or voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place where required, or without payment of the parking charge Higher London
12 Parked in a residents or shared use parking place or zone without clearly displaying either a permit or voucher or pay and display ticket Higher Manchester
19 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone with an invalid permit, or after the expiry of paid for time Lower Birmingham
19 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone with an invalid virtual permit or displaying an invalid physical permit or voucher or pay and display ticket, or after the expiry of paid for time Lower London
19 Parked in a residents or shared use parking place or zone displaying an invalid permit, an invalid voucher or an invalid pay and display ticket Lower Manchester

What a council penalty charge costs →

Where people go wrong

  • Using the app already on the phone. Unless the council accepts it, the payment goes nowhere the officer can see.
  • Copying the location number from the last machine you passed. Use the one on the sign or machine for the bay you are in.
  • Paying for the other car. Check the registration on the confirmation screen every time, not only when you set up the account.
  • Walking off before the session has started. The grace period is at the end of a paid stay, not at the beginning.
  • Extending past the maximum stay. The app may let you pay; the sign still sets the limit.
  • Scanning a QR code on the machine. The code may not be the council’s, and the payment may not reach it.
  • Deleting the session history. The record in the app is your evidence if a ticket arrives weeks later.

Common questions

Do I need to display a ticket if I paid by app?
No. With pay-by-phone the payment is recorded against your registration and the location, and enforcement officers check it on their handheld devices. The councils we have checked say this in terms. Nothing on the windscreen is needed or expected.
Can I use any parking app I like?
Only where the council accepts it. Most councils contract with one provider, and a payment through another app does not reach their system. Councils on the National Parking Platform can accept several apps in the same bay. The sign in the bay names the app or apps that work there.
I entered the wrong location code. Will the ticket be cancelled?
Not automatically. A payment for the wrong location is not a payment for the bay you were in, and there is no statutory ground for a keying error. Challenge the notice, send proof that you paid for that time, and ask the council to use its discretion to cancel it.
Is there a grace period while I start the app?
Not on a council street. The statutory grace period in England is 10 minutes after the end of the time you paid for, and it does not apply where nothing was paid. Start the session before you leave the car.
Why do I pay a service charge on top of the parking?
Because the app provider charges for the service. The providers’ own pages say the amount depends on the council or car park operator, so it varies from place to place. Some councils publish it, and the app shows it before you confirm. The parking tariff itself is set by the council.
My phone died and I could not pay. What can I do?
Use a machine if there is one. If there was no other way to pay, the bay was still unpaid, so a ticket can be issued. Keep evidence of what happened and challenge it, asking the council to exercise its discretion. The stronger your evidence that you tried and could not pay, the better your chance.

Sources

Figures last checked 8 September 2026